Kimpton CEO promises a bright future for rewards program

When IHG announced its takeover of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants earlier this year, many Kimpton loyalists expressed concern about what would happen to the boutique brand now that it was under control of a major hospitality group. Well, good news: Kimpton's CEO announced he wants to keep the good karma going by maintaining the hotel's Kimpton Karma Rewards program as 'unique.'

For the sixth-month anniversary of the IHG-Kimpton deal, Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino penned an email saying the hotel remains "firmly committed to guests" and that "loyalty is a top focus" in establishing how Kimpton will function within IHG.

DeFrino wrote:

We think we have a pretty compelling opportunity with the IHG Rewards Club and continue to explore how to best bring these two programs together – keeping Kimpton Karma as unique as it is and also giving you the ability to tap into the rich IHG Rewards Club perks.

So far Kimpton Karma has continued operating separately from the IHG Rewards Club, which bills itself as the world's largest hotel loyalty program. IHG's other brands do not yet recognize Karma rewards or status, according to Skift. But soon that will all change.

While DeFrino's email didn't include concrete plans or details for how that will be executed, he did say they had "begun conducting surveys and focus groups" and that guests should expect to see changes rolled out within the coming year. The IHG Rewards Club bills itself as the world's largest hotel loyalty program.

He also mentioned Kimpton was growing its portfolio to soon add properties in Austin, Winston-Salem, Nashville, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Palm Springs and Grand Cayman.