Kinship Landing is a boutique hotel in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The new property that opened in March 2021 offers 41 uniquely styled rooms, and it’s independently owned and operated. Boutique doesn’t quite cut the mustard though, so let’s try again.Kinship Landing is a bespoke boutique hotel. Built by curious, friendly, adventurous travelers for other curious, friendly, adventurous travelers.Some of those travelers are Colorado Springs locals, stopping by Homa Cafe + Bar for its all-day menu and full bar. Others arrive at Kinship Landing’s welcome area from hundreds of miles away, seeking the particular experience that a team of five co-founders dreamed, invested and made into a reality.The property merges “outrageous hospitality” and high quality at every corner with ever-open doors, patios and windows to Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. Guests can choose from shared bunk rooms inspired by solo travels and the international hostel experience; relaxing suites with mountain views and balconies; and suites with lofted bunk options for friends and families.
In addition to ADA accessibility for every room type, the founders designed and equipped all the rooms with custom-built wood furniture made by local craftsmen and curated essentials (like Brooklinen sheets and towels; Mae Woven pillows; Tuft & Needle mattresses; and more), which you can essentially try before you buy through Kinship Landing’s online shop.These special touches appear in all the rooms, even the bunk rooms and, to the extent possible, the more sparsely decorated (on purpose!), open-air and running-water-equipped, fourth-floor camp deck. It’s perfect for, as CEO Bobby Mikulas says, “people who are intimidated by camping in the wilderness but wanna get there.” The camping room allows them to get cozy with their gear and sleeping outside, minus the bugs and plus the full bar and restaurant downstairs.
As I bet you’re beginning to see, Kinship Landing is absolutely not a hotel built from a kit—lobby here, ice machine there, cookie-cutter rooms everywhere else. The founding team’s collective years of active travel helped them catalog the many points of pain and moments of delight that happen in the course of journeying, whether it’s across the state or across the world.Say you arrive at your hotel, ready to set down a heavy bag so you can get in a hike on a beautiful afternoon, only to find out that the front desk just can’t keep your stuff safe for a few hours—pain point. Or, on the positive side, you find a handwritten note welcoming you to your room—that’s a moment of delight. Kinship Landing has a growing team of locals, ages 5-12, who write welcome notes to guests.
Before and after you get cozy, the team wants to help you get out and about like the locals do. Ask for a recommendation on a fishing guide, coffee shop, restaurant, or trail access? No blank stares or stale brochures here. You’ll get answers, delivered with a smile and intimate knowledge.
It’s all intentional. As Bobby says, “We really let people be the hero. We let the region be the hero. We’re proud of every detail of sleeping, eating and hanging out that we offer. The people who live, work and visit here make the place.”Speaking of the ideas and the people, all pass through a carefully woven filter of core values:
- Courage
- Trust
- Generosity
- Community
- Adventure
Beyond being a road map for decision making and hiring, these values give staff, guests, partners and community members open permission to hold Kinship Landing accountable, which ultimately helps the team learn, grow and improve.Kinship Landing is a people-first hospitality experience and workplace, making it a bespoke boutique hotel brand on a path to greatness. We’re grateful for the leadership team’s purposeful investment in Colorado Springs. If you haven’t visited lately, or if we’ve been on your mind, now’s the time to come.Vladimir Jones is Colorado’s original independent, integrated advertising agency, with offices in Denver and Colorado Springs. We believe in brilliant brands and love making the world love them as much as we do.
