In a bold new move that fuses hospitality with body art, Kimpton Hotels & Resorts is launching an innovative tattoo experience that redefines the traditional travel souvenir. Partnering with Tiny Zaps, a boutique studio specializing in ultra-minimalist “tiny tattoos,” Kimpton is offering guests a permanent way to commemorate their journeys — with ink.
The initiative taps into the growing trend of “tattourism” — a cultural phenomenon where travelers seek tattoos as deeply personal keepsakes of the places they’ve explored. Once associated with sailors, adventurers, and nomads, the practice has been enthusiastically embraced by a new generation of travelers who prefer tattoos over T-shirts, and symbols over souvenirs.
Starting this spring, five select Kimpton hotels across the U.S. will host monthly tattoo pop-up events, during which guests aged 18 and older can receive complimentary tattoos crafted exclusively for each destination. The designs are city-specific, inspired by local landmarks, lore, and cultural references — such as Broadway motifs in New York, Bourbon Street flourishes in New Orleans, and possibly even skyline silhouettes or native flora in other cities.
“We’re combining travel, art, and self-expression to offer a one-of-a-kind way for people to connect with the cities they visit,” said Vicki Poulos, head of luxury and lifestyle brands at IHG (Kimpton’s parent company). “The Kimpton x Tiny Zaps collection represents the ultimate travel souvenir: meaningful, personal, and lasting.”
Guests will select from exclusive flash sheets curated by Tiny Zaps and executed by local tattoo artists recruited from the studio’s creative network. The pop-up parlors will be located within the hotels themselves, providing a seamless — and spontaneous — tattooing experience for travelers who want to make their mark.
Tiny Zaps, co-founded by Sam Kelly, has become known for its minimalist aesthetic, favoring small, symbolic designs rendered with delicate precision. The partnership with Kimpton is its first large-scale hospitality collaboration.
“People get tattoos for the same reasons they travel — to create and commemorate life experiences,” Kelly explains. “This partnership lets us blend those worlds in a fun and memorable way.”
The collaboration underscores Kimpton’s brand ethos of authenticity, creativity, and local engagement, while also aligning with changing preferences among millennial and Gen Z travelers — demographics that increasingly view tattoos as both personal art and emotional mementos.
This concept isn’t entirely new in the travel world. Virgin Voyages pioneered tattoo culture at sea with the launch of “Squid Ink,” an onboard tattoo studio offering cruise-goers the chance to get inked mid-voyage. Now, Kimpton brings that level of experiential personalization to land-based stays.
The “Kimpton x Tiny Zaps” initiative is slated to expand if successful, with future collections possibly including seasonal, limited-edition designs or internationally themed offerings. Until then, guests at participating properties will have the rare chance to leave with more than memories — they’ll leave with a piece of the city permanently etched in ink.
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