2 February, 2012 Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara Opens in the Heart of Santa Barbara's Vibrant Art Scene

Boutique hotel offers an environmentally-friendly, sophisticated lodging experience and an artistic contribution to the community and visitors alike

ATLANTA Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara. The hotel, located at 121 State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, offers guests a unique hotel experience with the modern design and intimate service associated with boutique hotels, along with the peace of mind and consistency guests expect from staying with a large hotel group.

Opening after a multi-million dollar renovation, Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara combines the historic Santa Barbara splendor with the architectural sophistication of modern design.  The forty-one room boutique hotel has thirteen guest rooms featuring private outdoor gardens and fourteen guest rooms with views of the Riviera and mountains or urban scenes dotted by palm trees. The hotel houses the CAF Satellite @ Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara, curated by the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, which provides exhibitions of thought-provoking artworks and site-specific, commissioned installations by local artists. 

"The Hotel Indigo brand is a perfect fit for this location," said Mary Dogan, director brand management, Hotel Indigo, the Americas, IHG. "The modern and environmentally-friendly design reflects the surrounding community and further spotlights the neighborhood as a cultural and artistic mecca."

The Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara is a community crossroads that breathes life into a thriving and energetic arts corridor.  Located near the railroad station and Stearns Wharf at the gateway to the city, the hotel is a short jaunt to attractions, fine dining and shopping. Crossing the street into the cutting-edge Funk Zone, guests discover Santa Barbara's hotbed of homegrown artistic production, known for its eclectic wall murals, ateliers, galleries, alternative exhibition spaces, and trendy artist shops, as well as the Urban Wine Trail.  A block from the hotel, local artists put on a mile-long, waterfront arts and craft show known as the Santa Barbara Art Walk.

Local architecture firm AB Design Studios Inc., known for its modern design and approach to adaptive re-use projects, designed the hotel with a sleek interior inside a deceptively traditional exterior.  When guests enter the main lobby of the new hotel, they step into a space of modern elegance and sophistication couched in a timeless and familiar setting.

Interior design by Level 3 Design Groupin Los Angeles compliments the contemporary architecture with clean lines and a modern aesthetic.  Innovative touches include a plant-filled living wall and green space and energy efficient elements, including double-pane windows, on-demand water heaters, ionized water cleaning system, filtered water bottle refilling station and European-style bathrooms with collapsible glass-wall showers.

Colorful murals of artist implements, such as brushes, film, paints, pastels and welding torches by local artist Elizabeth Harper grace the common areas and guest rooms. Guests can browse the collection of exhibition catalogues and publications, including those by area art luminaries, in the hotel's Art Library and rub elbows with artists during talks and openings provided in conjunction with exhibitions. 

Reflective of the trend toward creature comforts with a smaller footprint, space-efficient guestrooms feature plush bedding, high-definition flat screen TVs, iHome stations and spa-inspired showers with Aveda products. Hard surface flooring with area rugs create a fresh, residential feel.  Additionally, the hotel offers outdoor lounges, 24-hour access to the hotel's business center, an intimate boardroom that seats up to 10, complimentary Wi-Fi in public spaces, high-speed Internet connections in each room and a fitness room.

"Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara belongs to the Car-Free Alliance and offers a special discount for guests who stay at the hotel car-free," said Kay Morter, General Manager.  "The hotel offers hip, affordable accommodations for style-minded clientele and is also pet-friendly."

Each Hotel Indigo property is uniquely designed to reflect the culture, character and history of the surrounding neighborhood.  No two hotels are the same.  Brand standards don't dictate the number or size of rooms, making it ideally suited to conversion properties or independent boutique hotels.

Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara is owned by Santa Barbara Beach House Hotel, LPand managed by Courtland-Dane Management Group, Inc, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group. For reservations, contact Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara at 805-966-6586 or 877-270-1392 or e-mail sales@indigosantabarbara.com. 

Hotel Indigo properties participate in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards, the industry's first and largest guest loyalty program with 61 million members. Priority Club Rewards membership is free and guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of this hotel or any of IHG's more than 4,500 hotels worldwide.

Media Contacts:
Sherry Telford, Hotel Indigo, sherry.telford@ihg.com, +1(770) 604-2613
Kimberly Hahn, Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara, press@indigosantabarbara.com, +1(805) 403-8108

Notes to Editors:

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organization operating seven hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® . IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 61 million members worldwide.

IHG is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms and franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,500 hotels and more than 666,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories, and has more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline.

IHG is committed to gender balance throughout its business. We aspire to continue retaining a minimum of 25% female representation on the Board.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.