Many hotels have moved in the pet-friendly direction to lure those high-end travelers who want to take their favorite friends with them. Probably no other hotel chain in the U.S. has been at the forefront of this movement more than Kimpton Hotels.
This hotel chain has managed to offer pet-friendly, high-end accommodations with locations throughout California including San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
The experience
No other group of hotels offers what Kimpton does for the traveler with pets. When you walk in the front door, the hotel mascot (often a Golden Lab) greets you at check-in setting the stage for a relaxed stay. After you check in, you will find a comfortable bed and bowl for Fido, along with a list of pet-friendly businesses nearby.If your little friend is feeling a bit stressed from the travel, you might want to schedule he or she a pet massage. Only Kimpton offers this kind of pampered service for pets. Special door signs signify units with pets to ensure extra care from hotel staff.
The thing that makes Kimpton so unique is that if you do not have pets you would barely notice those that do. I have stayed at many of their properties and aside from an occasional elevator ride together I never even noticed the pets. This is a delicate balance and they have perfected the art.
Another very unique feature first offered by Kimpton and now widely copied is the evening wine hour. Each hotel hosts a nightly wine tasting featuring wines produced close to the property.
These nightly vigils are a great way to share your day’s experiences with worldly travelers. Guests tend to leave their pets in the room for this social time.
San Diego, L.A. and S.F.
My most recent visit to a Kimpton Hotel was the Hotel Solamar in downtown San Diego just steps from PETCO Park home to the San Diego Padres. The famous Gaslamp Quarter is equally as close, as well as all the other famous downtown attractions. This is a very “happening” part of the San Diego scene with regular events and concerts on the schedule. If you like to be where the action is, this is your place.The Hotel Solamar is home to LOUNGEsix a tropical rooftop bar overlooking downtown San Diego. The action starts late afternoon here and continues well into evening. Jsix is the restaurant option and a very good one. Seasonal seafood options dominate this California Cuisine menu under the skillful care of Chef Christian Graves.
The rooms are comfortable and feature plush top, triple-sheeted beds with Frette Linens. Internet access is free and 40-inch LCD TVs finish off the finest in electronics. If you have any special needs, the hotel website lists the managers name and contact information.
This is the first time I have seen this, and it gives one the idea of just how far they will go to ensure a pleasant stay. The company also has a Westwood location with the Hotel Palomar and 10 properties in the San Francisco area. For more information, visit KimptonHotels.com.
Golf notes
The United States Golf Association continues to baffle me with its ever-lengthening layouts. The USGA Men’s Amateur will be played this week at a length of 7,700 yards at Chambers Bay Golf Course just outside Tacoma, Wash. Now, it is true that this is a links-style layout featuring fast-running fairways, but the cool air will have an equaling effect. This past summer they played the USGA Girls Junior Championship at a length of 6,400 yards. Most courses have the ladies playing between 5,400 and 5,700 yards.This event was played at Country Club of North Carolina in the Pinehurst area – and there was a fair amount of rain, making the fairways even softer.
This escalation in length during a time when most golf courses are suffering from deteriorating economic conditions is at odds with the best interests of the game.
It only serves the golf equipment industry that the USGA seems more interested in. What should be done is a rollback in equipment, especially the golf balls.
Today’s ball has been designed to explode at higher-speed impacts, giving long hitters exponential power. A “Tournament Ball” could be used instead, which would make many of our older courses challenging enough for major tournaments.
The current “hot golf balls” could continue to serve the general golfing public, who really do not get the extra yardage anyway.