The Kimpton Hotels heiress reveals how she chooses hotels, avoids travel stress and makes every trip feel more meaningful.
In Marcia Kimpton’s film, “An American Abroad,” a new couple puts their relationship to the test by traveling together.
Kimpton’s character – also named Marcia – has a multi-step nighttime routine that involves trying to minimize the impact of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), for example, and refuses to stand in lines because they make her anxious. Her suitor, Arnold, brings a full-size metal detector to comb the beach in Greece for treasure.
The 2025 film about a travel TV host – which Kimpton also directed and co-wrote – is fictional, but it incorporates aspects of her real life. “I think a relationship is, as you saw in the movie, it’s something that, you’re just learning about that new person,” she told USA TODAY. “And I’ve been divorced for a long time, and I will tell you almost every one of those things have happened on some level. … It’s an exaggeration – but I will also tell you that I stand in lines.”
Kimpton also shares one other major trait with her onscreen counterpart: an expertise in travel. Her father, Bill Kimpton, founded Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, and she has visited an estimated 58 countries for both work and vacation. She spoke with USA TODAY to share her hard-earned travel tips, what she looks for in a hotel and more.
How the Kimpton Hotels heiress likes to travel
Kimpton has visited far-flung locales for work – she joined the interview from Namibia, where she was filming a documentary – but she has unique criteria when it comes to vacation destinations.
“In my perfect world, it’ll have hot yoga nearby, and I’m purposely going to Nice, France (next) because they have great hot yoga,” she said. She often travels solo, and likes to book the “best lunch in the area” on an ideal day.
Kimpton seeks out top chefs, but said booking a daytime reservation can be more affordable and less of a commitment than dinner service with many courses.
At night, she likes to visit a local restaurant and sit in at the bar. Organic food is a priority, too.
Kimpton also always gets a guide on the first day of a trip to show her the sights.
Like her character in the movie, she has a few must-pack items, including Balipura aura spray – which incorporates essential oils – and unscented soy candles. “I just travel so much, I’m just a nomad, so for me the one thing is that candle or incense, and that kind of grounds me,” she said.
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Marcia Kimpton’s hotel tips
Kimpton’s upbringing informed her approach to selecting hotels.
“I mean, my dad, obviously, I have a history of growing up with great hotels, and his whole concept with Kimpton Hotels, before there were (widespread) boutique hotels, is you’re going to have a relationship when that person walks in,” she said. “Especially, I travel alone a lot – you’re going to make them not feel alone. And so I like to find the places where it is an intimate experience, which really was my dad’s branding.”
She found that while filming in Cappadocia, Turkey, she got to know a hotel manager who grew up in the region and helped Kimpton and her crew get set up (he even made a cameo in the movie).
In the last five years or so, Kimpton has placed a particular emphasis on ecotourism when booking lodging. “I now want my dollars to go help, if I have a choice, so that’s what I look at first,” she said. The businesses she plans to highlight in her Africa documentary, for example, all reinvest funds “to save animals or land or back to helping the indigenous (populations) get jobs.”
There are other practicalities to consider, too.
She makes sure to ask if her accommodations face a high-traffic street. “If I’m on vacation, I don’t want to be on a busy road, even if it has a great view,” she said.
Mid-range to high-end hotels can also often help guests secure VIP airport services that escort them through customs, to get their bags and to their transportation, Kimpton said. In her experience, those typically cost between $100 and $250 but she emphasized flyers should book through a reputable provider.
As stressful as flights and other parts of the process can be, she urged travelers to keep it in perspective. “I just think that if you’re traveling, to get to know the culture and get to know the people around you, and to just be grateful, because you’re so lucky to travel and see, I think, ultimately there’s so many good people.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
