HotelChatter

Check-In
Because we were checking in for a media event, the Phi restaurant off the lobby was overflowing with folks enjoying the cocktail hour. We were looking a little grubby and thus became a bit self-conscious. However, the bright side is that the check-in desk is literally five steps from the elevators, which allowed us to make a mad dash up to our room.

Room Reaction
As we said yesterday, we really loved how the room felt more like a guestroom at a friend's vacation house rather than just one of many standardized hotel rooms. Does it matter that every room in the hotel is exactly the same? No, not when it's this good-looking.

What you will notice immediately upon entering the room is the hardwood floor. Yay, no fugly hotel carpeting here! Next, your eyes can't help but be drawn to the bed. The linens on the king bed were an extremely bright orangey-red print. Fortunately, that bit pulls off to reveal crisp white linens.

The next big eye-catcher is the giant photo mural on one section of the wall near the closet. Every Indigo hotel room has one of these blown-up nature photos. At the San Diego property, there are four different types of photos found throughout the guestrooms and the public spaces, either of native plants or aquatic imagery.

Over near the window was a printed armchair, a light blue leather ottoman and a painted white "tree stump" side table. A flat-screen LG TV was positioned directly across from the bed and after opening the closet door first, we found the bathroom door.

The Bathroom
Let's talk about the bathroom for a minute. This is probably our least favorite part of the Hotel Indigo experience. The walls are painted a deep brown, a stark contrast to the happy guestroom. The light was not working in the shower (or maybe we just didn't see the switch) and while we appreciated the spa stool in the shower, we also could have used a close-up mirror somewhere. The large sink above the vanity was just too far from us to apply make-up or tweeze our eyebrows. We ended up using the full-length mirror behind the closet door.

Amenity Madness
There's no mini-bar in the room, but there is a Keurig coffee maker, one of our favorite new amenities around these days. The bath toiletries are Aveda and an iPod docking station was on the nightstand. Hotel Indigo also loves Haikus, and you will find them all over the reading material in your room. Additionally, the hotel put out copies of 944 and Riviera magazines which we took back with us. (Uh-oh, is that an incidentals charge?)

Internet Connect
Rejoice! The hotel has blazing fast and FREE wireless. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Fitness Center
Indigo has a great-looking fitness center on the 9th floor that was free of harsh lighting and with either giant flat-screen TVs or the views of downtown San Diego to distract folks on the cardio machines.

The Phi Terrace
Also on the 9th floor is the Phi Terrace which has a reflection pond, an herb garden, fire pits, and views of Petco Park. Oh, and a bar, of course!

Dining
The Phi restaurant is located in the lobby, and while we were drooling at their breakfast options (also available through room service), we didn't get a chance to actually taste the dishes. Still, there's a full bar down here too to whittle away your time.

Location, Location, Location
The Indigo is just a few short blocks off from the Gaslamp Quarter and all the action of the nightlife there. Also close by is Petco Park. And just because we know this is important to many of you, there's a Starbucks on the block behind the hotel.

Bottom Line
InterContinental has really done their boutique brand up right, filling the spaces with pleasant yet useful personal touches. If we were Hilton, Starwood or Marriott, we would start getting worried. Of course, the other chains' boutique-y brands have a bit of an advantage as Hotel Indigo has largely been opening in secondary and tertiary markets. But that should change over the next year as Indigo opens in New York City, St. Louis and Toronto.

Rooms start here at about $229 a night. We were able to pay a media rate of $99 to experience the Hotel Indigo San Diego.