Kinam Hotel

Kinam Hotel traces its roots to 1900, when it was a traditional Haitian gingerbread hotel. The original building overlooks the pool and still has the intricate latticework, shiplap siding, and ornamental patterned flourishes. However, when guests enter the hotel today, they step into a modern addition built in 2014. It's a sleek space, with glass-orb chandeliers and a slate-paneled fountain that trickles from the ceiling to the polished river-stone base three floors below. The hotel's many public spaces -- which include restaurants, lounges, and a coffee shop -- all feature contemporary decor as well. Expect to see chairs and couches in rich purple hues, or details like glowing orange Chihulyesque chandeliers that resemble a melting sun. The hotel tries for a sophisticated vibe, though it borders on garish. Take, for instance, the fine-dining restaurant, which is outfitted with crystal chandeliers, studded black leather chairs, and plush purples couches with zebra-striped pillows. While it certainly attracts Haiti’s gilded class, most of Kinam’s guests are NGO workers, contractors, and Haitian ex-pats home for a visit.

Those looking to experience the secure, high-end side of Haitian life will find it in Petionville, an upscale Port-au-Prince suburb set on a steep mountainside. The street outside of Kinam is lined with colorful canvases and where Haitian artists set up shop selling their work. Additionally, Saint-Pierre Cathedral is just down the road, along with Saint-Pierre Square, one of the city’s few remaining public green spaces. A supermarket, a pharmacy, and restaurants that include Haitian, Italian, and French cuisines are all a five-minute walk from the hotel. Petionville’s Gallery Strip, a block of art galleries that showcase Haitian artists, is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. The country’s most popular museum, the National Pantheon Museum of Art, is located in downtown Port-au-Prince and is a 30-minute drive. The Iron Market, a bustling market where locals by and sell everything imaginable -- including supplies used in practicing voodoo -- is also located downtown. Port-au-Prince International Airport is a 35-minute drive from the hotel depending on traffic. 

Rooms at Kinam have hipper, more modern decor than what you’d expect from a business-friendly hotel. The seven room types have beds ranging from two twins (in the vintage rooms) to king beds with big wood veneer headboards with padded inlays. Color tones are neutral grays and browns, with accent walls behind the beds that are done in antiqued shades of foam green, orange, and tan. The clean-lined modern furniture adds to the modern finish, and features include lounge chairs, desks, iPod-dock clock radios, free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and 42-inch flat screen TVs. Unfortunately, rooms in the older wing of the hotel are subject to a bit of noise.Gray-tiled bathrooms have a contemporary finish as well and lots of counter space. There’s no soaking tub, but the glass-doored stand-up showers have rainfall showerheads and a separate sprayer head. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and a vanity kit are standard in all bathrooms. The pricier Executive Suites have full kitchens with electric ranges and coffee makers, separate living rooms, private balconies, and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. All rooms come with irons and ironing boards, safes, refrigerators or mini-fridges, and two free bottles of water are replenished daily. Rooms are also available for guests with limited mobility.

Despite its relatively small size, there are a ton of features on-site at this hotel, including two very different restaurants. Le Rond Point is the top-floor, fine-dining restaurant serving European-Haitian fusion cuisine in a slightly garish setting. The more modest Kinam Terrace Restaurant overlooks the pool and serves local and international cuisine for three meals a day. There’s also live music on Wednesday nights. Reviews for both restaurants are mixed. Tipsy Bar is the hotel’s casual bar with a great outdoor balcony, but not much atmosphere. The wine bar, La Carafe, has a more modern, elegant style, while Kafe Coffee Shop has a rustic, woody interior and serves coffee, snacks, and sandwiches. Kinam’s pool is located in the back of the hotel, near the hotel’s original gingerbread building. It has a nice tiled deck, a few tables and chairs, but not nearly enough lounge chairs for the number of guests who stay here at any given time. It's also in the shade at certain times of day. The hotel’s 24-hour mirror-walled gym is a big plus, and is stocked with Cybex workout equipment that includes treadmills, a recumbent bike, a weight machine, and dumbbells.There’s a small shopping mall at Kinam, with stores like Adidas, Kenneth Cole, and local upscale boutiques. The hotel concierge can arrange taxis or drivers, restaurant reservations, tours, spa services (although they are conducted a a sister property), and laundry service (for a fee). Other amenities include meeting rooms and board rooms, free parking, and free round-trip airport transfers are also included with all stays. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.