Kimpton still does that whole “social password” thing.
It’s been going for years now. You share a specific phrase at the check-in desk. In return, you get something. Maybe a welcome drink. Maybe an upgrade. Last winter was one cycle. This one kicks off in late spring.
Thanks to LoyaltyLobby for the heads up, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have checked my phone.
What is it this time?
The IHG-owned brand likes to differentiate itself with these quirky gestures. It works. Sometimes.
For the summer 2026 window, the code is: “in bloom and out of office”
Mark the calendar. The promotion runs from May 22 to August 29. Say it when you hand over your credit card. Expect a surprise. Or don’t, because as we all know, expectations lead to disappointment in hospitality.
“The social password is a relic that refuses to die, mostly because people actually get value out of it.”
My wheel-spin experiment
I tested this recently at the Kimpton EPIC in Miami. My first Kimpton stay in forever.
I used a free night certificate from my IHG credit card. Why pay for parking if you’re going to try and win it for free? I handed over my ID and whispered the phrase. The front desk agent didn’t blink. He just rolled a game-show-style wheel over the counter.
I spun.
Maybe too hard.
The wheel whirred for thirty seconds. A full thirty seconds of anticlimax. It stopped. On “Spin Again.” Of course. I have terrible luck. Or excellent luck, depending on how you look at probabilities.
A second spin landed me free parking.
That’s right. Free. For two nights. Parking at that hotel costs $44 a night. So I walked out having saved nearly $100 just by muttering a corporate slogan to a stranger. Score? Yes. Cringe? Also yes.
The wheel offers other things, too. A free movie ticket. Some snacks. Maybe nothing. I noticed blank squares, an alarm clock, a picture of a tipped-over car, a Miami postcard. No clue what those actually mean. But free parking beats a 19-cent branded koozie any day of the week.
That’s the risk though. Inconsistency.
One Kimpton will give you a suite upgrade. The next one will give you a tiny koozie you will never use. It’s a gamble. A low-stakes gamble. But still.
The awkward factor
Let’s be honest. Walking up to a counter and randomly shouting “in bloom and out of office” is weird.
You don’t. Just don’t do it. You look like a cult member or a prankster.
When I did it, I framed it. I asked if I was supposed to say it. It smoothed the transition. The agent smiled, the wheel came out, everyone moved on.
But I’m curious. How do you say it? Do you blurt it out? Do you wait for them to ask about your purpose of travel? Or do you just hand over your passport and mumble under your breath until they catch the keywords?
There has to be a more elegant way to claim a free parking pass.
The concept started years ago. Back when everyone was desperately trying to grow their Twitter following. Social media wasn’t the ubiquitous drain on attention it is today. It was a marketing hack that stuck because the rewards—when they are good—feel earned. Even if it’s just luck on a plastic wheel.
So you have until August. If you’re booking a Kimpton soon, you might as well say the words. It’s free money, potentially. Or just free parking.
Whatever it is. It beats checking in silent.
And maybe someone else can tell me how to make it feel less strange next time. Because right now? I feel a bit exposed.
