Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria (Houston, Texas - May 2016)

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I wanted to try Hotel Indigo near the Houston Galleria for a while.  I had heard a lot about the 'boutique hotel' within IHG's portfolio and had stayed at a Hotel Indigo in Canada about 5 years earlier and was intrigued by it.  From my understanding, Hotel Indigo was supposed to be a boutique hotel, one that was modern and funky, and mostly in urban settings - similar to Aloft but more business/boutique.  That is what I was expecting as I found something similar in Canada (see my review here); however, at the Hotel Indigo by the Galleria I found something different.  The hotel was a cross between Aloft and Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn - it was an interesting combination.

The entrance to the hotel parking lot is on the backside of the Galleria, next to Nordstrom's Garage.  You enter into the long driveway which takes you to the back where the hotel is located.  From the outside, the hotel looks more like a Hilton Garden Inn or a Hampton Inn versus what I expect a boutique hotel to look like.  There is ample free parking available though.  When you walk into the hotel, there is circular, open-desk in the middle that is where check-in takes place and the elevators to the room are in front of the desks.  To the right of the entrance is the sitting/lounge area plus the business center and fitness center.  On the other side of the check-in desk is the restaurant and coffee bar.  Overall, the lobby looks funky and modern and has a nice color scheme with the light blue.  This look, plus the open check-in desk, made it feel like a boutique hotel but the attendants and the layout of the hotel made it feel more like Hilton Garden Inn.

Check-in was quick and we took the elevator to our room - the elevator continued the nice color scheme.  The hotel itself is not that big and only has 6 floors - our room was on the 2nd floor.  Our room was at the end of the hallway, and the hallway itself was very wide and also incorporated the nice color scheme as well.  We opened the door to our room, and although the room continued the color scheme, the layout and the design of the room made it feel more like Hampton Inn.

As you open the door, you enter into the hallway of your room.  On the left hand side is the entrance to the bathroom, while ahead on your right is a table with the coffee stand and ice bucket.  The bathroom itself was very wide - it had a nice wide sink with some storage underneath.  There was a toilet (which looked more like a Hilton Garden Inn toilet) and then a small table in front of the toilet that held additional towels and the bathroom amenities.  The shower was interesting, as even though the bathroom was large the shower was very long but narrow so it was difficult to manage.  Also, the design of the shower was very odd as the drain was far away from the shower so the water just stayed there, and the shower itself was alright.  Again the bathroom was an odd mixture of boutique and leisure.

The room design was more Hampton Inn than boutique, but the bed quality was very nice.  As you entered into the room, on the left hand side were the two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were very high and extremely comfortable, providing a nice and restful night sleep.  Across from the beds was a standing closet that had places to hang your clothes, an iron and an ironing board, as well as a safe.  On one side of the closet was the TV stand that was on top of a dresser with drawers underneath - there was also a fridge in the dresser as well.  On the other side of the closet was the desk to do some work.  There were a lot of amenities in the room including a safe, a fridge, and many outlets and USB ports to plug in your electronics.  The amenities were nice, but again the design and the layout of the room felt more like Hilton Garden Inn.  

There was wifi in the room and you needed to login to access the wifi - while the wifi was free, the login would not stick and sometimes the wifi would drop.  While the wifi was on the speed was decent, but the constant checking to ensure the wifi was on was a bit annoying.  Additional amenities of the hotel including a business center as well as a fitness center.  The business center was not an enclosed area but rather was an open business center that housed mostly desktop computers.  If you are doing standing surfing and printing then its fine, but there were some business men who were conducting a skype-meeting in the business center and the volume echoed throughout the open hallway.  The fitness center was nice, while basic it provided the facilities needed for a good workout.

Overall, I was a bit confused by my stay at the Hotel Indigo.  After my stay I was not sure what the hotel was going for - are they trying to be a boutique leisure hotel, a modern, funky leisure hotel, or  just a leisure hotel?  Who is their competition - Aloft, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, or another brand.  While the stay was comfortable, the price for the hotel consistently remains high and after my stay I was not sure why the high price since I can get a similar stay and a competition for a much lower rate.  Still, an interesting experience at the Hotel Indigo.

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Ottawa Downtown (Canada, March 2011)

Stay Report: Hotel Indigo Ottawa Downtown
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photo courtesy of IHG

I had to go to Ottawa on business and was looking for a decent hotel in the area and noticed the Hotel Indigo.  This hotel is part of the InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) and it is their version a of a boutique hotel.  I was intrigued by the concept so decided to check it out.  Overall, the experience was really interesting and it felt like I was staying in an apartment rather than a hotel room.

The hotel is situated in downtown Ottawa, which has negatives and positives associated with that.  The positive of the location is the close connection to various downtown activities, walking distance to food and other amenities, as well as access to various transportation methods.  The negatives of the location include lots of traffic (so it will take a while in a taxi) as well as certain areas of downtown can be unsafe at times (this is not just specific to Ottawa but many cities).

photo courtesy of IHG

From the outside, the hotel looks like an office building (as I believe Hotel Indigo likes to blend in with the neighborhood it inhabits).  When you enter the hotel, you enter into the lobby/sitting area.  On one side of the lobby was the check-in desks while on the other side were the elevators.  The lobby is designed like a huge atrium with high ceilings so it feels very spacious.   Check-in was smooth and quick and I took the elevators up to my room.  This was one odd thing about the hotel – the room that I was given faced the atrium so if outside the window you saw the lobby and the other hotel rooms.  This is one aspect of the design of the hotel that seemed odd to me.

The room itself was a decent size – not too small but not too big – and was decorated very nicely.  As you entered the room, on the left hand side was the bathroom while on the right was the closet and storage area.  The bathroom was also a decent size – not too small but not too big – and had standard amenities.  Further into the room, on the left hand side was a king-size bed with two nightstands on either side of the bed.  The bed was comfortable, large and offered a good night sleep.  On the right hand side was the TV, a chest with drawers, and a desk which faced into the room.  Behind the desk was a window, and this is the window that faced into the lobby/atrium (I was higher up so you had to look down to see the check-in desk, but it was still a bit odd).   As I said earlier, the way the room was decorated was very nice and looked more like an apartment rather than a hotel.  The furniture and the décor made it feel more like an apartment rather than a hotel.

photo courtesy of IHG

As I was on a business trip, I did not get to enjoy the other amenities of the hotel such as fitness center, indoor pool and spa.  I did experience the free internet which was a decent speed and a nice bonus.  Overall, the experience of staying at the Hotel Indigo was pleasant.  Staying in the hotel felt like staying in a boutique hotel room in a chain hotel.  The close proximity to downtown and the nice ambiance in the room were the positives.  The negatives were the odd layout of my room and the fact that some areas of downtown aren’t that nice.  I look forward to continue stays at the Hotel Indigo.