• by Tanya Gazdik , September 6, 2018

Boutique luxury brand Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is launching what it calls a “first-of-its-kind social experiment.”

The experience, called “Room 301,” is "rooted in the idea that commonalities and connections exist between all people -- no matter their background," according to Kimpton, which was acquired by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of hotel brands in 2015.

The room will be available at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles for three months, with additional interactive activations at select Kimpton hotels across the country, including Kimpton Aertson Hotel in Nashville, the Kimpton Hotel Allegro in Chicago and the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia.

Guests who choose to stay in the immersive Room 301 will engage in a variety of in-room activities, with each element designed to spark creativity and encourage self-reflection.

A 60-second teaser video invites guests to consider booking the room and directs them to kimptonroom301.com, a microsite with further details. The teaser video shows guests interacting with previous and future guests via an iPad, a guest book, and an instant photo camera. 

Allison+Partners created the teaser video, and Kimpton managed the website internally.

Room 301 is available to book between Sept. 6 and Nov. 30 at 15% off the best flexible rate. For each guest who books Room 301, Kimpton will make a $10 donation to the guest’s choice of either The Trevor Project or No Kid Hungry, two of Kimpton’s nonprofit partners.

“We're curious about whether complete strangers can share meaningful connections, even though their stories only intersect in this shared experience of the same space at different times,” according to the hotel.

At the conclusion of the three-month run, Kimpton will assess and share the results of the experiment. "We hope to have some interesting insights that can inspire the way we continue to build community at our hotels and restaurants,” says Kathleen Reidenbach, chief commercial officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, in a release.

"Room 301” is an extension of Kimpton's overarching “Stay Human” brand campaign, "grounded in the idea that in our world of rapid innovation and technology, we're actually craving more authentic connection, more personal experiences, more surprises -- in short, more humanity," Reidenbach says.