Traverse City, Michigan / Hotel Indigo

June 2016, Weekend, 1-night, King bay view guestroom #432

Sunrise from guestroom 432

I had to put forth quite a bit of effort to secure a room at the new Hotel Indigo, as the opening date had been delayed several times. I had previous reservations, which I ended up having to cancel and then re-book each time the hotel did not open. I was unsure the hotel was going to be open for this stay up until about a week before our stay.

Arrival, check-in, status perks

The address for this hotel is on W. Grandview Parkway; however, the [drive] entrance is on Hall Street. You can enter from the sidewalk on W. Grandview Parkway, if you are walking. If you are arriving by car via US-31 from the south, I suggest taking Front Street to Hall Street before you get to W. Grandview Parkway. I observed a few parking spots near the hotel entrance, when we arrived. I assume the spots are for staff members or guests visiting the restaurant, although there were no signs in the parking lot. We were told the only parking option was valet parking for $12 a night. 

I observed two agents working at the front desk when we entered the spacious lobby. One agent was assisting a guest, and the other agent was on the telephone. The check-in process was quick, after I was greeted a couple of minutes later. The agent recognized my status, and my key packet had already been prepared. She did not ask what I wanted for my Platinum perk, and I forgot about this until later. I inquired about this when I stopped at the front desk later that evening. The agent working at that time asked which perk I wanted, and I told him I wanted the points. I did not receive the points when my stay was credited to my IHG account, so I am planning to submit an inquiry, if I do not receive it in the next few days. This is not usually processed with the overnight stay; however, I usually receive the points around the same time or before I check out. This hotel did not appear to be full, and I did not receive a room upgrade.

Guestroom descriptions from website

Guestroom 432

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the east end of the hall. It felt like we had walked into an icebox when we entered the guestroom, so I quickly located the thermostat to turn off the air. The temperature had been set on 66°F!

The information on the hotel website for this room type is inaccurate (see screen shots above), as our guestroom did not have a sofa, fireplace, or dining room table. Looking at the guestroom diagram, it looks like there are three types of bay view guestrooms on the 4th floor; two king bay view rooms, one smaller room (possibly a queen), and seven bay view connecting room suites. Any picture in this blog can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Guestroom diagram

The tile bathroom in guestroom 432 was spacious. It contained a decent size vanity, toilet, and large walk-in shower. The lighting in the bathroom was not very bright; hopefully, a small lighted makeup mirror will be added to this guestroom. 

Aveda bath amenities were provided on the vanity, along with several plush towels and washcloths. A hairdryer was not provided in this guestroom. It is possible some items were still being added to the guestrooms, as the hotel had just opened the weekend before our stay.

We loved the large shower, although the water pressure from the water-saving shower head was so light that it took me a while to get the shampoo rinsed out of my long hair. The sliding wood bathroom door was trendy and cool looking. The wood door is partially visible [in the mirror] in the photo of the coffee setup.

A coffeemaker, coffee cups, tea bags, and coffee supplies were provided on a stand in the entrance area outside the bathroom. There was only one regular coffee packet and one decaf, so we requested another regular coffee. Someone delivered several packets after our request. I initially thought we would have leftover coffee; however, we ended up using all of the packs. We like strong, rich coffee, and had to use several packets to get two good cups of coffee.

An ice bucket and glass glasses were also provided. The entrance area was well lit with a lamp on the stand and an overhead light. Decorative and functional hooks were hung on the wall.

View from sitting area

The spacious bedroom area contained a king size bed, nightstands, lamps, telephone, wardrobe closet, flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk and chair, soft chair, and slide-under end table. A full length mirror was hanging on the wall next to the wardrobe closet. The wardrobe closet contained an iron, ironing board, and folding luggage rack. We must have been the first guests to stay in this room, because we had to remove the plug covers from two of the lamp cords in the guestroom to plug them in.

The bed, pillows, and bedding were super comfy. There is an excellent view of the bay from this guestroom. We were disappointed the window did not open, as we would have loved the fresh air. When looking out the window from back by the entrance and wardrobe closet, it looked like we were right on the water. I am sharing two photos of the guestroom looking toward the window; a darker one to show the water through the window, and a lightened one to show the room setup.












The guestroom was a good size, and we missed not having a sofa or two chairs. The soft chair in the guestroom was comfortable. For two guests to enjoy the water view or watch TV, one of us had to sit on the bed or the desk chair. The wireless Internet connection speed was good, and we did not need a password to connect.

The walls in this hotel are thin, and we encountered a serious issue during our stay. It sounded like the guests in room 430 destroyed the guestroom. I do not mean merely loud voices or a loud TV. We heard a huge and continual ruckus after we went to bed that evening: crashing, thrashing, thumping, loud voices, and more. I was so disturbed by what we heard that I wanted to call the front desk and change guestrooms. My husband did not want to change rooms since we had already gotten ready for bed, so I let it go for awhile. By the time I finally decided to call the front desk, I was told security was already on the way. I imagine everyone in our entire wing, and on the floor below us, heard the racket. I do not know how many guestrooms had guests on our floor, although it did not seem very full. We went in and out of our guestroom several times, and the only guests we ever saw on our floor were the loud guests next door, and someone in a guestroom a few doors down. The other guests may have been in the guestroom on the other side of the rowdy guests, although I do not know for sure. I observed that guest enter her room; however, I did not pay attention to the exact room she entered. Guestrooms 432, 430, and 428 are the only bay view guestrooms on the 4th floor that are not suites - unless the guestroom diagram is incorrect.

Food & Beverage

We went up to the rooftop bar after getting settled in our guestroom to look at the small plates and beverage menu. We chatted with one of the bartenders briefly about the menu items and times available. When we returned to the hotel shortly after 5:00 p.m., we got Happy Hour draft beers at the lobby bar and then took them upstairs to the bar where we had planned to order something to eat (the rooftop bartender had suggested this earlier, as Happy Hour is not offered at the rooftop bar). At this time, we learned the rooftop bar was going to be closed from 6:00 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. for a private party. Earlier, this information had not been posted by the elevator or in the bar, and the bartender did not mention it when we had talked with him.

Tuna appetizer and fries in lobby bar

We ended up having something to eat in the lobby bar. The food was good, although the menu was different than the menu in the rooftop bar, and it was not what we had planned to have. The tuna appetizer/small plate cost $11, and the fries cost $3. The flavor combination of the tuna was excellent.

Although we were disappointed about the unexpected turn of events, this was probably a good thing. We later learned that food items ordered at the rooftop bar are delivered uncovered from the kitchen on the same elevator that guests use from the lobby. We observed this occurring, and we overheard someone in the elevator talking about how unclean this is, as hairs and things in the air could land on the food.

Check out

I waited several minutes at the front desk to check out. The agent who assisted me did not talk with me or even make eye contact. He did not ask if I had received my folio, he did not inquire about our stay, and he did not ask if we had a vehicle parked at the hotel that we needed. We then waited another five minutes for our valet parked car. If we stay in this hotel again, I will call down for the car before we leave the guestroom. My husband had walked out to the valet area when I went to the front desk, and I figured it would take him about the same amount of time to get our car as it would take me to check out. 

Overall and misc.

I observed a large fitness center with a few cardio machines on the lobby level near the elevators. I do not know if the center was operational yet during our stay. There is no pool in this hotel. Downtown, Sarah Hardy Farmers Market, the beach, Clinch Park, and more are within walking distance of this hotel.

This hotel is in a great location, although I think the weekend price for a guestroom is outrageous. The guestroom type we booked is almost $300 on the weekend. I was surprised to see that the rate at the other IHG properties nearby was even more. If you can visit during the week, you can get a room at Hotel Indigo for less than $150, which I think is a great deal. We got our room for a decent price because I made the reservation several months in advance before the hotel had opened. If you book a non-bay view guestroom, the view from the rooftop bar is the same as the view from guestroom 432 ~ two more photos below.

View from guestroom 432

View from guestroom 432

I was disappointed we did not receive a suite upgrade. The IHG program clearly states that Platinum members receive a room upgrade when available, and there did not appear to be anyone in the suites on our floor; or, at least not in all of them. We never heard any noise from suite 434 on the other side of our guestroom. Being in a suite might have also prevented the unpleasant activity in guestroom 430 from ruining our evening. I realize the behavior of guests is not the fault of the hotel, and I was glad someone was already taking care of this when I called.

We plan to try Hotel Indigo again sometime, when I can find a promotion or discounted rate, because we loved the location and bed comfort.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post!