Boutique hotel brands continue to pop up, as groups want more experiential, laid-back meeting environments. One recent example is The Kinney SLO.
The 100-room hotel recently opened in San Luis Obispo, Calif., (SLO) as the second Kinney-branded hotel (the first opened in Venice Beach, Calif., in 2016). As the largest boutique hotel operator on the Pacific Coast, Pacifica Hotels created the brand to offer a new social experience for smaller groups, especially ones looking for a youthful vibe. The Kinney SLO, for instance, is situated in the heart of downtown SLO, a vibrant college town that’s often touted as one of the “happiest places in America.” And Kinney staff want attendees to experience it, as all members are well-versed in highly localized information on activities, restaurants, bars and the like.
But the property itself creates an ideal social setting for groups. Take Leroy’s, for instance, and its delicious California fare of IPA-smoked bacon mac ‘n’ cheese, a shiitake basil turkey burger and tri tip bahn mi. Self-serve beer and wine make it easy to enjoy a drink alongside a game of skee ball. As attendees make their way outside to “The Quad,” they will find a giant Scrabble and throwback Lite Brite as well as fire pits and bean bag chairs. The college-town theme also continues into the guest rooms, each decked out with plaid carpet, collages of California prints and even hoodie-style bathrobes.
For more formal meetings, however, the property also offers 2,000 sf of space for up to 100 attendees—just in case your group wants to get in some meetings in between “studying.”
