Dive Brief:
- IHG Hotels & Resorts will open a Kimpton hotel in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, Arizona, the hotel company announced Friday.
- The 400-key Kimpton Miralina Resort & Villas will debut early next year following an extensive renovation and repositioning of an existing 42-acre property. The resort will operate under a joint venture between Partners Group and Trinity Investments, while Highgate manages the property.
- Amid a broader push in the luxury and lifestyle segment, IHG is expanding the Kimpton brand to new markets with strong travel demand fundamentals, Leanne Harwood, IHG’s senior vice president and managing director of luxury and lifestyle in the Americas, said in a news release.
Dive Insight:
Upon opening, Kimpton Miralina Resort & Villas will be the first branded IHG luxury and lifestyle property in the Paradise Valley/Scottsdale market, according to the hotel company. There is one other Kimpton hotel in Arizona, the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix.
Suburban Phoenix “remains one of the fastest growing U.S. metropolitan areas and a haven for both business meetings and travelers seeking connection with the beautiful surroundings,” Harwood said in the release. Kimpton Miralina’s “contemporary design, breathtaking views and what will become exemplary culinary destinations” will be a natural fit to meet market demand, she said.
According to IHG, the resort will offer four food and beverage concepts developed in partnership with lifestyle hospitality group SBE. The property will also have 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, a fitness center, six swimming pools, a salon and a day spa. Catering to wellness travelers, the hotel will offer bike rentals, in-room yoga mats and access to nearby hiking trails.
Kimpton Miralina marks the latest addition to IHG’s growing luxury and lifestyle pipeline. The Kimpton brand, specifically, has roughly 150 open and in-pipeline properties globally. So far this year, IHG has announced forthcoming Kimpton hotels in California’s Napa Valley and Texas’ Hill Country. The brand is also underway on hotels in New York City and Kaua’i, Hawaii.
Beyond Kimpton, IHG is expanding its recently acquired German-based lifestyle brand Ruby in the U.S.
IHG competitors Marriott International, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are similarly growing their luxury and lifestyle portfolios. All three companies launched new lifestyle brands earlier this month.