Located in downtown Phoenix, the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix is a contemporary boutique hotel within walking distance of stellar sports entertainment and other attractions. The city’s professional basketball and baseball teams have their impressive facilities housed side by side just across the street. We found a couple of terrific restaurants walking around and as suggested by the hotel’s front desk. Numerous theatres as well as museums and galleries are also located fairly close to the hotel.
We’ve always enjoyed the Kimpton Hotel experience having stayed at about half a dozen to date throughout the USA. The chain transforms buildings picked for their proximity to interesting things to see and do, creating unique spaces to retreat. Our king room, pictured above, was comfortable and spacious. We didn’t spend a lot of time in the room, but it was certainly an inviting place to kick off our shoes at the end of the day.
The room included a very spacious bathroom (only partially shown above).
We had a great view of the basketball arena, basically kitty corner to the hotel. We had tickets to a game on one of the nights of our stay. Getting there and back was a quick and easy as you could ask for. We even booked a pre-game dinner at the lively restaurant the Arrogant Butcher right across from the arena making the night complete.
There are lots of dining options in the neighbourhood (the amazing Harumi Sushi and Sake – and we even lunched one day at Chase Field…not at all during baseball season). You might want to ask at the front desk as we did for some suggestions, as some locations are rather tucked away among the downtown high-rises. Do make sure to secure reservations wherever you choose, especially on a game night as the neighbourhood gets jam packed with fans.
The hotel has a lovely pool on the rooftop, again with great views of the sports district. The vista includes the mountains in the distance which is particularly pretty at sunset (see image at the top of this post).
Adjacent to the pool is the inviting Eden Rooftop Bar, an open-air lounge with hours beginning in the late morning until 10pm-midnight, depending on the day of the week. Our stay here was very short and we didn’t do much more than look around here – but there was a menu that looked great and of course drinks galore.
Of note at Kimpton Hotels is the famed “social hour”. At the hotel Palomar, from 5-6pm, guests are able to enjoy complimentary glasses of wine in a stylish lounge/lobby space just outside the hotel’s restaurant, “Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails”. In the morning, coffee is served in this same space from 6-10am. Very nice not to have to track down a cup of coffee outside!
In addition to the dining and sporting events literally outside the door, there are some interesting museums and galleries to explore fairly close to the hotel. In fact, the hotel supplied us with two complimentary tickets to the Phoenix Art Museum. We spent a good afternoon visiting this large and impressive space, which features modern installations from around the world as well as an impressive gallery showcasing local artists from the Southwest.
All in all, the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix was a comfortable place to stay with great amenities, and first-rate service. We will say that we were glad to have made plans to take in the basketball game as the whole district seems rather empty when the sporting events aren’t on. We definitely found things to do (like our museum visit), but that did involve a cab ride – it’s not as “walk around friendly” as some might hope. However, if you have your eye on a restaurant or two in the vicinity, and are planning to take in some basketball or baseball action, you’ll be set.
Do check out the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix if you have plans in downtown Phoenix!
For more information or to make reservations visit the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix website.
