Review: Kinship Landing

Why book? You can save and BYO tent to assemble on the camp deck or splurge on a suite with a fireplace and soaking tub. There’s truly a room for all tastes and budgets under one roof, plus every amenity imaginable to make adventuring a breeze.

Set the scene: The greenhouse-inspired event space is hosting a bike tuning class attended by local adventurers and the adjacent bar has a crowd of Topo pack toting remote workers hidden behind laptops and fresh-off the trail hikers sipping craft beers and refueling with hand pies. Young couples and groups of friends ranging from their 20s to early 40s are swapping tips on the best campsites and rock climbing spots nearby and sharing travel tales from global adventures in New Zealand, India and Peru.

The backstory: Husband and wife Bobby and Brooke Mikulas and their friend Nate Grimm cemented their friendship over ice climbing adventures and a shared passion for travel, having visited nearly 20 countries. Their vision was to create a place for locals and travelers to connect over adventures. Bobby likes to say Colorado Springs has so much to offer but it takes a while to discover the area’s best secrets. Kinship Landing is a fast track to belonging. They’ve taken all of their experiences traveling the globe to create an incredibly thoughtful hotel. Guests in shared bunk rooms have access to a communal kitchen on the second floor and a sound machine turns on at 10pm in shared accommodations to ensure a sound sleep. There is also an option for gear storage and common showers.

The rooms: There are 41 total rooms with a total of 82 beds. Custom furniture built by local craftsman Garrett Brown and local artwork creates an earthy, artsy vibe. Suites have luxe touches like deep soaking tubs and fireplaces as well as standing desks. Six, 8-bedroom bunkrooms are a huge improvement from the hostels of your backpacking days, with comfy mattresses and thick, black-out curtains. You can rent a bed or the entire bunkroom. The camp deck is incredibly unique. It’s a sod-covered deck with an adjacent shower and bathroom. You pitch your own tent and have hooks to string a hammock and Bluetooth to play music. The deck can fit up to six tents.

Food and drink: The menu is rooted in healthful bowls, both sweet (acaia) and savory (veggie quinoa), and hand pies. Almost every culture has some version of a hand pie that can be eaten easily on the go. The spice-scented Momo hand pie transports you to Penang while the St Ives is a heart meat pie reminiscent of what you’d find in England. Rooms have sachets of Switchback coffee. The restaurant doesn’t serve fancy coffees as they encourage guests to go across the street to Loyal Coffee.

The neighborhood/area: The hotel is the anchor of the burgeoning New South End of Downtown Colorado Springs. It’s still a bit scruffy but walking distance to cool coffee shops (Loyal), breweries (Pikes Peak Brewing Co) and restaurants, as well as the very cool C.O.A.T.I. food hall. The new US Olympic and Paralympic Museum is less than a 10-minute drive away and is worth a visit. It’s incredibly interactive and techy. The famed Manitou Incline and Pikes Peak are both 20 minutes away and big area draws.

The service: Incredibly personal and in-the-know. The staff communicate by text and can tell you the best restaurants for take-out and dining in, the best shop for good wine and local secrets like where to park for the Manitou Incline and the best route to take down. A Discovery Area on the ground floor is meant to facilitate local adventures. The team can arrange guided backcountry skiing, splitboarding (a snowboard that literally splits into two skis), or snowshoeing with gear from Mountain Chalet and a certified AMGA guide from Pikes Peak Alpine School or mountain biking with expert instructors and everything covered from safety and trail etiquette to navigating technical terrain.

For families: Lofted bunkrooms are perfect for families, plus come with access to a communal kitchen.

Eco effort: Kinship is plastic free (like coffee sachets versus plastic pods), community driven and about as local as it gets.