A Couple Embarks on a “Kimpton Crawl”

We hear feedback from our guests in all types of ways. E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, snail mail, smoke signals – you write it, we read it.

Recently, one traveling couple caught our eye in a whole new way. Portland’s Sara Gates and Marty Predd, joined by their 100-pound golden retriever, Oscar, started a blog about staying at Kimpton hotels. On KimptonCrawl.com they chronicle an ambitious cross-country adventure; they departed from Portland in December and will wind up on the East Coast later this year. They gave up their apartment to make the journey, have their belongings in their car, and are calling Kimpton hotels their new home.

Marty and Sara are “crawling” to a city near you

“We liked the idea of doing a long-term road trip, but knew that finding lodging for Oscar would be a problem,” said Sara, who spoke to us from the road traveling south from San Francisco to Los Angeles. “We stayed at Kimpton hotels previously and love that they are pet friendly … among other things like the wine hours. We decided that we would theme our trip around [the hotels] and charted our course to pass through every city that has a Kimpton and blog about the experience.”

Luckily, their flexible jobs make it all possible. Marty is a market researcher that can work anywhere via his MacBook and Sara is a psychology and writing student at an online university. She also worked for Starbucks in Portland and her manager found a way for her to pick up barista shifts at various cities while she’s on the road.

But the couples’s journey hasn’t been all work, no play. They’ve explored each city they’ve visited, enjoying everything from clam chowder in Seattle to an Alcatraz tour in San Francisco.

At every Kimpton hotel they visit, Oscar gets an especially warm welcome. “All the doormen pat him on the head and he gets treats in the lobby,” says Sara. “Some of our rooms have had a dog bed and water bowl waiting for him. We love that there are no fees for bringing a pet along.”

Because they don’t pay extra for Oscar to stay at Kimpton hotels, Sara and Marty decided to donate $20 to the Humane Society every time they stay at Kimpton; they estimate this is the amount they are saving by not having to board him offsite.

After their next stop in Los Angeles, the couple will drive to San Diego, home of Hotel Solamar, then move on to Scottsdale’s FireSky Resort & Spa before driving north to Aspen’s Sky Hotel and Denver’s Hotel Monaco.

Follow their travels on their blog or on Twitter: @kimptoncrawl. Safe and happy travels, Sara and Marty!

Oscar is happy to sit and stay at Kimpton hotels