Staying at the Hotel Indigo Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia

When staying in Atlanta, Georgia for Dragon*Con, I stayed at the Hotel Indigo Midtown. Hotel Indigo was not my initial choice (click hereto find out about my initial hotel experience in Atlanta, Georgia), but luckily for me and my fellow travelers they happened to have rooms available at a time when I needed to find a place to stay. Their friendly staff and crisp, clean hotel seemed to save my bacon and my vacation in one Dragon*Con inspired superhero swoop initially, but as time wore on a few disappointments arose.

While incredibly thankful to the Hotel Indigo for giving me a place to rest my weary head while I stayed in Atlanta, my experience with the Midtown hotel was a mixed bag of serenity and frustration. If you're planning on visiting the Hotel Indigo Midtown, here is what you can expect:

Friendly Staff...

In stark contrast to my experiences with Wyndham Resorts staff, Hotel Indigo Midtown has some wonderfully friendly faces behind the check-in counter. When I landed in Atlanta, Georgia, I called the hotel and spoke with a friendly gentleman to find out if they had a hotel shuttle. While the answer was sadly no, he was very helpful in telling me about the MARTA transportation system as well as what fare to expect to pay if taking a taxi.

Once I arrived, checking in brought the same level of friendly service. Not only was the check-in a breeze, but when I inquired about late check-out the concierge offered to extend the time for free. In addition to my room key I was given a detailed map of downtown Atlanta, and the concierge marked the map with the location of the hotel as well as walking, MARTA and taxi information for getting to and from my convention.

... Who are Not Really Helpful

Unfortunately, my experience checking in was the best service that I received at Hotel Indigo. One night that we headed down into the Hotel Indigo bar, we were served by a bartender who seemed overwhelmed by the patrons (no more than 10 in all). One of the other staff came to help him out and took our order, and our entire group gasped with amazement when not only did he not ever return with our drinks but he popped up in the lobby a few minutes later standing behind the check in counter.

The still flustered bartender took our order a second time, then delivered one of the people in our group the wrong kind of beer, charged another member of our group incorrectly for a scotch and brusquely informed me that the beer I had ordered initially is one they don't carry. Once we brought the errors to his attention and I ordered something different, it took a long time to get the corrections and we opted to not bother purchasing a second round.

I experienced a similar level of service with Hotel Indigo cleaning staff. For two days a wad of garbage and hair lay in the middle of the hallway and discarded wrappers lay on the hallway table outside the elevator. Cleaning staff did not bother to pick the refuse up until their third time up to our level to clean, and while they seem to keep the rooms tidy I was a little dismayed at their lack of attention to the common areas.

On our second day, after being unable to find anywhere nearby other than the gruff and slow Broadway Diner, I asked one of the men at the front desk if he could point me in the direction of somewhere fast and friendly that we could grab some breakfast since we continued to miss the restaurant café's breakfast time. He referred us only to the Broadway Diner and when I asked if there was anywhere else nearby he replied that was the fastest place around to eat. We took to Google Maps for assistance and were saddened to find that the dining options around Hotel Indigo were extremely limited, and all but the Broadway Diner appeared to be fine dining establishments with a business casual dress code. (It wasn't until I checked out and complained again at the lack of places to eat that the same gentleman asked if we had tried Quizno's around the corner).

Clean Rooms

Service issues aside, my room at Hotel Indigo was freshly cleaned and spotless when we checked in and had all the expected amenities. Plenty of towels, free Wi-Fi and clean sheets rounded out the top things we look for in any hotel. I was a little disappointed with the conveniences in the room, however. Although there was a small coffee maker there was not an abundance of coffee or tea bags, there was not a single pad of paper or pen in the room for making notes, and there was also no guide in the room to help us to find places to eat or nearby activities to do.

The room passed the grade for cleanliness though, which all travelers know is #1 priority when sleeping somewhere new. We did notice that the hallway on our floor was heavily perfumed with some type of fruity air freshener, and I couldn't tell if they were trying to mask the smell of fresh paint or some other heavy scent.

Small Bathroom

The bathroom was perfect for multi-tasking, but not really great for anything else. The size and layout of the room made it possible for a person to do their "business" while also leaning over the sink to brush their teeth, and showering the left side of their body. I wish I was exaggerating, but even I with my 5'4" stance was able to manage this feat (just to see if I could mind you, I don't normally attempt brushing my teeth while doing a doody and washing my left arm and leg in the shower). The bathroom felt cramped, to say the least, and the shower curtain did not reach all the way to the floor and so very quickly the bathroom became cramped and wet.

I also discovered that because of the bathroom's small size, the moisture that the shower produced made the room uncomfortable. I did find a vent above the shower for a bathroom fan, but there was no switch in or out of the bathroom for me to turn the fan on. Sadly, the restroom stalls in the Hotel Indigo lobby are roomier than the entire bathroom found in the rooms themselves.

Paper-Thin Walls

Discovering how thin your hotel walls truly are is never something that a traveler wants to do, but unfortunately at 3am our first night that is exactly what I found. The group in the room next to mine began singing and running in their room (I didn't hear the sound of children, so presumably the adults were racing each other from the window to the door). Once awake, I found it impossible to fall back asleep as the noises of traffic through the closed window were also loud. Although I was on the 4^th floor of Hotel Indigo, I felt like I was sleeping on the street in the middle of Marti-Gras.

Luckily, the noisy neighbors checked out the following day (or were too tired each night thereafter to re-enact their favorite Broadway musical about a runner trapped in a hotel room) and I was able to tune out the noise of traffic well enough to sleep the remainder of my stay.

Overall Feel

Hotel Indigo is certainly not the worst hotel that I've ever stayed in, but it is also a far reach from the best experience I've ever had. It does feel like it is Atlanta, Georgia's newest hotel, but not necessarily in a good way. Inexperienced staff, or staff that is not trained to anticipate and react to travelers needs, are to be expected in a hotel that has only been in operation for a few months; but it is not acceptable in a hotel that has had its doors open for five years.

The next time that I travel to Atlanta, Georgia I am sure that I will stay at a hotel closer to downtown and stay with a brand that I am more familiar with just for the extra conveniences that make staying in a hotel a pleasure. Notepads and pens branded with the hotel logo, clean common areas, staff bursting with information about the surrounding area, lobby restaurants and cafés open standard hours and bar staff that are well versed in the art of serving a drink are all little luxuries that I look forward to when I'm on the road. If Hotel Indigo had missed the mark on only one or two things I would consider staying there again, but unfortunately all the little things that were missed add up to one traveler who is not planning on returning.

If you are interested in visiting the Hotel Indigo Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia yourself, they can be contacted as follows:

Hotel Indigo Midtown Atlanta
383 Peachtree Street Northeast
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
(404)874-9200
(877)846-INDIGO
www.hotelindigo.com

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