Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants today announced plans for the brand's first Caribbean resort with the development of a 263-room hotel on acclaimed Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Developer Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd. awarded Kimpton the management contract for what will be Grand Cayman's first design driven, boutique-style hotel and the first new development on famed Seven Mile Beach in a decade when it opens in 2016.

With a project team including SB Architects and interiors designed by Powerstrip Studio

and Mark Zeff Design, the new Kimpton hotel will offer five restaurants and lounges, a cascading oceanfront pool, expansive indoor and outdoor meeting and function space and a destination spa. The property will also include 56 residences and six beach front bungalows. Overall, the look will follow a rustic yet polished, barefoot elegance in line with the upscale, casual nature of the island. A signature feature of the resort will be lush, natural landscaping designed by EDSA and featuring native flora and a profusion of gardens and green spaces to complement the beauty of Seven Mile Beach and the Caribbean Sea.

An early pioneer in the boutique hotel sector best known for operating urban oasis

properties in major metropolitan cities, Kimpton's foray into the Cayman Islands signifies the San Francisco-based brand's continued expansion into leisure destinations and resort-style hotels. In addition to the coming Grand Cayman property, Kimpton currently operates the Firesky Hotel & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Amara Resort & Spa in Sedona, Ariz., the Surfcomber Beach Resort in South Beach, Miami, the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa in Vero Beach, Fla., the Hotel La Jolla in San Diego, the Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, Calif. and the Sky Hotel in Aspen, and has recently announced plans for new hotels in such highly desirable leisure destinations as Palm Springs, Calif. and Savannah, Ga.

"Expanding into the Caribbean was an easy decision for us because of our already

strong presence in the major feeder markets such as South Florida, New York, Washington, DC, Chicago and Dallas," explained Kimpton Chief Executive Officer Mike Depatie. "Grand Cayman, with its pristine beaches, world famous diving and diverse, sophisticated melting pot of cultures, made this particular island an especially good fit for a debut of the Kimpton experience in the Caribbean."

According to Dart, Kimpton was selected largely due to the match between the two

companies' approach to workplace culture and customer service, as well as Kimpton's renowned emphasis on chef-driven restaurants and bars as popular with locals as hotel guests.

"Kimpton excels in offering stylish yet comfortable hotels and providing genuine,

unscripted guest experiences," said Jackie Doak, Chief Operating Officer of Dart Realty. "Perhaps most importantly, we felt that Kimpton's expertise in creating hotels and restaurants that are distinctly 'of the place' in the markets in which they operate, made them an ideal partner for creating a truly modern Caribbean resort and residences that embody the charm of a tropical paradise that is also a world financial center."

ABOUT DART REALTY

Dart Realty (Cayman), Ltd., a subsidiary of Dart Enterprises, is the developer of the

town of Camana Bay and the residential neighborhood of Salt Creek and provides property management services for over 500,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space. Camana Bay is Grand Cayman's newest and most vibrant community, and the premier example of New Urbanism in the Caribbean. Dart Realty's developments are unified through distinct and mature landscaping consisting of native and endemic plants and trees from more than 600 species cultivated in the 26 acre Dart nursery. Through thoughtful and sustainable development, Dart is dedicated to the prosperity of the Cayman Islands and the quality of life for its residents. For more information, visit www.dartrealtycayman.com.

About Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the original boutique hotel brand, 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, Canada, 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. As a result, Kimpton has been awarded, "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upper Upscale Hotel Chains" by J.D. Power three times.

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