The Kinney | San Luis Obispo

Every day is sunny at The Kinney.

From the moment we stepped through their doors, we knew this little spot was going to be a special place to stay in SLO. From the warm hospitality to all the little artistic details, The Kinney is able to draw in locals and visitors from all walks of life. This last month we decided to book a room for the night to see what it was like to stay at The Kinney. Our little stay-cation should help you decide if you’d like to stay at this boutique hotel located in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo.

PARKING

The Kinney has ample parking with a few shaded spots. When you check-in you are given a parking pass to place on your dash. If you’re just stopping by for drinks or food you won’t have issues finding parking, except for when they throw a party, place gets packed!

LOBBY

The reception area is spacious with hammock chair seating (unleash your inner child) and library books for your reading pleasure. Drop your bags and have a seat, this spot also doubles as a lovely photo spot. When checking in the hotel the staff greets you as expected with a long list of amenities. There is an event almost daily in the attached restaurant and bar – karaoke, live music, trivia night, happy hours, etc. Make sure you ask about these events because they are visiting, it gets crazy packed!

LEROY’S

The restaurant. BLD (Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner) is not included with your stay but they have a full kitchen with a variety of options on the menu (CLICK HERE TO SEE). Thirsty? No problem, they have an onsite cocktail bar with quite a drink selection! Beer drinker, wine aficionados, and cider lovers have access to a card based automated system. You can try a few dozen drinks on tap before committing to your favorite. We were super happy to see a Peanut Butter Milk Stout from Belching Beaver, we’ve never seen it on tap before and were super happy to fill our glasses.

Want to be entertained or meet a new face? This is the spot, locals gather here to enjoy happy hour, kareoke and trivia night. They have FREE arcade games – need I say more? I can’t remember the last time I was able to play arcade game for free. They have skii ball, Mario Brothers (Classic), shuffle board, and board games. Grab a drink and just hang out with friends or meet new people here.

Want to get everyone together? They have an event space for conferences or parties. Whether it be an 80’s Prom with Yelp!, a craft fair, or a SLO Chamber of Commerce Mixer the staff at The Kinney has your back. They can help you create the perfect vibe with a seriously fun atmosphere.

OUTDOOR LOUNGE

Fresh air? Enjoy their outdoor lounge! This playful setting is for all ages. – Surrounded by lounge chairs and kitsch pillows, you can find a huge scrabble board and gigantic lite bright like you’ve never seen. Sit fireside with your friends and enjoy long deep conversations with a drink in hand. This cut little outdoor uses turf and clean landscaping to create a little oasis in their courtyard that is perfect for chilling out.

POOLSIDE

To be honest the pool is pretty average, not that there is anything wrong with that. It’s clean, outdoors, and a great place to spend the early evening after a long day of wine tasting. Grab those swimsuits and you can relax and take in some rays the pool or take a dip in their jacuzzi hot tub. The pool is open from 9am to 9pm daily.

FUR BABIES

Please call them ahead of time to check. Sorry guys, pets are not allowed at The Kinney in SLO as of now. We searched online and seen that BringFido said it was pet friendly so we showed up with our dog, Ghost. Apparently, BringFido has very unreliable information. We spoke with reception and they explained that most likely these hotel aggregation platforms are using information based on the hotel before it was remodeled and re-branded. They are currently discussing opening up some rooms to be dog friendly and will hopefully have room for them in the near future. If this is important to you, give their front desk a call, they are there to help. If you happen to hear when they start accepting dogs, let us know so we can update this part for everyone!

THE ROOM

Enjoy a picture-perfect collage! The room size was standard but decorated beautifully. If you love the little details (like this shower curtain or their cute room service card). You’ll be filled with glee. Love the bathrobes made of jersey knit, which were a nice change from the basic ones you get at other hotels. There is a quite functional desk setup, comfortable bed, everything we needed for a little relaxed-working environment stay-cation.

THEIR SOCIAL

Ballin’ Instagram – It’s no secret that Instagram is one of our favorite platforms. One of our favorite Instagram’s definitely belongs to the Kinney! They are always putting out creative and clean content. They have Maker Monday’s which highlights a local artist in our area and Leroy Tuesday’s which scores you a special deal on one of their menu items! Plus their social media manager Jaime Foxen encompasses the soul of this quirky and trendy spot. Make sure you follow her because she’s an epic ball of joy.

BEYOND THE KINNEY – LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION.

As a guest, you can grab one of their bikes and take a journey to downtown SLO. I highly recommend going when it’s farmers market. You can park your bike safely with Bike SLO County, which is a bike valet service at the farmers market. While you are in downtown, take a tour and check out Bubble Gum Alley, Mission Plaza (bell tower tours are on Thursday), the creek, visit SLO Chamber, The Creamery Marketplace, or relax at Mitchell Park. The hotel is convenient for travel as it’s less than 5 miles away from San Luis Obispo Airport (SPB).

If you are visiting from out of town make sure you pay a visit to SLO County’s most iconic locations: Madonna Inn, Morro Rock, Hearst Castle, Pismo Beach Pier, Edna Valley, and Paso Robles wine country.

So…are you ready for your upcoming stay? Leave a comment below with any questions or feedback. We love hearing from you all.

Want to win a stay at The Kinney?
Check out our Instagram Holiday Giveaway: