Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Opens The Forum Hotel Today on UVA Darden Grounds

12 April 2023

Kimpton the Forum Hotel opening iconKimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the IHG Hotels & Resorts luxury and lifestyle brand, opens The Forum Hotel, its first on-campus property, today on the Grounds of the renowned University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

As reflected in its name, the 198-room boutique hotel is a gathering place where food, drink, entertainment, conversation, education, reflection, and more can be shared by all in a vibrant setting. Anchoring the on-property dining are Birch & Bloom, a modern steakhouse with regional influences, and The Good Sport, a craft beer bar with local brews and familiar tavern fare.

 

Cris Molina for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

 

“We are honored to be a part of the lively Charlottesville community and look forward to welcoming visitors and neighbors alike,” says Kelly Brown, general manager of The Forum Hotel. “From curated local partnerships to direct access to the university, guests will find themselves immersed in the destination’s charm and hospitality from the moment they step inside.”

“We could not be more excited to welcome The Forum Hotel to the Darden family,” says Scott C. Beardsley, the dean of the Darden School. “A sense of purpose and deep connection are at the heart of our community and at the core of our educational experience. The Forum Hotel will provide students, faculty, staff, alumni, Charlottesville community members, and University of Virginia visitors alike an inclusive place with great energy to learn, celebrate and recharge.”

"The Forum Hotel will provide students, faculty, staff, alumni, Charlottesville community members, and University of Virginia visitors alike an inclusive place with great energy to learn, celebrate and recharge."
Dean Scott Beardsley

The five-story, Jeffersonian-style building boasts a modern interior and countless amenities, including morning coffee and tea service, evening social hour, a modern fitness center, pet-friendly accommodations, expansive suites, comfortable gathering spaces and a lively arboretum and botanical gardens. The Forum Hotel’s grand exterior, with its stately white columns, red brick façade and stone accents, pays homage to the architecture of Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village. Inside, guests are greeted by comfortable, contemporary interiors — crafted by Looney & Associates, Beleco Design, and the Kimpton design team — featuring organic textures and geometric shapes, with subtle nods to the property’s location by incorporating UVA colors throughout. At the centerpiece of the lobby is a custom installation by local artist and University alumna Brielle DuFlon, who uses reclaimed materials in her work. Guestrooms feature luxurious robes designed by Darden alumnus Richard Loh, complimentary yoga mats, a minibar with treats from local businesses, including Gearharts Chocolate, La Vache Microcreamery Caramels and Three Notch’d Brewing Company, and bespoke bath products from Atelier Bloem.

 

Library at Kimpton The Forum Hotel opening

Cris Molina for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

 

Led by Executive Chef Eric Brownlee, The Forum’s two restaurants provide dining options sure to please both guests and locals alike. Birch & Bloom is a reimagined American steakhouse with seasonally driven, farm-to-table offerings. The menu highlights Virginia farmers, growers, brewers and vintners such as Michael Shaps Wineworks, Honey Brook Farms, Angry Duck Farm, Caromont Farm and Polyface Farm. The Aspen Bar & Terrace, a swanky, centrally located cocktail bar, enlivens the lobby with a menu featuring creative riffs on the classics. Across the lobby, The Good Sport, a craft beer bar, offers familiar-yet-elevated tavern fare with an impressive roster of craft cocktails and local beers from Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company, Blue Mountain Brewery, Potter’s Craft Cider and many more. A 2,000-bottle wine cellar houses international, regional and local labels, paying special tribute to the area’s flourishing wineries.

The Forum Hotel also provides ample space for gatherings of all sorts, from small groups to large gatherings with capacity for more than 500 people. The hotel boasts more than 22,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 6,000-square-foot ballroom, dynamic classrooms of various sizes and a large lecture hall where Darden will regularly host courses and events. Additional meeting spaces include the arboretum boardroom overlooking the gardens as well as an executive meeting room with an intimate wine room next door. For private dining and events, guests can reserve the L’Orangerie, a naturally lit, glass-enclosed solarium adjacent to Birch & Bloom.

 

L'Orangerie at Kimton the Forum Hotel opening

Cris Molina for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

 

Just behind the property sit expansive botanical gardens and a five-acre arboretum with 17,000 square feet of outdoor function space, providing lush greenery, walking trails that connect The Forum to UVA, a tranquil pond and several gathering places — including an outdoor amphitheater and 4,000-square foot event lawn.

Rates at The Forum Hotel begin at $269 per night, and guestrooms can be booked online at www.forumhotelcharlottesville.com or at +1 855.546.7866. All excess economic proceeds from The Forum Hotel will go to helping the Darden School achieve its mission via the Darden School Foundation.

See more images here.

The lobby bar at Kimpton The Forum Hotel opening

Cris Molina for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 

Press Contact

Molly Mitchell
Associate Director of Content Marketing and Social Media
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu