The Kimpton Palomar – Philadelphia’s First Green Hotel

The Kimpton Palomar hotel in Philadelphia is brand new. In fact, it’s so brand new that there was no room manual yet. And you need a manual when your room is packed with mod cons like this one was. There I was, surrounded by all this wonderful stuff and couldn’t work any of it.

Hotel_Palomar_Philadelphia_A_Kimpton_Hotel_usn_22In desperation I rang downstairs for help. ‘We don’t have any room manuals, sir’ came the reply, ‘its part of our green policy you see, you’ll find all the instructions you’ll need on a channel on your television’. I was about to point out to him that my 37 inch LCD flat screen television whilst utterly beautiful, was hardly very green, but then thought better of it. In a strange kind of way, this was one of the endearing things I came to love about the Palomar: I kept coming across something new, whether it be a piece of art, or a cleverly constructed recycled object. It was like a voyage of discovery that kept revealing hidden delights everywhere you looked. This, I was reliably informed, was all part of the designer’s big picture and there’s no getting away from it. I was caught hook, line and sinker.

The Kimpton Palomar is Philadelphia’s first green hotel. It’s a luxury boutique property with 230 rooms just off the Rittenhouse Square area and although developed from an original 1929 art deco building, the imaginative way it combines new with old is quite extraordinary. Everything about this Philadelphia hotel is based around sustainability and eco friendliness in an art form, but all this attention to green doesn’t detract from its emphasis on quality or luxury in any way. From the excellently appointed bedrooms (with all the mod cons of course) to the in room spa program and fully equipped gym. The theme is one of ‘art in motion’ and through a combination of visual art, film, dance and architecture you are taken on a journey of discovery wherever you go. In fact the hotel’s designer even threw in some paintings and sculptures of her very own to show commitment.

There is for example clever use of recycled bottles adorning the bar area, and the fireplace in the ‘living room’ is finished with recycled composite glass, and have a peek at the wall behind the reception, it’s covered with the diary entries from the hotel’s architects. Talking of the ‘living room’, this area adjacent to the lobby is meant to be just that. A cosy comfortable place with sofas and a fire where you relax and have complimentary wine each evening or some tea and coffee in the mornings.

This is a stylish and beautifully designed luxury hotel that ticks all the boxes you’ll need for a great Philadelphia stay.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, A Kimpton Hotel,  117 South 17th Street , Philadelphia.

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