Hip Hotel Review: Hotel Monaco Seattle + Kimpton Hotels Giveaway!

Kimpton signature goldfish pet during our stay was a big hit!

What fuels my passion for travel? My thirst for Experience. In my travels, I love to discover hip luxury hotels and share my expereinces with friends. Kimpton Hotels understands what it takes to create a great experience for families who want smart luxury and appreciate style that is also approachable. Recently, my fellow travel writer friends at four other great blogs, MotherofAllTrips, The Vacation Gals, Ciao Bambino and PitStopsforKids took on a challenge – to send five travel writers with their families to five Kimpton properties across the country for a simultaneous overnight stay and share our experiences. The participating hotels included our stay at The Hotel Monaco Seattle, The Hotel Monaco San Francisco, The Hotel Monaco Baltimore, The Hotel Monaco Portland and The Hotel Marlowe Boston.

Holiday Sleepover at The Hotel Monaco Seattle

The Hotel Monaco Seattle all dressed up for the holidays

With two kids and our chocolate labradoodle Roxy in tow, we arrived at The Hotel Monaco Seattle on a cold winter day. We were greeted with beautiful holiday decorations and the signature Kimpton pet goldfish we affectionately named Bing Crosby. A dog bed and treats for Roxy were also waiting for us in our room. We loved the central location of the Hotel Monaco Seattle, the simple elegance of our room and the warm welcome for both our kids and our furry companion.

Just a short walk to the holiday festivities in downtown Seattle, we had a great meal, watched it snow in Pacific Place, visited Santa at Nordstrom, rode the carrousel and feasted on hot mini-doughnuts and hot cocoa in Westlake Center under the Macy’s star. Cozy animal print robes were waiting for all four of us when we came back to our room and snuggled in for a family movie night.

It’s the little touches that make a stay at Hotel Monaco Seattle special. Complimentary wine happy hour nightly, free hot chocolate with marshmallows for the kids, the loaner goldfish and the itty bitty animal print robes make this hotel experience feel more like coming home.

Complimentary hot chocolate for kids at Hotel Monaco Seattle with mini marshmallows!

When we woke in the morning, we enjoyed a late breakfast at the adjoining Sazerac restaurant. With menu items such as “Eggs in Hell” and Brioche French Toast with Bananas Foster, it is nothing short of divine.

GIVEAWAY: Win your own two-night stay at any Kimpton Hotel

UPDATE: Congratulations Lucia Jones, winner of our Kimpton giveaway! Have fun! 

Now comes the fun part. Want your own Kimpton Hotel getaway? You can win a special Kimpton Hotel giveaway for your family including a two-night stay at any Kimpton Hotel property of your choice to help you experience your own family Kimpton Holiday! Five fabulous family travel bloggers spent a night this past weekend at a different Kimpton Hotel with her family. Since we’re all participating in the giveaway, you have up to five chances to win. You get one entry for each of the five participating Kimpton Holiday blog posts you leave a comment on (up to five entries, or one per blog). Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment below on this blog post answering the following question: “What Kimpton property are you dreaming about staying the weekend?

2. Leave a comment on our other 4 great participating Kimpton reviews this week including:

– MotherofAllTrips blog post on her stay at Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Baltimore

– PitstopsforKids blog post on her stay at Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Portland

– The Vacation Gals blog post on Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco San Francisco

–CiaoBambino’s blog post on Kimpton’s Hotel Marlowe in Boston

And answer the question. (now you just increased your odds of winning x5!)

3. Each day from today through Saturday, follow my fellow family travel writers at MotherofAllTrips, Pit Stops for Kids, Ciao Bambino, and The Vacation Gals as they share their own blog posts on their Kimpton Holiday experiences. Check their blogs and when their review goes up, enter this answer for additional chances to win! Entries close on Sunday Dec 11, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST. The winner will be announced Monday, Dec 12, 2011.

Hotel Monaco has stylish details and simple elegance.

Promotion Rules: The Kimpton Hotel Holiday getaway prize is a gift certificate for two-night stay at any Kimpton Hotel in the Continental US and is valued at $500. Up to five entries per person. No purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. You must be a US resident, 21 or older to participate. Employees, partners, agents, vendors, or immediate family members of Mother of All Trips, Hip Travel Mama, The Vacation Gals, Ciao Bambino, and Pitstops for Kids are not eligible to enter. This is a random drawing, so odds of winning will depend on number of entrants. Rules are governed by the state of Washington. Hip Travel Mama, The Mother of All Trips, and other participating sites reserve the right to cancel, suspend, and or modify a promotion if any problem corrupts the administration, security or proper play of the promotion. In the event of a dispute as to the winner’s identity, entries will be deemed made by the holder of the email account associated with the entry. Entrants agree that Hip Travel Mama, The Mother of All Trips, or any of the other participating sites are not responsible and cannot be held liable for any unauthorized intervention, technical errors, printing errors, mail delays and any other errors in connection with the administration with this program.

Disclaimer: Kimpton Hotels paid for our room at the Hotel Monaco Seattle and also treated us to breakfast at the Sazerac. We were not required to write or express any opinion on our stay.