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Library at Hotel Indigo

Review: New Hotel Indigo in Downtown Minneapolis is a Major Upgrade for IHG

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The brand-new Hotel Indigo – Minneapolis Downtown is a desperately needed upgrade from its IHG predecessor in the heart of the city.

While the drab exterior of the former Crowne Plaza remains, inside guests will find a more fun, mid-century modern aesthetic. The recently reopened hotel has a swanky lobby, comfortable enough rooms, and a host of other features including an onsite restaurant opening soon that make it a solid option for Minneapolis visitors. For the location and the price, which is sub-$200 per night for most dates including summer, the Hotel Indigo is a great value.

 

Hotel Indigo Minneapolis

 

Many of the photos on the Hotel Indigo website are still just digital renderings rather than actual photos of the hotel, but – and I mean this in the best way – the place looks and feels like a rendering in real life, too. Everything is so new in the lobby that it felt like I was the first person there when I stayed in March, about two months after the hotel opened.

 

Hotel Indigo lobby

 

The Hotel Indigo is a great higher-end option for business travelers, visiting sports fans, and IHG loyalty members, and is a welcome addition to the downtown Minneapolis hotel scene.

 

Booking the Hotel Indigo-Minneapolis

The Hotel Indigo is an IHG Hotels property and is one of only two IHG hotels in the downtown Minneapolis area. There's a Holiday Inn-Express near the Minneapolis Convention Center on the south end of downtown, and now the Hotel Indigo in the heart of downtown.

 

Hotel Indigo IHG

 

The best way to book the Hotel Indigo if you're interested in earning IHG points or are working towards IHG status is directly with the hotel. Otherwise, the hotel is bookable on all different kinds of online travel agencies like Hotels.com, HotelTonight, and more.

Read Next: 17 of the Best Hotel Booking Sites to Book Cheaper Prices

 

Hotel Indigo Downtown website

 

Another reason to book directly with Hotel Indigo and IHG is if you're interested in using IHG Rewards points or free night certificates to book your stay.

The off-peak season rate for a standard king bed room at Hotel Indigo is 29,000 IHG points, but that rate goes up to 33,000 during the peak summer months.

 

Hotel Indigo peak reward night

 

The cash rates also go up in the summer, albeit just slightly. Overall, these prices are pretty great for the product you're getting. It's likely because the hotel is so new.

 

Hotel Indigo rates peak summer

 

For our booking, we used an expiring free night certificate that we earned by holding the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card.

At Thrifty Traveler, we don't accept freebies. We use our own points, miles, or cash to pay for every single flight or hotel you see reviewed here – including this one!

 

Hotel Indigo-Minneapolis Location

The best thing about the Hotel Indigo might just be its location, right in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.

The hotel is about an 18-minute drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and about 28 minutes from the airport by train via the Metro Blue Line. The nearest stop – Government Center, where you can also pick up the Green Line to get to and from St. Paul – is just two blocks southwest of the hotel.

 

Google My Maps Hotel Indigo Minneapolis
Google My Maps

 

Its central location makes Hotel Indigo a great place to stay if you're catching a Minnesota Twins or Minnesota Vikings game, visiting the University of Minnesota, or going to the Minneapolis Convention Center for a conference or event.

 

Downtown close-up

 

The hotel also just blocks from the main downtown theater district, the restaurant and bar-clad North Loop neighborhood, and the Mississippi River and its surrounding parks.

From Hotel Indigo, you can walk or take public transportation nearly anywhere you need to go.

 

Checking In

The lobby and check-in area is a definite bright spot of the Hotel Indigo, well-designed and comfortable with massive windows facing downtown Minneapolis. The front desk is open 24 hours a day for visitors arriving at any time.

 

Check in counter Hotel Indigo

 

The lobby is not a bad place to lounge around if you want to escape your room.

 

Hotel Indigo lobby

 

After check-in, the elevator lobby is just down the hall to the left. It's another well-lit and designed area. The hotel did not have many visitors on this snowy March night in Minneapolis, so the three working elevators were more than enough to be at my beck and call throughout my stay.

 

Hotel Indigo elevator lobby

 

Even the hallways are swanky. The retro vibe was everywhere at the Hotel Indigo.

 

Hallways of Hotel Indigo

 

 

Rooms at the Hotel Indigo-Minneapolis

While the rooms at the Hotel Indigo are obviously updated and more than comfortable, there wasn't much to separate this hotel room from any other above-average business hotel.

I had a corner room, which was a little more spacious.

 

Hotel Indigo room

 

The bed was very comfy for my one-night stay. The television was large and brand new, too.

 

Hotel indigo bed

 

The side table had both regular outlets and two USB ports for charging my devices. The rotary-looking phone in place of the standard landline you'd find at most hotels was a fun touch. These retro phones are everywhere throughout the Hotel Indigo, including in the hallways and hallways and lobby.

 

Bedside plug-ins hotel indigo

 

The closet was doorless and spacious, featuring two cozy waffle bathrobes and a comfy bench underneath it, something I haven't seen at many hotels.

 

Hotel Indigo closet

 

Across from the closet was a vanity mirror with a large mirror, a smaller magnifying mirror (another nice touch), and plenty of counter space.

 

Vanity Hotel Indigo

 

The bathroom was small but clean, with those same cool retro touches found throughout the hotel.

 

Hotel Indigo bathroom

 

The shower was spacious and everything in the bathroom seemed brand-new.

 

hotel indigo shower

 

All of the soaps and lotions were from the vegan cosmetic brand Zenology.

 

Zenology soaps hotel indigo

 

One of my favorite parts of new or updated hotels is in-room Nespresso machines like this one. Having an espresso poured before I left my room in the morning was a nice treat. Brand-new machines like this one are easy to use, too.

 

Nespresso machine hotel indigo

 

The view from my room wasn't too shabby. I could see at least part of the Minneapolis skyline on this very snowy March night (excuse the glare on the photo). However, the hotel isn't as tall as other buildings downtown, so I'd imagine the views are stymied from rooms facing the other directions.

 

Hotel Indigo skyline view

 

Overall, the room wasn't spectacular, but the bed was comfortable, everything was spotlessly clean, and it had several nice touches I appreciated.

 

The Property

While the room was unremarkable, the rest of the Hotel Indigo is much more impressive thanks to the recent redesign. It all starts with the swanky new lobby, a definite highlight of the hotel.

 

Hotel Indigo lobby

 

The fireplace and seating areas are stylish and inviting, but my favorite part of the whole hotel is this little library nook.

 

Hotel Indigo library

 

Near the front desk is a snack bar area with a variety of takeaway food and drink items for sale.

 

Hotel Indigo snack bar

 

There's also a restaurant on site, The Starbar & Bistro, but it wasn't open yet at the time of my stay, about two months after the hotel's reopening. It's estimated to open on June 1, 2023.

 

Hotel Indigo website notice restaurant

 

Instead, the hotel served a free grab-and-go breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. It appeared to be a temporary fix for the hotel and while it wasn't super high-end, there were more options than I was anticipating.

 

Breakfast spread Hotel Indigo

 

Among the choices were pastries, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, breakfast bars, and more.

 

Breakfast spread hotel indigo

 

The “hot” food options were limited. I didn't sample the pre-packaged Nordic Waffles breakfast sandwiches, but they were one of the items being offered.

 

Pre-packaged breakfast sandwiches hotel indigo

 

Across from the breakfast area was a cooler full of juices, various kinds of milk, and yogurt as well as a coffee and tea bar for on-the-go travelers like myself.

 

Coffee and dairy selection hotel indigo

 

The Hotel Indigo fitness center was surprisingly large and more substantial than I thought it would be. It featured 10 cardio machines, lots of weightlifting machines, and more space than you'd need.

 

Fitness Center Hotel INdigo

 

There were also medicine balls, free weights, foam rollers, and various other fitness accoutrements.

 

Fitness center Hotel indigo

 

The parking situation for Hotel Indigo is acceptable but in no way nice. You park in the lot adjacent to the building and can enter the building through the garage, which is pretty seamless. You can get a hotel nightly rate on the parking, too, but it wasn't much of a discount. It's a pretty typical city parking garage. No special treatment for hotel guests, I'm afraid.

 

Parking Garage Hotel Indigo

 

If you're arriving via an Uber, taxi, or walking from the train, the check-in area has enough room for one or two cars. There's paid city street parking in front of the front doors as well.

 

Hotel Indigo

 

Bottom Line

The Hotel Indigo – Minneapolis Downtown got a much-needed renovation from its Crowne Plaza predecessor. The updated rooms are mostly unremarkable, but the swanky lobby and surprisingly large fitness center, among other things, make up for it.

With its fresh design and central location in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, this brand-new hotel is a great option for Twin Cities visitors.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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