Marcia Kimpton grew up close to a hotel story that changed the way people travelled. Her father, Bill Kimpton, helped shape the boutique hotel movement; she took the spirit of that pioneering instinct into a different medium. A filmmaker and travel host, Kimpton now brings her curiosity for people and place to An American Abroad, a travel series built around the hotels, guides and local experiences that give a destination its character.
Her route has taken her through more than 62 countries. In Bourgogne, France, one of the places she has returned to most often, she is shaping curated trips for April 2027 around wine, food, perfume, spa rituals and the people who make the region feel personal. In a written conversation with LAPSOFLUX, Kimpton reflects on her family’s hospitality legacy, the appeal of family-owned hotels and the value of travelling with enough time to become familiar with a place.
A family legacy, with a path of her own
Kimpton says her father’s example gave her permission to think beyond the established map. “I learned that nothing is impossible and the world isn’t too big,” she says. Seeing him create a new kind of hotel experience helped her imagine building something in her own style. He did not expect her to enter hotel management; her interests were already leading elsewhere, toward filmmaking and hosting.
Those interests now meet in An American Abroad. Kimpton travels, hosts and tells stories through the lens of film, staying in hotels that are part of the experience rather than a backdrop between destinations. The title reflects the way she describes the work: an American moving through the world, learning from the people she meets and sharing what makes each place distinct. She sees the series as an expression of a long-standing love of travel and, as she puts it, “a love of hotels, like him; it’s in my DNA.”
Her approach is shaped less by a checklist of landmarks than by the relationships formed along the way. After visiting dozens of countries, Kimpton says she has come to believe that people are fundamentally good, even when news coverage often focuses on conflict or hardship. Guides, hotel teams and local hosts, she says, are usually eager to share what they love about their home. “Traveling as much as I do and learning about different cultures and religions has helped me appreciate our differences while embracing the love of humanity.”
The personal touch of a boutique hotel
For Kimpton, a memorable boutique hotel is defined by the people who care for it. Design and service matter, but she encourages travellers to look at ownership and ask how personally invested the owners are in the guest experience. A family-owned hotel can feel less like a transaction and more like an invitation into someone’s home.
She points to L’Hotel in Paris, Le Cep in Burgundy, Museum Hotel in Cappadocia and Porta del Mar in Hydra as examples of properties with an individual point of view. The connection, she says, is the care that comes from a team with a personal stake in the place. That feeling can stay with a guest long after a room’s finishes or amenities have faded from memory—and it can be the reason to return.
It is also the standard she brings to the trips she is designing. Kimpton has visited Bourgogne nine times over the past decade and filmed her movie An American Abroad there. Repeated visits have given her the time to find the restaurants, winemakers and guides that might be easy to miss on a first trip. She mentions La Buissonnière and Louis Vallet of Château Charodon, whose boutique vineyard has become part of her picture of the region.
Returning to Bourgogne
Kimpton’s planned April 2027 retreats are intended to offer different experiences at different price points. The itinerary is being shaped around the pleasures that have kept her returning: exceptional wine, cooking, perfume, dining and time to enjoy the region. For Grand Cru tastings, she works with Youri Lebault of Bourgogne Gold Tours. She also credits Charles Elisée of Safari Beaune Tours, a ninth-generation Beaunois and her first guide on a 2016 visit, with organizing a cooking class and a perfume-making experience paired with wine tasting.
For accommodation, Kimpton says she would book Le Cep in Beaune. She describes owner Jean-Claude Bernard as someone who goes beyond the expected to make the hotel and spa a source of distinctive experiences. The choice fits her broader view: a strong trip is not only a sequence of reservations. It depends on the people who can connect a visitor to the character of a place.
Kimpton hopes guests leave with the same affection for Burgundy that has brought her back year after year. Travellers can review the planned experiences and the two price points on marciakimpton.com.
Travel with curiosity
Her work on An American Abroad has also travelled beyond the screen. Kimpton says the film appeared on Emirates, American and Malaysia Airlines, and she remembers airline crew members getting excited when they learned it was available on their flights. She could not see every passenger’s reaction, but viewers who later reached out on Instagram offered encouraging feedback. “I was literally an American abroad going around the world,” she says.
Her new series has taken her to Namibia, Kenya and Mozambique, where she selected experiences that connect hospitality with conservation and local opportunity. She describes Naankuse, Collections in the Wild and Mozambique Horse Safaris as places where guest spending supports land conservation, wildlife protection and employment for local Indigenous communities. Those values are part of what makes a story worth telling: the experience can be compelling for the traveller and meaningful to the people who live there.
Next, Kimpton is researching a travel podcast around three of her passions—world art, film and spirituality. She wants it to offer the depth she enjoys finding herself, including details such as films that help illuminate a country before or after a visit. She once hosted a late-night show in San Francisco, and sees the new project as a way to return to the direct connection of speaking to an audience, in a different format.
How to travel with intention
Kimpton’s advice begins before departure: learn what a hotel offers, who owns it and what it stands for. On the ground, hire a local guide when possible—especially for restaurant recommendations—and stay curious. The best journeys, in her telling, grow from the people who welcome you and the stories you take time to hear.
- Research a hotel’s ownership and values before booking.
- Hire a local guide to find places you might miss on your own.
- Look for experiences that support the local community and landscape.
For more destination inspiration, explore LAPSOFLUX’s Cabo San Lucas, Amanpulo and Amalfi Coast features. The places differ, but each rewards the kind of planning and curiosity Kimpton describes.