If you’re going to go all out on your next trip, here are some of our favorite ways to travel in style and feel like a VIP. Pair these one-of-a-kind experiences with a luxe hotel suite and you’ll feel like a total rock star.
PITTSBURGH: Take a Private River Cruise
Enjoy cocktails or dinner onboard and soak in the City of Bridges with a luxury-chartered cruise from Pittsburgh Water Limo. Cruises start at $750 for two hours of cruising and one hour of docking, and can accommodate up to 39 people. Afterward, retreat to a spacious suite at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh downtown and rest the night away.
Treat yourself to a river cruise in Pittsburgh for a different perspective on the city. Image credit: @nodar77 via Twenty20
NEW YORK: Get Artsy with a Private Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Get an exclusive sneak peek of The Metropolitan Museum of Art on its EmptyMet tour before it’s open to the general public. One of the museum’s engaging guides will walk you back in time and you’ll be able to ask every question you missed in Art History. This is the coolest way to experience the depth and breadth of The Met firsthand. Book the tour for up to 25 guests at $3,000 and you’ll get exclusive VIP passes valid for three days at The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer and The Met Cloisters. After, take in the floor-to-ceiling city views from a lavish suite at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi in Chelsea, a neighborhood with enough art galleries and boutiques to satisfy any art lover.
Take a private, exclusive guided tour of The Met and have the museum all to yourself. Image credit: @eric_urquhart via Twenty20
NASHVILLE: Fall into The Rabbit Hole at Henley
White rabbit or not, an unparalleled dining experience awaits at Henley, where guests can enjoy an intimate 14-course tasting menu co-inspired by executive chef Daniel Gorman and bar lead Jon Howard. Guests first must find their way to the hidden room in the inner sanctum of Henley’s kitchen. Behind a bookcase in the main dining room, guests enter the velvet-draped nook and sip their first cocktail from a small chalice. Each night, a different story unfolds with a new whimsical menu artfully delivered over three hours. Seatings are available at 6 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and cost $135 per person with drink pairings available for an additional charge. Once you’ve had your fill, head up to your suite at the Kimpton Aertson Hotel to unwind in style.
Treat yourself to a 14-course tasting menu at The Rabbit Hole in Nashville — a tucked-away best kept culinary secret. Image credit: Angelina Howard
LOS ANGELES: Treat Yourself to a La Peer Bath Ritual
Treat yourself to a customized bath ritual by the hotel’s spa partner Ole Henricksen. Whether it’s rest and relaxation or rejuvenation, the team will curate a bath experience just for you. Opt for a bath infused with the perfect blend of healing essential oils, or channel your inner kid with an old-school bubble bath. Options include three different rituals alongside other indulgences like champagne and rose petals. After the ultimate spa session, continue relaxing in your luxe suite at the Kimpton La Peer Hotel, located in West Hollywood, an oasis amidst bustling Los Angeles.
Soak your aches away in L.A. with a bath ritual tailored to your needs. Image credit: Alexandra Ostridge
AMSTERDAM: Indulge in the Genever Experience
Have you ever wondered where the expression “Dutch courage” comes from? Genever or jenever, a.k.a. Dutch gin, is the traditional juniper-flavored national liquor of the Netherlands dating back to the 13th century. It became the drink of choice for soldiers to calm their nerves before battle in the 16th century and thus the well-known phrase was born.
The Kimpton De Witt Hotel has a series of genever-themed guest experiences that offer gin enthusiasts a chance to learn about the Dutch origins of the ever-popular British tipple. And gin enthusiasts will love the new “It’s All About Genever” stay package, which includes one-night accommodation and two tickets to the House of Bols Cocktail and Genever Experience. Guests can enjoy a private gin tasting session, sampling unusual and hyperlocal gins and genevers from House Bar, located in a quaint former home from 1645. Plus, don’t miss De Witt’s very own house genever, newly unveiled in July.
Love gin as much as we do? Don’t miss Head Bartender Thomas Datema’s legendary genever cocktails at House Bar in Amsterdam.
CHICAGO: Taste the Caviar Flight at Vol. 39
For an added taste of opulence, indulge in a decadent caviar experience at Vol. 39 in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood. The upscale menu includes caviar sourced from the nation’s only 100% sustainable program, so you can feel good about what you’re eating. The menu includes Royal Belgian Gold Siberian, Galilee Prime Ostera, Imperial Gold Beluga Hybrid and Russian Snake River White Sturgeon, to name a few. For caviar newcomers, the team at Vol. 39 is happy to give recommendations. Indulge in caviar by 0.5 oz or 1 oz portions, and treat yourself to a comfortable suite at the Kimpton Gray Hotel for a home base right in downtown Chicago.
Relish this delicacy in Chicago — a flight of the most unique sampling of caviar in the nation. Image credit: Marcin Cymmer
PORTLAND: Get in Touch with Your Adventurous Side on a Heli-Tour of Wine Country
One of the best ways to see wine country? By sky! Take a helicopter tour of the Willamette Valley complete with three stops at the tasting rooms of the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland’s winery partners. Après vino, kick back in your Urban Soak suite, which has your very own private outdoor hot tub overlooking Portland. Make it extra romantic and order a bottle of champagne — but don’t worry about getting out of the spa to answer the door, Hotel Vintage has tub-side room service so you can relax in peace.
Kick back and relax with some bubbly in your own private outdoor jacuzzi overlooking Portland. Image credit: Jackie Seus
And if you want to stay inside that sweet suite? More power to you. Not to brag, but our suites are pretty sensational and none of them are the same. Designed with each hotel’s point of view in mind, here are our tips on getting the most out of that extra suite space.
