TravelStar

Yes! Kimpton award nights are available using IHG points. I spot-checked (San Francisco, Seattle, Nashville) and are available and bookable on the IHG website. The points required for the hotels I checked were 50,000, 55,000 and 60,000.

Romain_

That's great news, thanks for sharing.
I've seen higher ones too (Washington up to 65k, NYC up to 70k). Clearly these are already aligned to the "2018 rates", so in cases when one is able to book this week, I'd say in most cases the existing IHG rates are better value.

philemer

Oh ya! ^

TravelStar

It seems to all be tied together at this point...I just made a paid reservation at a Kimpton (Sir Francis Drake San Francisco) and was told (by an IHG phone rep) I would receive IHG points for the stay....

I love it!

TravelStar

Just checked the new Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa in The Cayman Islands. Random dates in February. Rooms start at $880 USD and are available for 70,000 IHG points.

trouble747

Are some Kimpton locations exempt from offering rewards nights? For example, the Angler Hotel in Miami Beach has zero availability...

TravelStar

I just received an email from IHG that states when (as an Elite Member) at Kimpton Hotels you will receive:

- A $30 in-room spa credit

- A $10 Raid The Bar Credit (Replacing your IHG amenity)

I assume this is valid for award points stays.

mpw81

You are correct. It's worth noting that if you have a combined stay (1 paid and 1 free night), they only give you a single raid the bar credit, in my experience.

Points Scrounger

No welcome Points at Kimpton?

FlyinHawaiian

No welcome points were offered to me when I checked into the Aertson in Nashville last weekend.

Hard to say under the new, integrated IHG program, but under Kimpton, the only exception property was the De Witt in AMS. The Angler's is a smaller property and if you are looking during a peak time (Spring Break, Memorial Day, etc.) then it could be that they've blocked award inventory. Those of us from the legacy Kimpton side remember having to call and check periodically to see if award availability had opened up for certain dates/properties.

wise2u

yeah I saw limited dates with one room available for 70k...hopfully they upgrade you from that parking lot room.....what I didn't like was the $60 per night + 10% tax added on, for things that should be complimentary at a hotel charging $600-$800 a night like: wifi? chairs on the beach? coffee in the lobby?.....color me unimpressed, with greedy add on fees....wonder if they are doing that with their Miami hotels as well?

TravelStar

I just checked about a dozen random (3 night stay) dates from Feb to May and had over 50% availability with rooms from $560 to $880 value. My guess is they don't actually charge the $60 night on award stays and as for as the 10% tax, that is 10% of nothing so not charged either. Those are charges that are paid with cash-paid rooms and makes the value of these 70,000 point per night stays approach $1,000 per night.

trouble747

Calling might be necessary. I used the availability calendar on IHG's site and found no availability for any day of any month this year. I messaged the hotel to inquire and they claimed they were having issues integrating with IHG's system (whether this is actually true is questionable--I recall the CP in South Beach would at times show zero availability for any date in any month, and the hotel told me that all of the standard rooms must have been taken for every single day).

trouble747

I can find availability for this hotel now, so perhaps they are working out the glitches...

tdfxman

WOW this thread.

I am a clueless IHG Platium and I was booking a night in Chicago for our 18th Anniversary and I saw this Kimpton. I was going to book the IC. I never HEARD of Kimpton before. But when I looked at it I was like wow I think this is that chain they bought some years back. I read 4 Trip ADvisor reviews and booked it instantly over the IC.

Then I read a wiki page on Kimpton. I saw the Cayman's property. I did look at them for our 20th lol. I did see lots of nights for 70K. I mean the value seems high end. I could use 2 free night certs and pts for 2 more and spend $0 for 4 nights? Crazy. I also wonder if that 10% fee+$60 applies even on pts. Does anyone know that yet?

So I guess the "intergration" of IHG _ Kimpton became more formal and integrated systems wise now. I thought they bought them back in 2014. I will be using lots of pts at these Kimpton's now.