Kimpton Armory Hotel

We enjoyed the delightful Armory Hotel on a recent fall weekend. The hotel is perfectly located one block from the bustling Main Street where dozens of boutiques, restaurants, bars, coffee spots and many other things are located. The front desk gives you a shopping list with a discount code at check in. The front desk staff is fabulous and helpful. Check in was a breeze! Rooms are well appointed and comfortable. Morning coffee service is provided in the lobby. There is a rooftop pool which includes a beautiful view of the City. Recommend including the valet parking in your reservation. Self parking appears limited. Highly recommended for your next trip to Bozeman!!

The Kimpton is the best hotel in Bozeman, from what I could ascertain. It certainly seemed to have the best restaurant in town. We stayed there as part of a group function and enjoyed the outstanding cuisine, especially the prime local Montana beef, delicious corn chowder with trout, and the superior corn muffins. As an IHG Rewards Premium member, we were upgraded to a nice corner room with views of the mountains. The front desk staff were consistently friendly and helpful. This particular property, though, lacked some of the Kimpton's luxury elements. Don't order a kier royale, a drink with which neither of the bartenders were familiar. There was certainly nothing about the room which would seemed to justify a price north of $500. The bathroom, for one, was small and would was more representative of what you would find in a typical Sheraton or Hilton than a luxury brand. The closet was hidden behind a solid door that didn't easily give, leading me to conclude that it was a barrier to a connecting room before a front desk staff member explained that it was the door the closet and not recognizing it as such was a frequent guest impression. Overall, this is probably the best points hotel in downtown Bozeman, but aside from the excellence of the kitchen, you will have to temper the expectations that such a high-priced hotel room conveys.

Stayed for two nights. The overall experience for me was just “meh”. The pros: *Location can’t be beat. I didn’t have a car and everywhere I wanted to go was within walking *Front desk staff was amazing. I arrived at 11:30am, fully expecting to have my bags held until check-in time later in the day, but was not only given my room key but was also upgraded. I was also provided a great list of recommendations for dining and was also able to arrange for late check out. *The room, tho small was very clean and the mini bar was well-stocked. *The Sky Shed bar had a great drink selection with fun, interesting cocktails, and the app I had was tasty as well. The Cons: *The Pool*I was so excited for the rooftop pool, but was so underwhelmed when I saw it. First the pool itself is tiny and there is only poolside seating for, I’d say, less than 15 people. Not exactly ideal on a sunny, 82 degree summer day. The upholstery on the pool deck furniture was stained and dirty. The glass surrounding the pool was streaked and dirty, which took away from the beautiful Mountain View. Just seemed poorly maintained. *The Room* my biggest issue with the room was that there was absolutely no place to hang clothes. No closest, no garment rack, not even a few hangers that I could’ve used to hang over a door. There are four large wooden hooks in the bathroom but without hangers to keep things flat, they wouldn’t have been much help, plus after the first day there were wet towels and swimsuits on them. There’s a rather awkward nook in the room with a standing lamp in there as well as a chair. Seems this would have been much better used as a closet, or at least a garment rack. Also, found out the hard way ( after I’d stepped out of the shower and was looking to get dressed) that there is no steamer or iron in the room. I know you can call the desk and they can provide you with one, but I did not feel like getting dressed (and there was no robe) just to let someone in the door, so I ended up hanging my clothes over the bathroom hooks and running a hot shower for a few minutes to steam out the wrinkles. Not ideal, but it worked. Found this odd, as I don’t recall ever staying in a hotel in the the states where this has not been a standard, in-room amenity. *the guest amenity fee* The hotel website boasts a “daily mixology class at SkyShed”, which to me, implies every day. Was super disappointed to learn that it was not, in fact, daily, and was not being offered on either of the days that I would be staying there. Was rather irritated, as I had planned one day’s activities around this. It also notes that there are Luxury Spa Slippers in room, which I was not provided. It also notes that”Complimentary, in room, bottled water” is provided, which I also did not receive. What I got were two unlabeled, reusable glass bottles -with an unsealed lid…which I can only assume was tap water. Essentially I paid $70 in amenity fees for amenities that weren’t provided or even available. All this being said- I absolutely cannot justify the expense for what I got. Next time I’m in town I will try the hotel across the street.

Do NOT purchase any add on packages here. I purchased the 100 dollar food and bev package for $80. However, I only spent about 85 dollars of the credit. Therefore, the hotel charged both $80 plus 85. Completely unfair and hotel refused to adjust the bill. So I spent 160 for a very small charcuterie and four drinks.

When Meg checked us in, she informed us that our room type was changed from a king to two queen beds with a view. Our room was 807 and around 9 pm I heard faint music, possibly from the bar on the 9th floor. Any noise issues when I had a 5 am wake up call for a 7:30 flight isn’t ideal. We were given a $100 credit for the room type change. We ate at the first floor restaurant and Samantha was an excellent waitress. At checkout there was confusion over the credit and we had to call and straighten it out. Just an FYI, the pool is a square and is more like a large spa than a lap pool.