January 2014, Weekday, 1-night, Rewards stay, King executive guestroom #420
Status perks and check-in
I redeemed 25,000 points for a basic guestroom at the Hotel Indigo Sarasota, because that was the only guestroom option for a stay with points. Before we arrived, I saw that our online reservation had been upgraded to an executive guestroom. The executive room description says: complimentary snacks and drinks, so when the agent did not say anything about this at check-in, I asked about this. She said that there would be an "amenity" in the guestroom. I asked if any kind of breakfast was included, and she said no.
Guestroom
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| executive guestroom amenity |
Guestroom 420 is an average size hotel guestroom, and it is located next to the elevator. The view from the window faces south. It is one of the smallest guestrooms in this hotel. The guestroom was tastefully decorated, although I was somewhat disappointed with the guestroom size compared to other Hotel Indigos I have stayed in. My other stays were in Downtown Ft. Myers, Florida; Athens, Georgia; and Fishers Uptown Indy, Indiana. The Hotel Indigo in Fishers, Indiana is now a Holiday Inn Express.
The guestroom was furnished the same as the king guestroom photos in the hotel website; however, the photos in the hotel website do not portray an accurate picture of the guestroom size, because the photos are stretched out. When I compare the photos I took to the professional hotel photos, the furniture is longer in the professional photos, which makes the guestroom look more spacious.
The only extra item I observed in the guestroom was a small fridge. Since there was no amenity in the guestroom, I again inquired at the front desk about the complimentary snacks and drinks listed on the website. The agent said that someone would bring the "green tea amenity" to the guestroom. A container of sweetened green tea and wrapped chocolates were brought to the guestroom a short time later. The chocolates were delicious; however, if I had been paying for the guestroom, I do not think I would book an executive room. The rate for an executive room is about $15 more, and the only extras were the snack and the fridge. Usually, when I have an executive guestroom in a hotel, it also includes more luxurious accommodations, like a larger guestroom and bathrobes.
A single serve coffeemaker with good quality coffee was provided on a table in the guestroom foyer/hall.
The bathroom was located across from the coffee table. The spacious shower had stationary glass walls. There was enough room inside the shower area for the wooden stool, which is shown in the hotel website photos. I forgot to take a picture of this.
A long vanity with mirror was located across from the shower, and the toilet was in between the vanity and shower. There was minor damage to the mirror frame; it was peeling at the bottom. The sink drain was sluggish, and the shower drained well.
Aveeda amenities were provided on the vanity, as well as good quality towels, and a hairdryer. The bathroom had sufficient room and counter space, although it was not as roomy as the other Hotel Indigos I have stayed in.
The guestroom area contained a king-size bed, nightstands, a wardrobe closet, flatscreen TV on a stand, fridge, desk and chair, end table, soft chair, and footstool. I thought the small fridge was nicer and larger than what is usually provided in hotel guestrooms.
Lamps were located on the desk, the nightstands, and behind the soft chair. A clock and bottled water for purchase were also on the nightstands. A steel ice bucket and glass glasses were on a tray at the foot of the bed when we arrived.
There were a couple of minor spots where the floor was peeled up, although none of them were protruding enough that we tripped on them.
Food & Beverage
There is a restaurant a couple of blocks away from the Hotel Indigo called Toasted Mango Cafe. We thought about having breakfast there, but we ended up dining at the hotel instead. The food in H2o Bistro in Hotel Indigo was delicious. The entrees were expensive, although they were not much more than the specialty entrees at Toasted Mango Cafe. The portion sizes were generous, and we wished we had split one entree instead of ordering two.
I am not usually a fan of breakfast burritos, although I would have eaten half of the one my husband ordered. I tasted it, and I thought the flavor was amazing.
I had an egg and spinach sandwich type entree on a whole wheat bun. I do not recall the name of the menu item. It was very good.
Both items came with a side item choice, so I chose sliced tomatoes, and my husband chose potatoes. The tomatoes did not taste as fresh as the other ingredients. They were slightly mushy inside.
Whirlpool tubs
Again, the professional hotel photos of the whirlpool tubs are stretched out like the guestroom photos. The tubs are not as large as they look in the photos, although they are a good size. When I looked at all of the photographs before our stay, I thought that the tubs must be on a roof of the hotel. I have stayed in hotels that have the outside pool or sitting area on the roof, and not necessarily the top floor roof. The tubs are located at ground level next to the parking lot and entrance. There is a fence around the area and not much traffic, so the location was not a huge factor for us.
One of the whirlpool tubs was filled with cool water, and the other one was filled with hot water. We used the hot whirlpool, and the water felt silky smooth, as if it contained bath salts.
Business center
I used the business center to print our boarding passes. There were two computers on a counter down the hall near the front desk. Only one of the computers worked with the printer, so I needed to ask a guest who was sitting by the computer if he could move. He was not using the computer; he had his laptop plugged in.
The guestroom was furnished the same as the king guestroom photos in the hotel website; however, the photos in the hotel website do not portray an accurate picture of the guestroom size, because the photos are stretched out. When I compare the photos I took to the professional hotel photos, the furniture is longer in the professional photos, which makes the guestroom look more spacious.
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| entrance table with coffee |
The bathroom was located across from the coffee table. The spacious shower had stationary glass walls. There was enough room inside the shower area for the wooden stool, which is shown in the hotel website photos. I forgot to take a picture of this. |
| view from entrance |
Aveeda amenities were provided on the vanity, as well as good quality towels, and a hairdryer. The bathroom had sufficient room and counter space, although it was not as roomy as the other Hotel Indigos I have stayed in.
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| view from end of foyer/hall |
Lamps were located on the desk, the nightstands, and behind the soft chair. A clock and bottled water for purchase were also on the nightstands. A steel ice bucket and glass glasses were on a tray at the foot of the bed when we arrived.
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| floor peeling |
The sleep quality was not good. The mattress was hard, the pillows were low quality, and we could hear the elevator most of the night.
There were a couple of minor spots where the floor was peeled up, although none of them were protruding enough that we tripped on them.
Food & Beverage
There is a restaurant a couple of blocks away from the Hotel Indigo called Toasted Mango Cafe. We thought about having breakfast there, but we ended up dining at the hotel instead. The food in H2o Bistro in Hotel Indigo was delicious. The entrees were expensive, although they were not much more than the specialty entrees at Toasted Mango Cafe. The portion sizes were generous, and we wished we had split one entree instead of ordering two.
I am not usually a fan of breakfast burritos, although I would have eaten half of the one my husband ordered. I tasted it, and I thought the flavor was amazing.
I had an egg and spinach sandwich type entree on a whole wheat bun. I do not recall the name of the menu item. It was very good.Both items came with a side item choice, so I chose sliced tomatoes, and my husband chose potatoes. The tomatoes did not taste as fresh as the other ingredients. They were slightly mushy inside.
Whirlpool tubs
Again, the professional hotel photos of the whirlpool tubs are stretched out like the guestroom photos. The tubs are not as large as they look in the photos, although they are a good size. When I looked at all of the photographs before our stay, I thought that the tubs must be on a roof of the hotel. I have stayed in hotels that have the outside pool or sitting area on the roof, and not necessarily the top floor roof. The tubs are located at ground level next to the parking lot and entrance. There is a fence around the area and not much traffic, so the location was not a huge factor for us.
One of the whirlpool tubs was filled with cool water, and the other one was filled with hot water. We used the hot whirlpool, and the water felt silky smooth, as if it contained bath salts.
Business center
I used the business center to print our boarding passes. There were two computers on a counter down the hall near the front desk. Only one of the computers worked with the printer, so I needed to ask a guest who was sitting by the computer if he could move. He was not using the computer; he had his laptop plugged in.
Misc. and overall
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| Hotel Indigo from our balcony at The Ritz-Carlton |
One of the reasons we chose this hotel is because it is the only hotel in the downtown area that provides airport shuttle service. We walked to the hotel after we checked out of The Ritz-Carlton, and we used the Hotel Indigo shuttle to get to the airport the next day. We made an appointment for the shuttle, and the driver was very prompt. The Hotel Indigo is within waking distance of downtown and there is a Publix grocery store just a couple of blocks away.
This hotel did not seem very full the night of our stay, and I am sure we would have been much more comfortable in a suite. If we both wanted to sit in the guestroom to watch TV, one of us had to use the desk chair or sit on the bed.
We have a couple of future stays booked at IHG hotels--airport hotels and at the Astor Crowne Plaza, which we are looking forward to. The executive level at the Astor looks great, and we are looking forward to that stay!
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