HotelChatter

Tags: 2009 World Series Hotels / Baseball Hotels / Hotel Indigo / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

We Don't Think Many Phillies Fans Are Going To Book The Hotel Indigo Chelsea

See that bubbly on the bed? That could be yours if you're a Phillies fan. Or not.

Tomorrow is the first game in the 2009 World Series Championships with the Yankees facing off against The Phillies in the Bronx. We've told you about some of your options for booking a hotel room but here's a deal especially for Phillies fans from The Hotel Indigo NYC Chelsea, which just opened the other week. But it's not quite a "nice" deal.

Called "Drown Your Sorrows", the package offers Phillies guests a bottle of Perrier-Jouet champagne if their team loses--"As expected", says the hotel. Oh smack! You must show your game ticket and a valid ID showing your address in the city of Philadelphia as well as that you're over 21 in order to get the loser's bubbly. Our question is: Would you actually accept this bottle of champagne from the hotel if your team lost? If so, then we think the hotel better put in some clause about vandalizing the room with champagne.

more ›

Tags: Hotel Opening Rates / Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Hotel Indigo / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

Break Out Your Dolla' Bills: Hotel Indigo Opens in Chelsea for $349 a Night

Update: The $249 promo rate is now working on the Hotel Indigo's website.

Wow, what a dark horse hotel we have here. The Hotel Indigo Chelsea has officially soft-opened today on West 28th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, making it the first Hotel Indigo in New York. And it even opened ahead of schedule by a few months.

The rooms at the hotel (aside from being brand-spanking new) have 32-inch flat screen TVs, hardwood floors, Aveda toiletries, custom-designed furniture and best of all, free WiFi. Onsite there is also Blu, the hotel's restaurant which serves American-bistro fare and the Glass Bar, a rooftop lounge with views of the city.

Rates are going for $349 a night tonight for a nonsmoking room with a king bed but the hotel's website promises special opening rates of $249 a night. We couldn't find that rate when we punched in few dates so you may want to call in person to see what dates you can actually get them. The hotel's Twitter feed also says IHG Priority Club members can earn 5,000 points.

Since we really liked what Hotel Indigo was doing in San Diego, we can't wait to see what their New York hotel is like, provided we can get the $249 rate.

Tags: Hotel Indigo / Hotel Openings / Hong Kong Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags

Hong Kong is Getting A Dragon-Wrapped Indigo Hotel

The Hotel Indigo people seem to be sure that global financial woes are a thing of the past, because they're forging ahead with their expansion plans in Asia. After signing a deal for the Hotel Indigo Shanghai to open next year, they've been quick to follow up with the promise of the Hotel Indigo Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong version should be ready to open in 2012 and will be located in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong – a northern part of Hong Kong Island which is known for its historical value. The hotel itself sounds like it will be something a bit different:

The architectural concept features a conspicuous dragon in burnished bronze wrapped around the building, functioning as an "eco-screen" to counteract the hot spots and solar gain.

We can't wait to see that in real life. There should be even more Asian Indigos to follow – the smart money is on Tokyo and Singapore as likely locations for the next hotels.

[Photo: Sleeper Magazine]

Tags: Pet-Friendly Hotels / San Diego Hotels / Hotel Indigo / Hotel Cocktails / → All Tags

Canine Cocktails: Dogs Get Their Own Happy Hour at Hotel Indigo San Diego

We love dogs. And if we’re not traveling with our own in tow, we like to stay at hotels that have their own dogs-in-residence. Which means we have to plan a doggy-friendly trip to San Diego immediately. Not only does the Hotel Indigo San Diego have a mascot/puppy ambassador—that’s Sandie greeting guests in the photo—but the property also has a regular Canine Cocktails evening, on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

more ›

Tags: Killer View / Hotel Indigo / San Diego Hotels / Ballpark Hotels / → All Tags

Watch The Padres From The Hotel Indigo's Parlor Suites

We are suckers for a room with a killer view.  We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.

When we hit up the Hotel Indigo San Diego last month, there was a party being held on the hotel's 9th floor Phi terrace where guests could sip on drinks, warm up near the fire pits (yes, it gets cold at night) and take in the ballgame going on over at Petco Park.

While nearly everyone can hit up the terrace for the views, only folks who book the hotel's parlor suites can get prime (and private) views from their bedrooms. An added treat? Fireworks go off after weekend night games--win or lose.

We checked the room rates next weekend when the Padres are playing at home and we found a king bedroom parlor suite for $329 a night. As always when booking a room for the killer view, make sure to call the hotel in person and request a ballpark view before you arrive or when you make your reservation. Sorry, personal bartender not included. That was only for the party!

Tags: HotelChatter Review / Hotel Indigo / San Diego Hotels / IHG Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Indigo San Diego is Proof That a Big Chain Can Do 'Boutique' Right

We've played Guess the Hotel with you and we've shown you the video tour, but now let's really get down to talking about our experience at the Hotel Indigo San Diego, the flagship property for the Hotel Indigo brand from InterContinental.

The Lobby
The Hotel Indigo has a great lobby. It's actually quite pretty, for lack of a better descriptive design adjective. Everything was simply calm and eye-pleasing. No loud music. No too-strange art pieces and no mood-lighting changing every five seconds. Since Hotel Indigo as a brand incorporates as much of the local culture as possible into the identity of the hotel, the lobby actually feels like someone's very upscale beach house — despite being located in downtown San Diego.

more ›

Tags: Hotel Video Tours / Guess the Hotel / iPhone Video Tours / San Diego Hotels / Hotel Indigo / → All Tags

Inside The Hotel Indigo San Diego, Home of The Prettiest Business Center

We may not have given you enough time to guess the hotel this morning but one of you managed to guess correctly. It's The Hotel Indigo in San Diego.

This was our very first time inside a Hotel Indigo and we loved what we experienced. The hotel's lobby is bright and airy, and the rooms look more like a comfortable and happy guest room in a friend's house (a friend who has an exceptional knack for interior decor) rather than just another one of a couple hundred hotel rooms.

Staying true to the Hotel Indigo's commitment to nature (hence the Fibonacci sequence found throughout the hotel's design and the Phi ratio which is also represented throughout), this LEED-certified hotel has a 12th-floor rooftop garden, as well as an herb garden on the 9th floor that is actually used for the meals served at the hotel.

But what we really loved about the hotel — and no, it's not Dieter from Laguna Beach who oversees the front desk — were the great views of home plate at Petco Park from the hotel's 9th floor rooftop bar.

We'll have the full review for you tomorrow; until then, enjoy this video we shot on an iPhone — a first for HotelChatter Video Tours!

Tags: Hotel Delays / Hotel Indigo / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

Whenever Hotel Indigo NYC Opens, It'll Have Absurdly High Rates

Hotel Indigo, the funky-fresh youthful stepchild of InterContinental, was supposed to make its grand debut in Manhattan sometime in July (last we checked, anyway — though we weren't really sure whether or not we cared much about it). However, not so: the property's website is now accepting rezzies for January 4, 2010 and beyond.

Does that mean the property won't open earlier than the new year? No. But does that mean it definitely won't be opening in July? Yes.

The Hotel Indigo Chelsea (yes, it's on West 28th Street and still touts itself as "walking distance" to Times Square — which, to be fair, is probably perfectly reasonable for New Yorkers) was the cause of our eye-rolling not long ago because it recommended things like eating hot dogs and strolling through Central Park (not exactly a game-changer here), but get ready for this: rates are starting at $425.00 for the night of January 4th.

Um, excuse you?

Tags: Hotel Indigo / Hotel Openings / San Diego Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags

Hotel Indigo San Diego Gets a Cool Sheet of Glass

The Hotel Indigo San Diego is now set to open July 13 and while previously we touched on the hotel's green offerings, we didn't have any real photos of the place. But thankfully, now we do.

Here are some exterior shots of the hotel which feature a four-story glass sculpture titled “Indigo Waters” by local San Diego artist Lisa Schirmer. (That's what great about Hotel Indigo--they incorporate as much artwork from local artists as they can.) And lest you think this is just another pretty sculpture, there's actually some serious mathematics behind it. From the hotel:

The underpinning of the Hotel Indigo brand’s design and décor can be attributed to the Fibonacci sequence and the ratio known as the Golden Mean (or Phi). These math principles are found in nature and can be seen in the perfect proportion of the nautilus shell, which is represented in the Hotel Indigo brand logo. Adopting this mathematical ratio as a design principle helps create a feeling of balance and effortless beauty within the space.

“The idea behind the sculpture is to create a wavelike pattern of indigo colors by rotating and repeating square and quarter circle shapes on square glass panels,” said Schirmer. The glass panels are arranged vertically in a Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13) in seven layers on a curved outside wall of the hotel. As daylight shifts, the glass will create a dramatic mix of color and movement; tasteful back-lighting at night will create a new composition of colors.

Very cool. Also inside the hotel, local photographer Ian Cummings will have his photos of native plants and water-driven imagery on display in the guestrooms, the hotel lobby, the hotel's Phi Bar and Bistro and other public areas.

Room rates for Hotel Indigo San Diego will begin at $199 a night.

Another shot of the hotel's exterior and the sculpture is after the jump.

more ›

Tags: 2009 Brand Expansion Report / Hotel Brands / Industry News / Aloft Hotels / Element Hotels / Hotel Indigo / Andaz Hotels / Edition Hotels / Barry Sternlicht / NYLO Hotels / → All Tags

Brands Born in the Recession: Where Are They Now?

It's no secret that the economy has had a massive impact on the hotel industry. Hotel openings have been delayed; construction has been halted on properties in development; jobs have been lost; room rates have been slashed — but the last several years also saw a boom in the introduction of new brands and a handful of entirely new, supposedly game-changing segments (the "budget chic" pack, for example).

Naturally, with the introduction of each new brand came a wave of hype and some big, big expansion plans — and then came the recession. Needless to say, those big plans changed.

Here's a look at the current state of some of those newer brands — a progress report, if you will — that outlines how many properties each brand had planned on when the concept was introduced, how many properties they've actually opened as of mid-2009, and, of course, how they're faring out there in the cold, brutal world.

more ›

Tags: Hotel WiFi / Hotel Indigo / Intercontinental Hotels / → All Tags

What Kind of Internet Can You Expect at Hotel Indigo?

InterContinental's hip, "branded-boutique" Hotel Indigo chain has been expanding on the double.

Some say Indigo is IHG's answer to Starwood's W Hotels; some say it was the precursor to all those lifestyle boutique hotels going up all over the place these days, like Aloft, Element, Hyatt's Andaz and good ol' Denizen. The first property opened up in 2006 and since then it has been targeting the younger business traveler in U.S. locations from Scottsdale to NYC. So yes, Indigo: you have arrived; you are expanding — but the real question is: what's your Internet sitch?

more ›

Tags: Hotel News Briefs / Bowery Hotel / Hotel Indigo / Palazzo Versace / Robert DeNiro / → All Tags

De Niro's Greenwich Hotel Feeling the Economic Burn

There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.

· The Top 21 Examples of Stylish Hotel Design: Men.Style.com is just as fond of lists as we are, and their latest is pretty slick; they've compiled their favorite design touches in hotels, which oddly includes "the silence in the lobby at The Bowery Hotel." [Men.Style]

· De Niro's Greenwich Hotel Half-Empty?: A Curbed operative overheard at a community board meeting that The Greenwich Hotel is struggling with a 50% occupancy rate. Trouble in taxi driver paradise! [Curbed]

· A Fourth in Florida for Hotel Indigo: It's not just London they're conquering, but also Florida as the "unpretentious" Hotel Indigo is scheduled to open this year in Miami Lakes, Miami Beach, St. Petersburg, and Ft. Myers. [HNR]

· Dubai's Palazzo Versace Hires a Decorator: You'd think that a design company would be able to outfit their own hotel, but no, as they've hired interior decorators. [Arabian Biz]