otel Indigo is a lifestyle hotel brand designed to address the desires of style conscious guests who are seeking experience and quality over pure mundane functionality when traveling.

The soul of the retail-inspired concept is renewal -- thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays. Hotel Indigo’s 140 guestrooms feature signature murals, area rugs, duvets and slip covers that can be changed easily, and public spaces, like the lobby, will vary artwork, signage and paint on a scheduled basis.

Extending the retail model from design through service, Hotel Indigo guests will be welcomed into an accommodating environment that is open and inviting. A non-traditional front desk structure allows staff the flexibility to move throughout the lobby area in order to greet arriving guests. In addition, the “in.keepers,” as the staff is called, have been cross-trained in order to expedite guest requests.

The hotel’s novel restaurant and bar, The Golden Bean, offers seasonal, health-conscious fare and Starbucks coffee. The evening menu includes fresh salads, pizzettas, Panini sandwiches, and other entrees. Food is prepared quickly for the time-conscious traveler who wishes to eat in his room or to relax in one of the hotel’s signature oversized lobby chairs.

The Hotel Indigo hotel in Atlanta also features a fitness studio with cardio equipment, free weights, and a ballet bar for stretching, as well as a free wireless internet “hot spot” in the lobby and high-speed Internet access in all guestrooms.

“We are looking forward to greeting our first guests and ‘wowing’ them with our guest-first service culture and phenomenal design,” said Gabriele Webster, general manager of Atlanta’s Hotel Indigo, who most recently served as regional vice president of Operations for Prime Hospitality based in Atlanta.

Hotel Indigo hotels will be located in urban, mid-town and near-urban markets proximate to businesses, restaurants and entertainment venues. Atlanta’s hotel, developed by Jack Ward and Bill Hodges of Hodges, Ward & Elliott, is located in a circa-1920s building just across from the popular Fox Theatre on Peachtree Street. The second Hotel Indigo hotel is scheduled to open in Chicago’s Gold Coast during the spring of 2005.