Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a boutique hotel company operating 41 properties in the US and Canada, is to double its New York portfolio with two new developments in 2008 and 2009.
In keeping with Kimpton”s strategy to become the leading boutique operator in New York, the Kimpton Vu Hotel and yet-to-be-named property on 6th Avenue will join existing establishments, Muse Hotel in Times Square and 70 Park Avenue Hotel.
Opening in spring 2008 at 48th Street and 11th Avenue, the Kimpton Vu Hotel will feature 222 guestrooms and include one floor dedicated to glass-enclosed penthouse suites. In addition, there will be 4,600sq ft (1,403sq m) of meeting space, a full service spa and 2,000sq ft rooftop bar and deck with water features.
The $125m (”61.7m), 16-storey hotel offers unobstructed 360” views of the Hudson River and the Midtown Manhattan skyline, surrounded by a number of new hotel, retail and residential developments underway in the neighbourhood.
Located in the Chelsea area on 6th Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets, Kimpton”s fourth New York property is the company”s first ground-up construction hotel.
Although Kimpton maintains that it too will have the feel and approach of a boutique hotel, the 50-storey glass-fronted building is to house 287 rooms and suites, 270 luxury residential apartments, 3,000sq ft ballroom and 8,000sq ft of additional meeting space, plus a multi-level restaurant and bar facility covering some 20,000sq ft and an outdoor terrace spanning 6,000sq ft. There will be parking space for 500 cars.
”Kimpton is rapidly expanding its foothold coast to coast and expansion in New York City is an important driver in reaching our overall goal of doubling the number of hotels in our portfolio by 2012,” said CEO and president, Michael Depatie.
”There is incredible demand in New York for Kimpton”s brand of stylish, luxury, boutique hotels that allow travellers to be as comfortable on the road as they are at home.”
Indeed, Kimpton has a range of somewhat innovative amenities that aim to make a guest”s stay more comfortable, such as an in-room yoga programme that provides the necessary equipment and a video, accessible via the in-room entertainment system. Some Kimpton hotels also provide special accommodation for the taller guest, with 8ft beds available on request.