Disappointing 4 night stay on points, 3rd week in April, midweek. I'd been watching this Kimpton for quite awhile, good reviews, nice beach location. For weeks prior to my dates the points would fluctuate from 60K to 110K, and starting rates were always in the $600-$1,000+ range. Finally in the end it came down to 60K points for the 4 nights at a paid rate starting at $850. The points availability and rate would literally change several times a day. Ridiculous.
So room received when booking points was standard King, no windows. Wrote about a week prior and asked about an upgrade (I'm Spire Ambassador). Was offered a king with a "terrace view" for +$25/night. Or ADA room with ocean view for +$100/night. I like Kimptons, have always had good experiences, and the brand is the reason I maintain Ambassador/Spire each year. Kimpton has always been good about upgrading no charge for me, although I usually try to include a paid night with points nights. No way I was going to pay Vero Beach $850 for a small, inside closet room. I went with the $25/nt upgrade. The hotel was about 25-35% full I'd estimate.
The room was nice. Hotel itself is okay but I feel the online pictures of the outside are very well "done" thus my disappoint upon arrival. Our room, 2nd floor, had a view of the pool and and a view straight into the bar/Heatons restaurant. Look to the left from the balcony and yes you could see the ocean. It also had a view of the parking lot of the property next door. Even the ocean facing rooms are right over the other restaurant, Cobalt, so from your balcony you'll see and hear patrons there. Ground floor rooms would have a steady flow of people passing by. There's a blockade around the pool by the beach, waist high, solid. So you do not see the beach/ocean while basking by the pool as the online photos would lead you to believe.
Restaurant, Cobalt, was awful--dinner once and never again. For breakfast you order at the bar from a very reduced menu. They handed us a number to put on the table in the dining room. Then to our surprise server brought breakfast in a paper bag, cardboard to-go boxes. How could you botch toast & a scrambled egg? They did. Yes it was during COVID but they managed to serve dinner on plates and cocktails in the restaurant. When at a resort we look forward to being able to enjoy breakfast on site; not here. We got ourselves ready, had the valet bring the car and drove off to local restaurants (Lemon Tree was good for breakfast). Kimpton evening wine hour was hidden in a cubby by the front desk (very hidden and not publicized). They ran out of paper carriers for the morning coffee. At an $850/night hotel? I got one $10 drink coupon for the 4 nights. No water in the room; when I asked he said they ran out except for the bigger bottles which normally are at a charge (he did hand me one, complimentary). No $15/night credit for opting out of housekeeping (now that I read the post above which reminded me of the offer).
I would never book with points if it meant staying in one of those inside rooms. I can only guess the good reviews come from people paying in the $250 range--for that price it's fine. At checkout, when asked about my stay, I mentioned the bad restaurant experiences; they did credit the two meals. Another positive they did have a nice cheese & fruit platter in the room with a bottle of white wine coincidently from a winery about 30 minutes from my home (in California). Otherwise, it didn't feel like a Kimpton. I kept flashing back to our stay at Kimpton Seafire a few years ago--it's nothing like that. Not even as good as Kimpton Huntington Beach IMO. The city of Vero Beach is a nice, clean, safe which has good dining options as well.
Now I'm trying to burn all my IHG points so no more Ambassador/Spire for me when it expires 12/2022. By June I will have stayed over 100 nights this year with Hyatt (that many nights is an anomaly for me) and am thoroughly enjoying Hyatt Globalist status!