What It Was Like to Work with Boutique Hotel Pioneer Bill Kimpton
Photo Caption: Bill Kimpton, who pioneered the boutique hotel movement in the U.S. was known by colleagues as a visionary boss. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Skift Take
If there were ever someone who truly influenced and mentored an entire generation of hotel leaders, Bill Kimpton would be at the very top of that list.
Earlier this week we published a 60,000 word account of the early days and evolution of the boutique hotel industry in the United States, the Complete Oral History of Boutique Hotels.
The story featured interviews with over two dozen key players, and took us from fledgling brands in San Francisco and New York in the early 1980s to the biggest brands in hospitality in the modern era. We'll be running a series of related stories over the coming weeks.
In compiling the story, a common response we heard from nearly everyone who worked for Bill Kimpton at one time or another was this: he was simply a great boss.
Kimpton, with his hotels, was the pioneer of developing the charming, welcoming boutique hotel. His hotels were the kinds of places where you were always invited in the lobby for an afternoon wine hour. Or where you’d pop into the restaurant regularly, just because it was your favorite local hangout.
And each of those properties, especially the earliest ones, refle
