rewrite this title Kimpton Harper Review: Designed with Texan Charm – NerdWallet

The Kimpton Harper Hotel offers guests a blend of modern design and cozy comforts in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It’s a great fit for those seeking a stylish hotel with a lively atmosphere.

As a Kimpton property, the Harper is a part of the IHG family of hotels. Kimptons are known for their well-appointed decor and pet-friendly policies, and this location is no exception.

You can book the Kimpton Harper using IHG points, but always compare prices before doing so. Sometimes paying cash can be more worthwhile, especially when rates drop during off-peak times.

I stayed at this hotel for two nights in December 2025 while visiting the city for a work conference. It was my first time staying at a Kimpton, and I was excited to check it out. Here’s what it was like.

Built in 1921, the Kimpton Harper is located inside a 24-story skyscraper, which once held the title of the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The imposing building has a prime address on Main Street in downtown Fort Worth. The hotel is also located near attractions like Sundance Square, the Bass Performance Hall and the Fort Worth Convention Center.

It’s also easy to get around via rideshare or on public transportation, with nearby bus and rail links to the Fort Worth Stockyards and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

For my stay, I booked the cheapest cash rate, in which my room was assigned upon arrival. Since I was traveling by myself, I knew I would be OK with the base-level room, which is what you’re guaranteed anyway when you book. If the hotel is sold out of standard rooms, you might even get upgraded to something nicer.

One pitfall though is that your app may show you an assigned room type prior to arrival, but that is subject to change. The week leading up to my stay, it showed that I was booked into a one-bedroom suite, but the room I ended up getting was a king corner room. While I enjoyed the room, it was a bit of a letdown after thinking I had gotten a suite.

To check in, you head up to the hotel’s lobby on the 24th floor, which offers expansive urban views of the city.

I was particularly excited about this trip because I wanted to test out Kimpton’s secret password — an “if you know, you know” perk that anyone can take advantage of during select times of the year.

Here’s how it works: Kimpton posts a secret password on its social media channels, and you can get an extra amenity if you say the phrase during check in. This isn’t a year-round offering, but I lucked out since Kimpton had announced a new secret password the week before my stay.

While each property does it differently, the Kimpton Harper had an advent calendar with each day holding a different amenity. The day I picked came with a $15 Raid the Bar credit, which could be used toward minibar purchases or at the hotel’s bar.

Kimpton hotels are individually designed, giving each property a unique feel. At the Kimpton Harper, I loved the modern geometric patterns and Texas-specific details that helped establish a sense of place.

There aren’t many public spaces in the hotel, but the top floor lobby has ample spots for people to sit and hang out. The entire floor feels like stepping into someone’s living room, with plenty of sitting nooks, couches and tables.

There are two main dining options at the Kimpton Harper. Il Modo, located on the ground floor, is the hotel’s Italian restaurant, serving up fresh pasta dishes. I really enjoyed the pappardelle with Sicilian sausage, but since it is a hotel restaurant, you will see higher menu prices for the convenience.

The restaurant itself felt cozy and intimate, making a solid option for a date night.

Breakfast is also served at Il Modo. All guests can get complimentary grab-and-go coffee and tea in the morning at the restaurant.

The hotel’s bar, Refinery 714, is named after the hotel’s street address. The bar area blends into the lobby, rather than having its own enclosed space. This is where you’ll find the hotel’s daily evening social hour, which includes complimentary drinks.

I didn’t get a chance to try the food or drinks here during my trip, but the bar area seemed to be lively whenever I dropped by the lobby.

It also seemed like a popular event space, with parts of the bar sectioned off both nights of my stay due to a private event.

I stayed in a king corner room, and I enjoyed how spacious it was. The design of the room was similar to the rest of the hotel, from the black-and-white checkered carpet to the leather handles on the furniture.

While everyone’s hotel bed preferences will vary, I found it to be one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve slept in.

There was also a TV in the room, but I couldn’t get the casting feature to work, which was a letdown.

The room had plenty of windows, allowing in a lot of light during the day. However, I found it to be a bit of a hassle to close all of the curtains at night.

In-room toiletries are by Atelier Bloem, and you can contact the front desk if you need additional amenities. There was a small placard in the restroom that listed out everything that was available, which was extremely convenient.

In the room, you’ll find some amenities including a yoga mat and — my personal favorite — hooded robes from Frette.

Kimptons in general are known for their pet-friendly policies, such as not charging guests a pet fee and allowing multiple pets with no size or weight limits. Hotels will even provide pet-related amenities, such as a plush pet bed, pet food and water bowls. There are also door hangers that not only say if a room was occupied, but also let others know a pet is inside, which I found to be a thoughtful gesture.

The hotel has a fitness center on the third floor, with a weight training section and a row of elliptical machines, stationary bikes, stair steppers and rowing machines.

This hotel does not have a spa or pool, so keep that in mind if those amenities are important to you.

If you’re interested in biking through the city, the hotel has complimentary bicycles for guests to check out.

There are several ways to get to the Kimpton Harper if you’re flying into DFW, including by car, by rideshare and by public transportation. The hotel does have parking, but overnight self-parking costs $45 per night.

I found the city’s public transportation extremely convenient and affordable for getting where I wanted to go. I purchased a day pass at the airport for $4, which covered my ride from the airport to downtown Fort Worth (roughly an hour), as well as round-trip bus rides to visit the Fort Worth Stockyards (about 15 minutes) for the afternoon cattle drive and then Terry Black’s Barbecue for dinner.

The Kimpton Harper is centrally located in downtown Fort Worth and stylishly designed, making it a pleasant stay if you’re traveling to the city. As a Kimpton property, it also offers pet-friendly amenities as well as the potential to take advantage of Kimpton’s unique “secret password” perk.