Kimpton is the world’s largest independent boutique hotel operator and a sophisticated food and beverage operator. With a cheeky brand and an interesting loyalty rewards program, Kimpton is an industry leader when it comes to boutique hotels - you even get direct access to Kimpton's CEO if you are a top-tier Inner Circle member.

IHG has agreed to acquire Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants for $430 million in cash. The Kimpton properties complement IHG's own line of Indigo and EVEN hotel brands with significant opportunities identified for IHG to accelerate the growth of the Kimpton brand within the US and to launch it globally.

It will be interesting to see how IHG chooses to manage the Kimpton Karma benefits separately or to merge it with the existing IHG Rewards Club membership. In any case, it may be a good idea to consider that status match with Kimpton Karma that you have been putting off - you'll never know!