Hotel Indigo is the hospitality industry expert in bringing local to life in rich, design-led and creative experiences. Inspired by the colours, textures, history, buildings, and people that make up the neighbourhood, the world’s largest boutique hotel brand offers the most diverse array of curious, warm and inviting retreats in neighbourhood destinations across the globe. Bespoke designs both educate and inspire, encouraging guests to discover the world within the neighbourhood, while exploring locally or within the hotel itself.

In a time when many people have gotten to know their own neighbourhood better than ever, they have also discovered how the nuances and details of each area are what defines it and brings it to life. As our guests return to travel, they are hungry to have these local experiences beyond the better-known areas. We’ve brought together some of the best examples of how Hotel Indigo brings the neighbourhood to life inside their hotels. Whether touring the destination for leisure, stopping by for a bite or spending a single night there on business, guests can always take something of the magic of the place with them on their next stop.

Hotel Indigo Columbus At Riverfront Place, Georgia, US

In the nearly two centuries since its foundation, Columbus has maintained the endearing charms of its origins, while allowing its residents to shape its modern form. Its storied history begins with its origins in manufacturing and sprawling buildings in Columbus manufactured everything from textiles to steam engines, mattresses and grills. Hotel Indigo Columbus At Riverfront Place conjures images of the town’s manufacturing past with woven art as a nod to the textile industry and wood flooring similar to what would be found in an old mill. Old pine wood at the elevator entrance was repurposed from one of the mills belonging to Columbus resident and magnate W.C. Bradley. The design of the rooftop bar is inspired by legendary blues artist and Columbus native Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. The hotel also has many nods to the local military history from Columbus’ Fort Benning; once the residence of the US Calvary and today, it’s home to multiple specialties. Nightstands have green woven handles, similar to a military duffel bag found at Fort Benning, whilst green parachuting toy army men in the guestroom artwork is a playful nod to the nearby US Airborne School, which trains paratroopers.

Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell, Florida, US

The Brickell neighbourhood in the city’s financial district is a mosaic of old and new treasures – from the ancient treasures, to gleaming high-rises nestled beside bungalows. Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell was designed by internationally recognised architect and fashion designer Angel Sanchez of Coleman+Sanchez Studio. Guest room artwork and circular rugs draw inspiration from the Miami Circle, an archaeological site discovered in 1998 and considered to be the only known evidence of a prehistoric structure built by the Tequesta around 2,000 years ago.

Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown, United Arab Emirates

From pearl-diving and fishing, to trading and shipping, Dubai Creek has been the city’s epicentre of trade, telling the story from old to glistening modern architecture. Even before entering the hotel, the driveway of Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown evokes the locale using a blend of colours to resemble the water of the creek. Four dining plates greet guests upon entering the hotel, paying homage to Emirati culture and its importance on hospitality and families coming together to share a meal together. Created by local artist Nevien Mostafa, the lobby chandelier uses Bedouin weavings and plumage in the UNESCO-recognized Al Sadu style. Each reception desk brings to life separate elements of the neighbourhood: The first carved in deep walnut wood, conjuring images of the large wooden gates in Emirati homes in Nad el Sheba; the second covered in marquetry; the third has a metal lattice pattern, s inspired by the face coverings worn by Emirati women and the fourth has a mother-of-pearl inlay, in homage to Dubai’s pearl diving history. Guestrooms conjure Dubai’s rich trading history with shipping crates and mother of pearl tiles, also in homage of the neighbourhood’s pearl diving past. The wardrobe uses a Mashrabiya (wooden latticework window) pattern, and the vanity counter features a flamingo woodcarving as a nod to the neighbourhood of Ras Al Khor. Basins in the bathrooms are made of a hand beaten metal, which is inherent to Emirati culture.

Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, Singapore

Katong was shaped by the migrants who streamed into booming 1920s ‘Singapura’, bringing a diverse mix of Chinese, Peranakan, and Eurasian culture. As one of Singapore’s first chosen Heritage Towns, Joo Chiat Road has successfully retained its strong Peranakan culture and artistic charm. It features an abundance of street art and colourful rows of traditional two-story shophouses dating back to the early 1920s. The neighbourhood storytelling starts the minute you arrive at Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, where art in the lobby is inspired by the Peranakan pottery, while lanterns adjacent to the lifts are similar to those found along local shophouse corridors. A courtyard “living room” is influenced by a traditional shophouse, and the hanging chandelier showcases the lanterns and colourful rice dumplings hung within and outside Joo Chiat Road. Guests can admire them trying out traditional games from the neighbourhood, such as Five-Stones and Pick-Up Sticks. In bedrooms,large-scale murals have been created by a local artist and depicts daily life from the neighbourhood. Rooms also feature typical pantry cabinets, a Carom Board table, and Pintu Pagar patterns, which are traditionally found on Peranakan doors.

Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora, Japan

Hakone Gora is known for its rejuvenating onsen waters, but these waters also brought with them a neighbourhood filled with fascinating residents, from entrepreneurs, labourers, poets and playwrights, all looking to benefit from this unique, healing space in nature. To immerse guests in nature, Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora uses natural, pastel and seasonal colours. Other natural features in the hotel include a firefly-inspired art installation, a fish-shaped pothook and encased floor-to-ceiling rocks. The carpets are designed to feel like a nature walk, featuring earthy green tones, blue hues inspired by the flowing water, and shapes of the boulders found in Gora’s mountains. Yosegi-zaiku, a traditional-type of marquetry, began in Hakone Gora during the Edo period in the second half of the 19th century. Artisans bind wood from different types of trees then slice them into colourful mosaic-like sheets. Examples can be found throughout the hotel on the furniture, restaurant walls and minibars in the guest rooms. Even the floor numbers in the elevator lobbies showcase the intricate designs of yosegi-zaiku.

Hotel Indigo Krakow, Poland

This neighbourhood has thrown its heart and soul into twenty-first century reinvention and renewal. Inspiration abounds in this neighbourhood, driven by a dynamic spirit of art and culture. Strolling on these enchanting ancient streets, it's easy to see why UNESCO honoured historic Krakow with World Heritage status. Guest rooms at Hotel Indigo Krakow were created in homage to some of the neighbourhood’s greatest creatives, including Stanislaw Wyspiański. He was a Polish playwright, painter, poet and furniture designer who successfully combined the modernism trend using themes of Polish folk tradition and Romantic history. Rooms features Polish tapestry, with tapestry hoops are translated into an art installation, throws on the bed featuring traditional Polish lace, and flooring with a lace-inspired pattern.

Hotel Indigo The Hague, Netherlands

A champion of elegant and refined living, The Hague has always rejected the frantic self-reinvention and fad-chasing of other cities in favour of a quiet confidence and stately style. Hotel Indigo The Hague displays the same approach, nodding to the history and lifestyle of the locality and of the building it which it sits. The Noorrdeinde Dutch Royal Palace sits directly across from the hotel and is a working palace today and the royal influence is felt in the hotel with velvet upholstered furniture is inspired by the prestige of the royal palace. The hotel itself has a history of prestige and power - it was formerly a bank that protected the fortunes of local families for generations. Gold and brass accents around the building highlight the building’s past as a bank and guest rooms celebrate the building’s history by preserving panelling from the bank manager’s office and transforming it into guestroom headboards. The minibars resemble a bank vault, while the bathroom mirror is an outline of the Euro. A playful interpretation of the Dutch Guilder appears at the end of the corridors and details from the Guilder can also be found in guest bathroom artwork. Corridor light fixtures resemble bicycle wheels, a nod to the Dutch culture of biking everywhere.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund, China

The Bund is an iconic waterfront area situated alongside the Huangpu River. The docks on the Bund were once the life blood of the city. Today, walking the halls of the Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund, fragments of a reclaimed, dismantled old Shanghai riverboat can be seen embedded into the walls, leaving a timeless and evocative memory of this important neighbourhood story. Shikumen architecture is typical in this area of Shanghai, and combines elements of traditional Jiangnan residential buildings with those of British terraced houses of the era. The style was first seen in the 1860’s, and examples of it can still be found in the French Concession (Huangpu District) and the Old City area. The hotel uses bricks carefully sourced from old Shikumen neighbourhoods in the guestrooms to evoke the spirit of those buildings.

About IHG®

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

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