Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today its first property in Montana; an adaptive reuse scheduled to open in Bozeman early next year.

Located in the heart of historic downtown Bozeman, the project will turn the National Guard Armory building into a 122-room hotel with a signature restaurant, a whisky and bar centric speakeasy featuring music and live entertainment, and 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The new Kimpton will also feature a concert hall designed to attract top musical performances, as well as a rooftop pool and bar where guests can enjoy breathtaking views of the Bridger Mountain Range.

The hotel’s location will attract a broad spectrum of outdoor enthusiasts, with Yellowstone National Park as well as Big Sky and Bridger Bowl ski resorts at its doorstep. In addition to Bozeman’s premiere outdoor offerings, which extend to incredible biking trails and fishing adventures, the city is also home to a vibrant art and music scene.

“We’ve had our eye on Montana for a long time,” said Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “The backdrop of the mountains and its appeal to the adventure seeker is the ideal place to showcase our brand of hospitality. As a leader in adventure travel, we couldn’t ask for a better partner than Off the Beaten Path and hotel developer, Extea Hospitality. It’s also exciting to add another adaptive reuse to our collection. We take pride in preserving the integrity of a historic building while transforming it into a new hotel and restaurant with Kimpton’s signature style.”

The National Guard Armory building was constructed in 1941 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In keeping true to the building’s history, the design will retain the original Art Deco style created by famed Bozeman architect Fred Willson. Kimpton’s Global Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley will spearhead the renovation, in partnership with Venue Architects, MarkZeff Architecture and Interior Design and Studio R Interiors. Other recent Kimpton adaptive reuse projects include the Gray Hotel in Chicago, the Schofield in Cleveland and the De Witt in Amsterdam.

The project bears close affiliation with local adventure travel company Off the Beaten Path as its CEO, Cory Lawrence, is included among the partners of Etxea (“et-she-a”) Hospitality, the development company responsible for the project. Kimpton co-founder and former CEO Tom LaTour is also a partner on the project.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to see this project come to fruition,” said Lawrence. “We’ve been uncompromising in our effort to deliver a property and an experience that authentically reflects the unique character and style of the region. The hotel will bring a new standard of service, experience, and connection to Bozeman for visitors and locals alike.” Added LaTour, “Bozeman is an unbelievable city and deserves a Kimpton boutique hotel, delivering great guest experience in unique Rocky Mountain style.”

Renderings of the project can be found here.

About Etxea Hospitality

Etxea Hospitality LLC is a development firm dedicated to bringing hospitality experiences to unique places that, through their design and operational style, authentically reflect the character and nature of each locale. Based in Bozeman, Montana, the firm is comprised of five principals with vast experience in all facets of development, hotel operations, and adventure travel.

ABOUT KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the original boutique hotel company, which pioneered the concept of unique, distinctive, design-forward hotels in the United States in 1981. Anchored in one-of-a-kind experiences, Kimpton now operates more than 60 hotels and 80 restaurants, bars and lounges across urban locations, resort destinations and up and coming markets in the United States, Europe, Caribbean and Greater China. Kimpton spaces and experiences center on its guests, offering inspiring design that evokes curiosity to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul. Every detail is thoughtfully curated and artfully delivered, so that guest experiences remain meaningful, unscripted and ridiculously personal.

Kimpton’s employees, empowered to provide heartfelt service and experiences, have built a highly regarded workplace culture that appears consistently on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. 

In January 2015, Kimpton became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of hotel brands. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.