My understanding was that IC reward nights used to be redeemable for any hotel, any night, as long as a room was available for sale (barring huge things like World Series, Super Bowl, etc). In fact, a year or so ago I was unable to use a non-IC reward night (that I earned before becoming IC) but was able to use an IC reward night for the same night.

It seems that they've stealthily put capacity controls on IC rewards too, without telling anyone.

Would love to get a straight answer out of Kimpton on this...

(I've also noticed a lot less beer and a lot more bottled water as the amenity. Which is ridiculous, because I do not use or want bottled water. The US is blessed with clean and safe running water; we should drink it!)

When combined with the minibar issues (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...bar-items.html), and Kimpton's generally slow and unreliable wifi compared to other hotels targeting business travelers, I'm very much reconsidering my loyalty.