This was published 7 years ago
Hotel Indigo to launch in Australia
The Hotel Indigo brand will be the latest to seek out locations in Australia, to offer a different travel experience and take advantage of the under-supply of rooms, particularly along the eastern seaboard.
It is owned by the Intercontinental Hotel Group and offers a boutique hotel that reflects the neighbourhood in which it is located.
Hotel Indigo Seminyak Beach is due to open later this year. The brand is looking for sites in Australia.
Bruce Ryde, IHG's Asia, Middle East and Africa head of luxury and lifestyle brand marketing, said Sydney and Melbourne are on the radar, with city fringe and possibly beach location, where sites are available.
"We feel the brand will resonate in Australia as it is a mature market and travellers are always looking for a new experience," Mr Ryde said.
"The Indigo brand would, we feel, work well in places like Surry Hills and the eastern suburbs and we are keen to be there sooner rather than later."
Launched in 2004, Hotel Indigo claims it is the world's first global boutique hotel brand.
It offers an industrial feel to the lobbies and appeals to business travellers as much as younger, more flexible guests who want communal bars and technology in a buzzing neighbourhood.
This is a similar path the Radisson brand is pursuing as its also looks for Australian locations for its Radisson Red brand.
One example is in New York's Lower East village which has a different clientele to the Indigo based in Chelsea on the west side of NYC.
Mr Ryde said IHG launched the first Hotel Indigo in the Australasia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region in January 2015 with the opening of Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road, Thailand, and the second in July this year with the opening of Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, Singapore.
To take advantage of the popularity of Indonesia, Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach will open in late 2016.
There are 70 Hotel Indigo properties with 8400 rooms globally with a further 63 hotels and 9000 rooms in the pipeline.
He said the Hotel Indigo brand has grown rapidly since 2004 and is expected to double to more than 130 hotels within the next five years. Hotel Indigo hotels are aimed at well-travelled guests looking for the individuality and style of a boutique hotel but with the security and consistency of a big brand company.
"Guest reaction is now immediate, so as hoteliers we must offer a point of difference, which is the aim of the Indigo brand," Mr Ryde said.
"Each Hotel Indigo property is distinct, with no two alike, as each is designed to reflect the local culture, character and history of its surrounding area. From the service to the architecture to the cuisine, all Hotel Indigo properties evoke the unique tastes and cultures that make up the communities of the neighbourhood in which they are located."