Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Chicago throws week long gift exchange for charity

We love the holiday season, not just for the fun of the decorations and excitement of Santa’s arrival, but for the innate kindness that seems to seep from people this time of year. Couple that kindness with the efforts of hotels partnering with charitable organizations and you’ve got the making for a great holiday season.

To celebrate the holiday season and show just how fun the spirit of giving can be, Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco will host a week long White Elephant Charity Gift Exchange with proceeds to benefit Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital (CCMH).

Holiday givers are invited to bring an unwrapped gift to the lobby of Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Chicago; in exchange, the holiday giver will then choose their own present from among those previously exchanged. For each gift exchanged, the Monaco Chicago will make a $2 donation to CCMH. In addition to the monetary donation, the Monaco Chicago will also hold a drive to collect gift cards for families at CCMH, a welcomed surprise for families in need during the holiday season.The Monaco Chicago has decided to shake things up and throw in a few exciting gifts of its own, including airfare and accommodations to any Kimpton hotel in the country.

Here’s how the exchange works:

  • The holiday giver brings in an unwrapped, unopened gift (price range $10 to $20) to the Hotel Monaco Chicago lobby during specified times. A Monaco team member will then review the gift and wrap the present.
  • The holiday giver selects a different gift from among those previously exchanged. The giver can choose to accept that gift or select ONE final other. If rejected, the first gift is placed back with the other gifts.
  • Hint: Individuals who donate a gift card will receive one more round at the gift exchange.
  • For each gift provided, the Hotel Monaco will donate $2 to Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital.
  • Every holiday giver has an equal chance to win any Kimpton hotel around the country.

Doesn’t giving feel good?

Do Thanksgiving deals make hotels more appealing than staying at home?

I’m going home for Thanksgiving for the first time since moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to New York City. And rather than agreeing to sleep on the futon, I’m springing for a hotel room. Does choosing to stay in a hotel make me a bad person since the whole point of the holiday is to be with family?

As much as I love my family, I’m not too crazy about the idea of my 9-year-old niece and 5-year-old nephew rousing me out of bed at 6 a.m. every day. And though my sister tries her best to keep them occupied until I’ve woken up, the guilt — and their adorable pleading (“Will you play with me?”, “Are you still sleeping?”) — inevitably drives me to get up with the rest of the family.

To be honest, I didn’t plan to stay at a hotel over Thanksgiving. But as a Kimpton InTouch loyalty member, I received an e-mail blast several weeks ago for weekend deals. When I discovered that the deal wasn’t blacked out over Thanksgiving weekend, I ended up booking three nights at the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco’s Union Square for $109 per night. Is the extra sleep worth that much money? In my case, yes.
For my last night, I found a last-minute deal at Sonoma‘s Farmhouse Inn: $177 (regularly $295-$375). Unfortunately, the online deal required a minimum two-night stay. Since I had already prepaid my Sir Francis Drake hotel reservation, I decided to call up the inn to see if there were any other deals. It turns out that if I was willing to take a smaller room, I could book the $177 rate for just one night. Done. Looks like I’ll get my turkey and a little wine tasting, too.

So you see, I didn’t intend to stay at a hotel over Thanksgiving. But at these low rates, how could I resist all these Thanksgiving deals?

Though staying in a hotel will be a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the futon, maybe I will miss the chaos of staying at home (and the convenience of opening the fridge to pick at the leftover turkey).

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[Photo by Amy Chen]

Daily Pampering: Chicago’s tranquility suite

Seems we missed National Relaxation Day on Sunday, Aug. 15, but that doesn’t mean we can’t time out for a little breather. For those of you in the Chicago-area, Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco has a “tranquility suite” perfect for zoning out.

Located on the 11th floor of the Hotel Monaco, the suite offers views of the Chicago River, best enjoyed from the room’s plush oversized window seats. Calming beige and silvery-blue colors are accented by feathers and suede textures. At the center of the suite’s living room is a seating area with Leonardo chairs and reflective glass furniture, an ideal spot for unwinding with champagne and chocolates.

Rent the suite and you’ll get a plush robe, an electric tea kettle, sound machines, pajamas and breakfast in bed. Included in the room is an air purifier and our favorite part: the sleeping cove, which features an exclusively-designed Simmons mattress, wrapped in ultra-soft bamboo sheets. In the bathroom, an opulent bath includes a two-person soaking tub and beaded glass wall covering, beautifully lit by a 42-strand crystal chandelier.

Relaxed, yet? Nightly rates range from $409 to $669, but packages including in-room spa services and other amenities are priced a bit higher.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Hotels making a move on social media, with targeted help

The hotel industry has plenty of faith in the social media world – and no reservations about using it to gain reservations. But, it’s struggling to take control of the medium. A survey by Wine and Hospitality Network indicates that most respondents (in the business) spend only two hours a week managing their Facebook fan pages – with 14.2 percent having no such page to manage. Forty-two percent don’t use Twitter, and 25 percent tweet for less than an hour a week (they should reach out to @Colonnade for tips).

But, it isn’t for lack of trying. The internet is littered with the corpses of abandoned social media marketing initiatives, inside the travel industry and out. Notes online marketing publication ClickZ:

“Before hoteliers even consider a social media initiative, they should be aware that social media is a very engaged, hands-on marketing format. The social networks are a graveyard of abandoned hotel profiles and fan pages by hoteliers who did not realize the complexity of social marketing,” said Margaret Mastrogiacomo, social media specialist with Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, a strategic services and design firm.

Several properties are getting in on the action, committing resources and genuinely seeking returns. New York’s Roger Smith Hotel has made a clear social media play, according to ClickZ, by adopting Revinate, a tool to facilitate active social media management specifically for the hospitality business. Kimpton has adopted this platform as well.

ClickZ continues:

The focus on hotels pays off for the Roger Smith’s Simpson, who used to spend hours using search and setting up news alerts on competitors. While Revinate doesn’t include some of the hot new social media startups he keeps an eye on, like Bizzy and Pegshot, he says it covers the major sites, especially TripAdvisor, the most important. The ability to compare his hotel’s buzz with competitors is also unique. “It’s one thing to do it manually for your own establishment, but for me to do that for surrounding hotels or for what other people we have an interest in are doing, that becomes more laborious.”

So, what does this mean for the average traveler? Your opportunities to engage with the hotels you’ll call home, if only temporarily, are set to increase. Think beyond deals (though they are important) to every other reason you’d contact and open dialogue with a hotel. The possibilities are immense, and hotels, a bit slow to move in social media, appear to be on the brink.

The Haagen-Dazs inspired hotel suite

Some things are just not funny and shouldn’t be joked about, like a hotel room inspired by Haagen-Dazs flavors.

Thank you, San Francisco‘s Hotel Triton, for turning an otherwise boring July into something decadent. Since July is National Ice Cream Month, the Kimpton boutique hotel in Union Square has created the Haagen-Dazs® Sweet Suite – a custom-designed room that offers hotel guests a unique escape, featuring a custom designed ice cream cabinet filled with both classic Haagen-Dazs flavors and new releases such as the new Haagen-Dazs Five flavors. Ummm, OK!

The design of the room is equally as delicious. Vanilla and caramel colors serve as the base coats for a room decorated with “flavored” candles in chocolate, vanilla and dulce de leche. The room, designed by Stephanie Filbrandt of Marsh & Clark Design, features a headboard shaped like the Haagen-Dazs cartouche, and a waffle-textured bed throw and bath robe to keep guests cozy.

Appropriately called the “Sweet Spot,” the ice cream cabinet is stocked with bowls, scoops and spoons and, best of all, guests can enjoy as many complimentary cartons as they desire. FREE ICE CREAM!

The best part? You can indulge without feeling guilty. A portion of each “Sweet Suite” guest’s tab is donated to the Haagen-Dazs brand’s charity of choice, Delancey Street Foundation. Plus, if you choose to purchase one of the custom Haagen-Dazs bathrobes or ice cream scented candles, all proceeds will also go to the benefiting charity.

A quick rate check on the site generated prices starting at $379/night for this sweet escape. I think that more than makes up for the calories consumed from the bottomless cartons of ice cream one might consume in the suite.