Kimpton Hotels Makes FORTUNE's "Best Companies to Work For"
January 16, 2012
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants delivers top-tier service to its guests, but it gives its employees -- and their pets -- white-glove treatment too.
To business travelers, Kimpton, the privately owned operator of 55 hotels across the U.S., may be best known for its boutique properties like the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco and the Epic in Miami. But among its employees, the company is highly regarded for its workplace, which offers generous benefits, ample perks, and a particularly pet-friendly environment. Animal owners can take advantage of discounted pet insurance, and employees are free to bring their dogs to work every day -- as long as they stay out of guest rooms.
• 100 Best Companies to Work For rank: 16
• Headquarters: San Francisco
• Employees: 7,000
• Revenue: $780 million
• Fun fact: Founded in 1981 by investment banker Bill Kimpton, the company was one of the first operators of boutique hotels in the U.S.
• What makes it so great: Traditions like the "Housekeeping Olympics," which features blindfolded bedmaking and the "vacuum dash," and a $10,000 employee prize for best service keep this hotel operator from feeling like a big chain.