Off to a great start: a new stunningly stylish Hotel Monaco
Planning for a 2-night stay at hotel on its opening night is a bit of a risk. However, I love Kimpton hotels, and my husband and I were looking for a short getaway to celebrate our anniversary; the great location, and the sudden appearance of a 40% off rate sealed the deal. All of the staff were enthusiastic and helpful, and that made up for some opening kinks that will undoubtedly be worked out in the coming days and weeks. 
The check-in desk has a stunning backdrop: three rows of Chinese brushes hanging in an artful and mesmerizing presentation. I wouldn't have minded a longer wait to gaze at this beautiful wall, but the check-in was very efficient. With my Kimpton In-touch membership, we had free wi-fi and a $10.00 raid-the-minibar coupon. 
My request for a quiet room away from the elevator was honored---we were at the far end of a long corridor lined with large photos of the "Mummers", their parades are a Philadelphia institution. Our "King-deluxe" room was a comfortable size and the decor like the promotional photos, with a mix of bold patterns. I am addicted to the Etro toiletries--especially the soap and lotion. The sheets are sooo soft, and the bed extremely comfortable. In making the reservation I had mentioned that our stay was for our anniversary. We found a sweet congratulatory note, plate of fresh fruit and a chilled bottle of an excellent sparkling wine waiting for us! It was a lovely start to our stay. 
On a future occasion, I think I would spring for a park-view room, as our room had only one window, and was a bit dark; that also made it more cozy. The bath was very nice, and there is plenty of space for toiletries. It could use a small hook for a hand towel near the sink. It seemed that our shower (in room 320) had only hot water and very low water pressure. We reported this and I was happy to see that the reception had a book for logging such notes, so I assume the problem will be soon corrected.
We had a great dinner at the hotel's Red Owl restaurant with excellent food and service. Breakfast at the Red Owl suffered from chaos; one waiter told us to wait about 5 minutes for seating as they were running behind; meanwhile, another server seated 2 parties that had come in after us. As a result, one party had their breakfast served while we were still waiting for someone to take our order about a half hour after we had first arrived. We were somewhat annoyed, but also felt pretty sympathetic for the staff. One problem is that there is not a sign at the restaurant entry from the hotel lobby asking people to wait to be seated. There is a host stand at exterior door for reservations/seating, but no sign or person to direct hotel guests to that stand. On the plus side, the cappucino was outstanding when we finally got our coffee.
We love that there is fresh coffee available in the lobby in the early morning, and a wine hour in the lobby from 5 to 6 PM. Both are nice "extras" that, among others, draw us to Kimpton hotels. We look forwar to returning in the winter.