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Kimpton La Peer West Hollywood California

I’m no longer an LA resident which is bittersweet, but it means I can try out a lot of cool hotels on my visits. I spent the last 15 years of my life in LA, but alas, life has moved me on, and this was my first trip back in roughly a year. We used to live in West Hollywood, love it, and the Kimpton La Peer was a perfect location for us to make a home base on our recent 8 night stay.

I took a different approach in booking this hotel, which I go into detail below, but it ended up netting out to less $200 plus the daily amenity fee of $32.39 which is assessed on point bookings as well. I’ll get into that as well. Let’s get into it.

Hotel Stay Details

• When: June 2021
• Where: West Hollywood, Ca
• Room: Premier King
• Rate: ~300k for 8 nights
• Status: Spire + Ambassador
• Pet Fee: Free

Hotel Location

The Kimpton La Peer is located on…drumroll…. La Peer between Santa Monica and Melrose. The location is absolutely fabulous, and prior to moving away from LA I’d been to the bar and restaurant ( closed at the time of visiting ) several times. It used to be quite a scene and surprisingly was pretty packed over the weekend. There are loads of restaurants up and down both Melrose and Santa Monica within 5 to 10 minutes walking. ( Notables: Catch, Gracias Madre, Cecconi’s, Craig’s, The Abbey, etc )

Honestly, there isn’t really another hotel of this caliber and this location in the neighborhood – sure, there is the strip of hotels on Sunset ( I stayed at the Andaz this trip as well ), but this is smack in the neighborhood and doesn’t have the noise and grime of Sunset. Sure, you have the Montrose, Petit Ermitage, and Le Parc Suites, but they don’t touch the Kimpton in terms of modern amenities and quality imo).

One thing I will note, is if you’re staying on the top floor, like we were, the rooftop has a private event space that had parties going until roughly 2am. We never heard anything, but we were also on the courtyard side of the building vs looking north where you may be right under the space.

The strategy of booking this hotel: Buy Points

When I booked this hotel I didn’t personally have an IHG Rewards Premier which gives every 4th night free when using points. As a result, I decided to book via a family members account and buy the points I needed to book it. At the time, IHG was selling their points with 100% bonus and a 500k cap. I loaded the account up with 300k points to book the Kimpton La Peer.

To compare what the cash rate would have been:

The Kimpton La Peer Amenity Fee

This is the biggest grip I have with the hotel. Resort fees are one thing that we’ve been forced to live with, but city hotel fees? Ugh..with that said here’s how it’s broken down

• $28 or $32.39 after taxes
  • Includes $15 daily breakfast credit
  • $10 Uber/Lyft credit
    • Simply show them your daily rides and it’s credited back
  • You can also do fitness classes

Check in

We arrived late into LA, checking in around 11pm, and were informed that we’d been upgraded into a 400sq ft Premier King room. The lobby is big, bright, and filled with multiple lounge sections framed with flowers and chic art.

It overlooks “Light” which is where breakfast is served, and at night, “Tokyo Nights” which features a fusion menu of chefs Michael Rotondo and Hiroo Nagahara

Each morning there is coffee and I believe in the evening this is where you’d get your glass of wine should you attend the guest reception Kimpton offers.

The Room: Premier King

For LA hotel rooms, 400 sq ft is pretty substantial and offered the two of us, and our dog ample space. We overlooked the interior courtyard that serves as a valet parking pickup, but still offered ample sun with the blinds open. We requested that they clear out the mini bar so we could use the fridge with groceries we’d purchased around the corner at Pavillions. That was one within 15 minutes of request

If you are into mini bar indulgence, you won’t be disappointed. Quite a fine selection of snacks and spirits.

The Bathroom

Single vanity and a large walk in shower featuring communal products. I know this is marketed as environmentally friendly, but I’m not a fan, I like the individual products, but that’s a personal preference since I usually take them home. It’s a nice reminder of my stay and I used them in the guest bedroom.

Breakfast

Each day you get a $15 breakfast credit. Usually I’m not a huge breakfast fan unless I’m at a hotel that offers a great credit or buffet. I tried breakfast on the first morning of our stay and never went back. Not that the food wasn’t great, but $15 barely covered any of the selections which meant I’d ultimately be paying for something that I really don’t desire. The atmosphere is great though, and if you’re usually a breakfast eater, it’s a good vibe and my food was solid.

The Pool and gym

The hotel has a small pool, and located behind those three chairs is the gym. The pool is small, mainly for cooling off, and during the heat of the day, always had people lounging around it. I unfortunately don’t have a pic of the gym since its quite small and always had people using it – it has a small rack of weights, couple treadmills, elliptical, and a cable machine + bands.

Overall

I will undoubtedly return to this property when visiting LA in the future especially if there is an incredible opportunity to buy points to offset. If you’re looking for a fun, vibey, supremely well located hotel in the smack of WeHo…you won’t be disappointed. This is a hotel for those who are looking to wine, dine, and have a fun staycation, weekend getaway, or prefer the young, hip, fun atmosphere that WeHo exudes.