In Auckland, wake up to skyline and harbor views while sipping Kokako drip coffee from New Zealand’s first organic roasters or enjoying Zealong tea from a plantation about 73 miles away. Take afternoon tea in York with a cup of Yorkshire’s finest brew, oat biscuits, and a complimentary Kit Kat, surrounded by portraits tied to the city’s Rowntree’s confectionery, makers of this iconic candy. For a Shibuya nightcap, tipple craft beer and nosh on rice crackers — emblems of the trendy Tokyo district — as Mount Fuji winks over the horizon. These locally curated sips and snacks make for minibar moments to savor when checking into Hotel Indigo, set against sweeping views at its chic properties worldwide.
Although there are more than 200 (and counting) of these hotels across all inhabitable continents, the Indigo ethos embraces destination-focused storytelling spanning history, art, cuisine, and heritage. Interpreting ethnic folkways via contemporary design, each Hotel Indigo vibrates with its own unique personality while offering all the elegant amenities of the IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio. At Bintan Lagoi Beach, minibars take the form of antique chests, and pirate elements, rattan, Batik, and chinaware evoke the Riau Archipelago’s maritime fables, presenting delightful, one-of-a-kind surprises at the resort.
Yet you can always count on luxuriant bedding, indulgent bathrooms, 24-hour superbly equipped gyms, complimentary Wi-Fi, round-the-clock business services, and sustainability commitments — a strong contender to Hilton’s collection of boutique hotels crafted for travelers who want local character and luxury. Plus, Hotel Indigo is part of IHG One, one of the five hotel loyalty programs that are actually worth it, so you can clock up points wherever you stay without feeling confined by corporate cookie-cutter walls. We checked Tripadvisor reviews across multiple properties and found consistent remarks on the international chain’s exceptional design-forward narratives.
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Thoughtfully curated hotel minibars to satiate your curiosity for local heritage
Hotel bedroom at Hotel Indigo in Leeds – @timmy_uk / Instagram
At a Hotel Indigo property, the hotel is where the heart is. In Singapore, the property is decked in nostalgia: Floral motif tiles, antique-inspired installations, and vintage furniture characteristic of the eclectic Straits Chinese enclave where it resides. The in-room minibar is a modern rendition of a traditional glass-door crockery cabinet, complete with ceramic rooster-print cup-and-saucer sets and sweets as found in colonial-era homes for a whimsical immersion in local customs. One previous guest reminisced on Tripadvisor that these aesthetics brought back “old memories (the white [Good Morning brand] towels, Singer sewing machine, baskom [basin], up to the old-style candies I used to get when visiting my grandparents’ house)!” Epicurean curiosity piqued, deep dive into the country’s UNESCO-approved, lively street food culture at the hotel’s doorstep, featuring exuberant dishes rarely found beyond the island.
Hotel Indigo minibar selections vary by location, so always research to know what in-room noms you’re getting for your booking buck. Although the Edinburgh-Princes Street location offers a fully complimentary minibar spotlighting Scottish treats, there are no free items at the Lower East Side, New York property. In fact, a daily resort fee is charged on top of your room rate, of which $10 can be used for the minibar, where prices start at $8 for bottled water, according to a Tripadvisor reviewer. Depending on your priorities, this is merely a blip, considering the overly spacious rooms are plush with luxury Italian Frette linens and artisan C.O. Bigelow toiletries from Greenwich Village, while edgy art channeling the legendary Manhattan neighborhood’s avant-garde spirit infuses the hotel’s public spaces. After all, larger-than-life murals by celebrated graffiti artist Lee Quinones and repurposed found objects, framed within evocative ironwork and sculptures, can’t be squeezed into a minibar!
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Read the original article on Islands.