InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Splendid Hospitality opened England’s Hotel Indigo York, designed by UK firm Matthews Mee. The property is the Hotel Indigo brand’s 19th in Europe.
IHG’s boutique concept centers on a culturally and historically authentic design language. Elements throughout the hotel’s F&B outlets, 101 guestrooms, and public spaces were made by local craftsmen to lend the property a sense of place.
Three room configurations include the 21 Confectionary guestrooms, which emphasize York’s candy-making heritage with wall panels that imitate blocks of chocolate and lighting with antique chocolate-colored molding.
In homage to the hotel’s location on one of the area’s oldest streets—64 Walmgate 1 accommodations feature pub-inspired details, wrought iron metalwork, leather elements, furnishings with deep-button upholstery common to local residences, and lampshades clad in reprinted census illustrations from the 16th century. Art above the beds also recalls the Crown & Cushion brewery and public house, which once occupied the site.
An additional 16 Walmgate 2 guestrooms focus on local architecture and trade, with reclaimed brickwork and oak, fabrics that represent North Yorkshire’s wool industry, and elements that refer to local ironmongery. Antique elements, such as tea tins and other local artifacts, add cultural depth.
Building on each of these themes, public spaces are clad in similar décor, as well as geometric tiles commonly seen within grand Georgian buildings. The tiles were also the inspiration for a series of contemporary rugs that adorn the hotel’s locally sourced oak flooring.
Painted a dark gray hue, a screen separating an onsite restaurant from the hotel reception area was designed to mimic traditional Walmgate shop fronts. Metal details now reflect the former Walker Iron Foundry once located behind the property.
