Kimpton Taconic Hotel (Manchester, VT)

What is your Rewards Club status? Spire Elite and Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Premier King, upgraded to a Junior Suite in the main building (no higher room classes were available)

How are the rooms? The suite is on the third (top) floor of the main building (some other rooms and suites are in adjacent cottages on the property, facing the Taconics. The suite basically a large corner room with a large bathroom with a soaking tub and separate walk-in shower. There's also a gas fireplace in the room, which was a nice touch. It was very, very quiet and I was glad to find that the windows fully opened and had screens so that we could enjoy the clean and cool mountain air, instead of using the a/c. Ample power plugs (including USB) and lighting in the room.

[if you are Spire]

We were given Inner Circle benefits for our stay as we were celebrating our anniversary

How was your complimentary welcome amenity? Small plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries, two small bottles of Prosecco, and two bottles of sparkling water.

Did you raid the minibar? No, I didn't find anything worth taking, so I applied it as a credit against our dinner at The Copper Grouse.

Were you offered a Chef's Taste at Dinner, If so, what did you receive? Yes, individual amuse-bouches of grilled asparagus wrapped in coppa and served over miked greens. The chef also held back two veal chops from the daily butcher block special in case we wanted them for our entree (I did and it was excellent).

Did you use the free spa credit / did the hotel participate? If so, was it a good value? N/A

What was good and what was bad? Great location, very quiet and peaceful, but with lots of great food options on property and in town. Very convenient to the outlet malls and historic Hildene (which I highly recommend). Staff was exceedingly friendly. The property overall is in great shape (and strangely lacking the edgy Kimpton decor) with ample free parking. The only minor quibble is that unlike other Kimptons, the free wine hour is limited to one drink per guest (controlled by vouchers).

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? We found a BOGO special on Cyber Monday and room prices for the off-season are very reasonable so given what we paid versus the Innter Circle benefits for our stay made it an excellent value. We would like to return during late Spring through the Fall to enjoy the foliage and more outdoor activities.