Hotel Indigo – Traverse City, Michigan

My family and I have been frequent visitors to Traverse City, Michigan since around 1998. If you have never been to Traverse City, why not? It is a beautiful, upbeat city and a Foodie Paradise. Additionally, it is surrounded by Lake Michigan, the Grand Traverse Bays, gorgeous sandy beaches and breathtaking vistas. It is an all season kind of town that is a perfect destination for any kind of outdoor activity that you can think of. If that is not enough, TC is also known for it’s Brewery Scene and extensive Wine Trails.

As one of Michigan’s top vacation destinations, there are a lot of different hotels to choose from when planning your visit to Traverse City. The majority of them stretch along Hwy 31 which runs beside the bays. We have stayed at many hotels over the years, and choose our destination based on a list of criteria: Budget, Location, Amenities and Activities. It really helps us to narrow the field.

I have provided some maps to give you a better perspective.

• Location in Michigan
• TC and popular outlying areas. We often travel to Suttons Bay, Glen Arbor, Northport, Bellaire and the Mission Peninsula while staying in Traverse City.
• The hotel location compared to others (8.6 miles between). Hotel Indigo is one of the closest hotels to Downtown TC and just a quick trip to Suttons Bay.

Hotel Indigo

The Hotel Indigo in Traverse City Michigan opened in 2016. It has a great location in the Warehouse District sitting at the edge of Downtown TC and just across the street from the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. I have wanted to stay there since they opened, but it has just never worked out before. So I was super excited when I was finally able to plan a 3 night stay there for my husband’s birthday. This was our first time staying at a Hotel Indigo property and they are a little different than other IHG hotels. These hotels are designed to be modern properties situated in the heart of the local community.

“Seek a uniquely local hotel experience during your travels. The culture of the surrounding neighborhood is reflected in the vibrant sights, sounds and flavor of our hotels.” 

Hotel Indigo

Arrival

When we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed by Mike at the Front Desk. He was super friendly and very helpful throughout our trip. Check in at Hotel Indigo is at 3pm. We arrived at 4pm and our check in was quick and efficient. The hotel was doing a good job following Covid Safety protocols. Face coverings were required in public areas and social distance was being observed. In no time flat, we were handing off our car keys to the Valet and heading up to our room.

The Downtown TC area consists of mostly metered parking, so it was no surprise that this hotel only offers Valet Parking. The cost is $15 per night for Valet Parking in their secure underground garage. We didn’t mind this additional cost because we were there on a snowy February weekend and thanks to the parking garage, we never had to clear any snow off of our car!

Although the decor at this hotel is pretty modern, it also reflects an Up North vibe with forest like wallpaper in the corridors and carpeting that resembles a canopy of tree tops. All of the signage throughout the hotel are wooden planks with a live edge to further express the woodsy motif.

The Room

When making the reservation, I paid a few dollars more to book a room with a bay view. Our room was on the 4th floor and the view was indeed lovely. Our room also featured the Up North rustic themed decor. The wallpaper behind the bed gave the appearance of an old barn wall and the furniture was covered in a veneer designed to look like weathered boards.

The rustic theme flowed into the bathroom which had a sliding barn door, pebbled stone flooring and tile walls that resembled wood planking in the shower. The vanity had plenty of counter space for 2 people, an ample supply of towels, and enough extra space to store our sundry bag out of the way. The hotel also provides their guest rooms with Aveda Rosemary Mint bathroom amenities.

There were just a few quirks though. The sink was oddly shallow so water splashed out easily and it didn’t slope enough for the water to drain well when you brushed your teeth. I was not a fan of the no door shower. Even though we did our best to direct the shower spray inward, it was inevitable that we ended up with some water on the bathroom floor. There was also no possible way to open and close the bathroom door quietly if someone else was sleeping in the room.

The bathroom was clean, spacious and in good working order so in the end, these quirky little things didn’t seem like a big deal to us.

The Beverage Center was located near the entrance to the room. It had a small coffee maker, an ice bucket and a lamp. I was hoping to find a mini fridge behind the cabinet door, but instead there were just 2 shelves. A fridge is an important feature to us when we are traveling because we often bring back yummy left overs, want to chill some drinks or purchase an item that must be kept refrigerated (cheese….it’s always cheese). Although I missed this feature, we made do.

There was plenty of space in this room. Along with a King Sized Bed, there was a 2 drawer night stand on each side. Each nightstand had a lamp with 2 outlets for chargers or whatever else you might need to plug in. There were ample fluffy pillows and the mattress was just right. We were very comfortable and we both slept quite well during our stay.

We never experienced any noise from the hallway or from the room next door. However, having the bay view room did mean that the main road was next to our window. As a light sleeper, I realized that the traffic noise could be an issue for me. My solution was to turn the heat down to about 64 when we left the room and then increase it when we returned for the night. The comforting hum of the furnace drowned out the traffic noise long enough for me to slip off to sleep.

The room had a free standing closet that was part of a desk /dresser combo. The closet had an iron and ironing board tucked inside and the desk/dresser was equipped with an office chair and a mid sized television. There were also outlets on the desk lamp for guests to plug in their devices. The room contained a full length wall mirror which was also helpful while getting around in the mornings. On the far side of the room was a comfy orange chair with a small side table and a great view of the bay.

This room was well appointed and very comfortable, it had handy plugs and plenty of space to work or relax.

Things You Wont find at Hotel Indigo

• Pool or Hot Tub
• Bathtubs
• Shower Doors
• Mini Fridge in Room

Things You Will Find at Hotel Indigo

• Fitness Center
• Small Mini Market
• The H&L Social Rooftop Bar (Not open in February of course)
• The Warehouse Kitchen + Cork Restaurant/Bar

Location, location, location!

Hotel Indigo is located on Hwy 31 which is a central road in Traverse City. This makes it quick and easy for guests to get around locally or travel to any of the outlying areas. Across the street from the hotel is a beautiful waterfront park that would be a great place to hang out when it’s not quite so snowy.

Being this close to downtown, we were able to easily walk to restaurants, shops and breweries from the hotel. Just steps away from the parking lot you will find The Warehouse Market which houses a cluster of local cafes and retail shops. During our stay we also visited both The Workshop Brewing Company and North Peak Brewery since they are both located within a block of the hotel. A quick 5 minute walk on Sunday brought us to Brasserie Amie, where we enjoyed a delicious French brunch.

Final Thoughts

I can’t say enough about the location! It was perfect for my husband and I since we really enjoy exploring on foot. The hotel was also ideally positioned for us to be able to dash off during the day for adventures in the different areas of Traverse City.

In addition to the perfect location, The Hotel Indigo was super clean, had spacious and comfy rooms and an awesome staff that were very helpful and friendly. This hotel really impressed us and has moved to the top of our hotel list for Traverse City. We sincerely enjoyed our stay and will definitely be booking a room there again in the future.

Dream, Plan, Save, Adventure!