Epic Earns Top National Ranking In 2010 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards

MIAMI, January 22, 2010 – Kimpton’s EPIC, a downtown Miami luxury lifestyle, waterfront boutique hotel, was recently chosen as a Top 10 Luxury Hotel, a Top 10 Trendiest Hotel, and a Top 25 Hotel in the U.S. by TripAdvisor® in its 2010 Travelers’ Choice® Awards. Now in its eighth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

Unlike most other hotel awards programs, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased hotel reviews and opinions on tripadvisor.com™, and content from across the web. The TripAdvisor community writes over 30 million trusted traveler reviews and opinions that include best and worst vacation descriptions, attraction suggestions and photos.

“Inspired by the millions of trusted traveler reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor.com, the Travelers’ Choice awards have once again highlighted the finest hotels in the world,” said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “From remarkable bargains to the trendiest hotels, travelers worldwide are recognizing more than 700 hotels for their outstanding service, value and quality.”

The EPIC is included in the national rankings for its excellence in luxury accommodations, representation of style and trends, and overall customer satisfaction. With 93 percent of all reviewers’ recommendations, the EPIC is named the “best choice in Miami downtown”.

“Given our mission and the efforts of our staff and team to provide an exceptional experience to each guest that stays with us, this ranking is truly gratifying, and inspires us to continue to live up to our name by doing all the big and little things that consistently deliver – as one guest put it –

a ‘truly epic’ experience,” said Joseph Schwingler, general manager, EPIC Hotel.

Superior service, inimitable style, and an unmatched overall guest experience define what visitors can expect from EPIC.  In fact, the hotel strives to create what it calls the EPIC Lifestyle based on its offerings matched to the personality, expectations and preferences of its guests.  Specifically, the EPIC Lifestyle embodies a sensibility and appreciation for sophisticated and artful experiences that touch all the senses.

In addition to the hotel’s contemporary, design-driven look and feel, and top-rated service, the elements of the EPIC Lifestyle include superlative dining provided by Area 31, with its critically acclaimed Mediterranean-inspired menu of fresh, premium seafood, and recent accolades as “One of the Best New Restaurants of 2009” by Esquire magazine as part of their annual Best New Restaurants list.  The EPIC Lifestyle also touches the mind, body and spirit with Exhale, a unique spa concept that combines therapeutic services with a host of offerings including proprietary core fusion classes, spa therapies and transformational mind body fitness experiences, and much more.  And for those looking to enjoy the vibe and pulse of Miami by night, guests can step into River Lounge, Miami’s lively and newest indoor/outdoor hotspot by the river offering music and cocktails.

Managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, EPIC offers 411 spacious rooms and suites artfully designed with custom furnishings and fine fabrics, and all feature private balconies that provide views of the city and bay.  Rooms offer a wide range of amenities to provide a relaxing and indulgent experience, including fine Italian linens with luxurious triple sheeting and throw blankets, LCD flat screen televisions, iPod docking stations, and spa-inspired luxury bath amenities.  Other hotel offerings include complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel and in every guest room for Kimpton InTouch Members.

EPIC is located at 270 Biscayne Blvd Way.  For more information or reservations, please call (866) 760-3742 or (305) 424-5226 or visit www.epichotel.com.

ABOUT EPIC

A member of the award-winning San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, EPIC is located at the edge of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay, and combines the style of a cosmopolitan boutique hotel with the amenities of a resort to create a sophisticated oasis for guests amidst the energy and pulse of Miami.  The hotel’s 411 rooms and suites are artfully designed by Cheryl Rowley, with furnishings that convey an understated sense of cool, and all feature private balconies that provide inspiring views of the city and bay.  Hotel offerings include a 13,752-square-foot wrap-around pool deck with private cabanas; Area 31 restaurant, offering premium seafood with a Mediterranean influence; a spa and fitness center operated by exhale; River Lounge, a new waterfront lounge; 11,000 square feet of indoor meeting and event space; and a private marina.

ABOUT KIMPTON

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants in the US, is an acknowledged industry pioneer and was the first to bring the boutique hotel concept to America. Founded in 1981 by Bill Kimpton, the company is well-known for making travelers feel welcomed and comfortable while away from home through intuitive and unscripted customer care, stylish ambience and having a certain playfulness in its approach to programs and amenities. Each hotel provides a range of exciting culinary experiences through locally-loved, top-rated, destination, chef-driven restaurants. Kimpton leads the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative EarthCare program that spans all hotels and restaurants. Privately held Kimpton has consistently earned high customer satisfaction scores by the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, exceeding other hotel companies including those in luxury and upscale segments. Among the company’s newest properties are the LEED certified Hotel Palomar and LEED certified Square 1682 restaurant by Chef Guillermo Tellez in Philadelphia, PA, which opened in September 2009. Currently, projects are underway in New York City and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.KimptonHotels.com or call 1-800-KIMPTON.