Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants announced its plans to expand the brand's footprint in the heart of both Chicago and Nashville, Tennessee, with two new hotels opening in 2016.

The boutique hotel chain has been selected as the operator of a new 180-key boutique hotel in Nashville, adjacent to the Vanderbilt University campus in Midtown, and has also purchased an historic building in Chicago's Central Loop neighbourhood which will be converted into a four-star, 281-room hotel.

Kimpton to Open Its Fifth Property in Chicago

The 14-story iconic building, which was originally constructed in 1894 and currently serves as commercial office space, is one of only two existing office buildings in Chicago created by internationally-renowned architect William Le Baron Jenney. Scheduled for a Q1 2016 opening, the new hotel will feature a destination restaurant and bar, a lively Library Bar on the second floor adjacent to the lobby and living room, as well as 9,500 square feet of prime shopping space on the ground floor. Offering more than 12,500 square feet of meeting and event space on the 14thand 15th floors, the hotel will also feature a top floor ballroom with views of LaSalle Street. This will be Kimpton's fifth property in Chicago, joining the Hotel Burham, Hotel Allegro, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Palomar.

“Chicago has proven to be a consistently successful market for Kimpton, and this new hotel will give us an opportunity to leverage many operational synergies here with our other four hotels,” said Kimpton President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Depatie.“We are excited to expand our footprint in this great city, and bring Kimpton's unique design and heartfelt approach to hospitality to this historic Chicago building.” 

New Upscale Hotel Opening in Nashville

Buckingham Companies has awarded Kimpton the management contract for the Nashville hotel, which will be part of the 17-story, 600,000-square-foot Buckingham Midtown project. Kimpton's first hotel in Tennessee, anticipated to open in late 2016, will feature 180 rooms, a restaurant and bar, 6,500 square feet of meeting and event space and a pool. The architecture of Buckingham Midtown will reflect the neighbourhood's diversity and energy featuring modern elements where the development faces the Midtown area, and traditional design facing the storied Vanderbilt campus.

“Kimpton has long admired the eclectic vitality of Nashville and we're so excited to bring our unique amenities and guest experience to people travelling to the city, “said Mike Depatie, president and CEO of Kimpton.

The Nashville hotel is part of Kimpton's expanding presence in the Southeast region. In addition to the Buckingham property, Kimpton recently announced plans to open a hotel in the former R.J. Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, N.C.

 For more information on Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants,

visit www.KimptonHotels.com.

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ABOUT KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the leading collection of boutique hotels and restaurants in the United States and the acknowledged industry pioneer that first introduced the boutique hotel concept to America. In 1981, Bill Kimpton founded the company that today is renowned for making travellers feel genuinely cared for while away from home through thoughtful perks and amenities, distinctive design that tells a story and inspires a sense of fun at each hotel and a sincerely personal style of guest service. Out to help people live full, balanced lives, Kimpton aims to inspire with touches like yoga mats in every room, complimentary coffee and tea to start the day, hosted evening Wine Hour, in-room fitness programming and complimentary bike rentals. The award-winning restaurants and bars are led by talented chefs and bartenders that offer guests a chance to dine like a local. Kimpton also leads the hospitality industry in eco-friendly practices that span all hotels and restaurants, and is consistently ranked as one of the top companies in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, Upper Upscale Segment, for Customer Satisfaction. The company is highly-regarded for its innovative employee culture and benefits and has been named a Fortune magazine “Best Place to Work” five times since 2009. Kimpton is continuously growing and currently operates 60 hotels and nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges in 26 cities. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.

ABOUT BUCKINGHAM COMPANIES

Founded in 1984, Buckingham is a full service, fully integrated real estate company that includes the development, acquisition, management and construction of a wide range of property types including multifamily, student housing and mixed-use communities. Buckingham manages nearly $1 billion of real estate assets for its own account, clients and institutional partners. Buckingham has managed more than 90 properties consisting of nearly 20 million square-feet of property and approximately 15,000 rental units nationwide. Additionally, the affiliated Buckingham Foundation annually supports more than 45 nonprofit and civic organizations through philanthropic outreach in the areas of affordable housing, community and economic development, and arts and culture. For more information, visit www.buckingham-co.com.