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I lived in LA for nearly 15 years, and for a few years of that stint, I was very near “The Grove” and am very, very familiar with the area around it. When I saw that Kimpton opened a hotel just around the corner, I thought it’d be a perfect spot to spend 4 nights on a work trip. I’ve stayed at 3 other Kimpton properties in town ( Everly, Palomar, and La Peer ), and I have to say that this may be the best bang for buck.
Kimpton Wilshire Stay Details
- When: January 2023
- Where: Los Angeles
- Rate: 125k
- 41k to 42k per night
- 4th night free from IHG One Rewards Premier credit card
- 10% back from IHG One Rewards Select
- Status: Diamond
- Free Breakfast
- Late Checkout
- Free Breakfast
- Parking
- $55 a day and not included
- Pet Friendly – no fee
Kimpton Wilshire Location
Having lived in this neighborhood, I’m quite familiar with it and enjoy it; however, despite being very central, you 100% need a car, and aside from the Grove you aren’t really near any of the main tourist attractions.
In a way it’s similar to the Kimpton Palomar which is along the Wilshire corridor and a short walk to Westwood where UCLA is located, but not really close to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal, Santa Monica Pier, etc.
I find this location great as somone who isn’t looking to do those things, but wanted to be close enough to restaurants, friends, and the meetings I needed to attend.
Booking the Kimpton Wilshire
I took advantage of the IHG Rewards Premier credit card 4th night free and booked 4 nights at the Kimpton Wilshire for 125k IHG One Rewards. In addition to that, I still had IHG Diamond status from a status match, and since I still have the IHG One Rewards Select credit card I get 10% of those redeemed points back as a cardmember benefit. In total.. I paid just 112,500 points for a 4 night stay ( roughly $557 ). Typically the hotel retails on the low side for $200 to $250 per night before tax, so using points basically meant I stayed for half off.
I also took advantage of an upgrade offer of $60 per night to secure a suite for stay ( well worth it for this price ).
Check in
We arrived late evening, after a great British Airways First Class LHR to LAX flight, and we were told that we had a King Suite waiting for us. Part of me wondered if we’d get upgraded further, but alas, we had the room we upgraded to.
I was given breakfast vouchers at check-in and told that it was served on the roof. THE ROOF?!
2nd Floor Lounge
There is a coffee station and work areas akin to a co-working space
King Suite Mobility
The King Suite is more of a Junior Suite than a true suite, but the added space was welcomed for a 4 night stay. Whenever I’m traveling with my wife, or really anyone else, and jetlag is involved, it’s always very nice to have a place where you can do some work and not disturb the other person. The living space in the suite was offset, but not really enough to completely obscure light at odd hours.
The suite as per Kimpton
The mini bar
In inquired if we could move suites since we had no need for the accessible bathroom, but nothing else was available.
Breakfast/Pool at Videre
This is undeniably the coolest part of the hotel…rooftop pool looking over the Hollywood Hills where you can have drinks and food.
The food was very good, in fact, I’d almost come here when not staying at the hotel just for a great view and hardly anyone was ever there.
Overall
I would stay here time and time again if the prices are in this range.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
75k Ultimate Rewards after $4k spend in 3 months
*you may find an elevated offer walking into a branch – see below
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 75k Ultimate Rewards after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $937.50 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- Some people have seen Chase branches offering the following:
- 75k Ultimate Rewards After $4k spend in 3 months + 10k Ultimate Rewards after $6k in 6 months
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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