Kimpton Standardizes With Challenger Safes from Hospitality

Kimpton selects suppliers based on value, reliability, industry knowledge

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. October 14, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 19, 2006. San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels has achieved success in an unusual way - with "a brand that is not a brand." Founded in 1981, Kimpton was not widely known for many years because none of its properties carried the company name. But the chain is credited with creating the boutique hotel concept long before the W, Indigo and Ian Schrager capitalized on its idea. Kimpton has doubled in size since 1999 and now operates 46 unique properties in the US and Canada that carry a cachet often compared with Four Seasons Hotels. Every property is different with a distinct personality and atmosphere. And that has sometimes presented challenges.

"Since each of our hotels is unique, brand standards were not our focus before now," said Edgar Elliott, Kimpton's director of pre-opening and FF&E. "With our growth to over 40 properties, however, we have had to develop standards for most areas of operations; it would be too complex otherwise. When it comes to specifying suppliers we only work with companies that we can trust to deliver value." Guest room hotel safes are one example of how Kimpton sets standards for suppliers. "Safes are an amenity we don't charge for, but they have to work every time for every guest," Elliott explained. "What separates one company from another is dependability and service. Kimpton has been installing Challenger safes from Hospitality Safe Corporation for four years."

Kimpton's properties are located in cities from San Francisco to Boston, New York, Washington, DC and other areas. With so many locations, all of them elegant hotels without flags, it is surprising that Kimpton operates like a chain offering its own guest loyalty program and standardized promotions, like its Girlfriend's Getaway Packages, uniformly across its entire portfolio. "What makes Kimpton special is that each property is like no other," Edgar Elliott said. "Our hotels are unique, but we operate as a collective whole to take advantage of our purchasing power as a group whether in reservations, or other purchases. We direct our properties to purchase from only one or two vendors, whether it is electronic hotel safes or linens. We use Challenger safes in our properties because Hospitality Safe Corporation understands our business and keeps its promises."

Kimpton offers unusual settings and decor and provides guests with many free amenities. Some amenities included are HSIA, in-room yoga kits and wine tasting. Most Kimpton properties are also attached to trendy restaurants known for style and great food; this is another departure from typical chain thinking.

The Hospitality Safe Corporation Challenger series used by Kimpton provides a seven-year guarantee with every installation. Each safe comes with an ADA-approved large-button keypad, and guests can lock and unlock the door with either a customized PIN or credit card. For added security each unit records the 200 most recent safe openings and closings for viewing to verify guest use or unauthorized entry. The newest M17 model Challenger safe accommodates all laptop computers, including the popular new 17-inch laptops