This is the third of Kimptons growing chain that I have visited, and I begin to see how they are differentiating their brands within the brand - the Monaco's for example beginning to coalesce around a slightly different boutique identity to others in the group. With over 45 hotels of sometimes 200 rooms the Kimptons were the first of the US 'boutique chains', preceding Barry Sternlicht's 'W' brand being so slowly rolled out by his successors in Starwood. This particular hotel, one of three in Boston , occupies a prime position next to the Common just far enough from the tourist clogged harbour area to stand apart from tourist hotels.

The hotel is in the middle of a major refurbishment (at May 2009) with bedrooms being rolled out and designs being made for the refurbishment of the lobby areas. However what is there scarcely seems in need of it. What! a designer saying an hotel scarcely need refurbishing - is he mad? This beautifully tailored hotel , which became part of Kimptons growing empire in 2005, has been built with the kind of materials that defy the effects of guest and time - fine marbles and granites on walls and floor show how spending on high quality finishes at the beginning can help the operation by reducing maintenance and refurbishment costs in the long term. Not that Client accountants think long term of course - generally they only look at the immediate bottom line, and it takes a strong designer/client relationship to create such good finishes from the start.

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