The star of Hotel Indigo’s culinary offering is Bistro Saine. Open “from breakfast to bonsoir”. Photo / Supplied.
The star of Hotel Indigo’s culinary offering is Bistro Saine. Open “from breakfast to bonsoir”. Photo / Supplied.
At the just-opened Hotel Indigo and its in-house eatery Bistro Saine, Tyson Beckett finds spaces that manage to be everything for everybody.
Location: 51/53 Albert Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
Perfect For: People who want it both ways: Out-of-towners get an inner city base with a neighbourhood feel, and locals discover a sexy staycation that feels a world away.
First Impressions: Housed in a 41-storey tower, Hotel Indigo somehow manages to feel hidden away. Dashing in the rain across the cobblestones of St Patrick’s Square and into the cocooning calm of the lobby I feel a world away from my day-to-day.
Australian stylist Simone Haag has created a lobby to linger in. Photo / Supplied.
Maybe that’s because the lobby feels more like a lounge than a thoroughfare. Wooden walls, floors and tiled marble accents frame a luxe third space filled with curiosities, sculptural pieces and ceramics.
Pocket seats swathed in rich brown upholstery offer a place to sit and enjoy sensual installations by artist Raukura Turei or flick through stacks of art books. I’m keen to check out my room, but I also could stay curled up here all day.
There’s a sense Hotel Indigo wants you to have it both ways too. From the European-vibe heritage-listed facade bursts a towering, glassy architecture that gives both the slickness of a big operator and the personal touches of a local spot. The feeling is intentional.
Multinational hospitality company IHG, which owns the Hotel Indigo brand, takes a ‘neighbourhood’ approach to boutique properties. Each locale draws on the surrounds for design direction and in Tāmaki they’ve tapped into the site’s former life as a motor house that imported Cadillacs.
The hotel spans 27 floors of a 41-storey tower, which also houses 30 exclusive residential apartments. Photo / Supplied.
The room: In the room headlamp lighting, pegboard shelving, quilted upholstery reminiscent of classic car interiors, and open scaffold-inspired wardrobes nod to the building’s history.
The theme doesn’t feel overt, bar a large mirror above the king-size bed emblazoned with the words: “You’ll just keep crashing if you never take your eyes off the rear-view mirror”.
The hotel welcomes dogs under 30kg for a $150 pet fee per stay. Photo / Supplied.
The 29sq m room has a generous desk space and a separate banquette seating area. There is good hanging space, but minimal hidden storage, with open cubby shelves which are a little awkward to access behind a clothes rail.
Fortunately, I don’t notice the luggage left on display - a bird’s eye view of the city’s western vista, taking in the harbour bridge and Westhaven Marina, commands attention even on a stormy day.
Noise from the neighbour’s shower and late-night television did sneak through but cuddled up on the 22nd floor during a storm, sounds of the high winds outside filtered them out.
Bathroom: Sleek in a warm way, washrooms are compact but designed with spatial savviness. Two people could navigate the close quarters without tripping over each other.
Half the wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom is frosted glass, which allows both natural light and privacy, while the loo is tucked in a far corner. A ghd hairdryer is a welcome step up from the gutless hairdryers you expect and Auckland body-care brand MARACA has made a ‘Waitematā’ range of amenities exclusively for Hotel Indigo Auckland.
Facilities: Guests can also enjoy a spacious, state-of-the-art gym on Level 2 which has free weights, stationary cycles, treadmills, rowers, and even a Reformer Pilates machine.
The French-leaning Bistro Saine has been developed in consultation with James Ingram of leading Australian hospitality consultancy Ingram Advisory. Photo / Supplied.
Food and drink: The star of Hotel Indigo’s culinary offering is Bistro Saine. Open “from breakfast to bonsoir”, the refined yet approachable French restaurant is worth a visit even if you don’t stay the night.
The new spot is led by executive chef Yutak Son, a South Korean-born and French-trained chef with a CV starring Tobi, Orphans Kitchen, Sidart, Black Estate, and Daily Bread. Meanwhile, sommelier Pierre Bernardeau, previously of Michelin-starred Le Gourmet de Sèze and Prism Berlin, ensures the wines are up to French standards.
The classic French concept draws “inspiration from the grand brasseries of Europe and the energy of New York’s dining scene”, and is canny for a hotel eatery - it can be everything to everyone from local foodies to unfussy hotel clientele.
It features Steak Frites, the trending dish that has social media savants queuing in London, Paris, and Manhattan but will also get your managerial uncle from Mt Roskill salivating. Bistro Saine’s version, $48, comes from the rump cap and is served with bearnaise sauce and red wine jus.
Playful takes on brasserie staples bookend the menu. There are decadent pastas (spaghetti with clams and nduja, $44), and indulgent potato dishes, (gratin with comté mornay, breadcrumbs and chives, $16).
That’s balanced by sexy snacks (anchovy en croûtes, $9 each), seafood (pickled mackerel with grilled sourdough, gribiche and soft herbs, $28) and seasonal vegetables (braised witlof with butter beans, onion, garlic, paprika, parsley, lemon, celeriac remoulade, $39).
Like the menu and hotel concept, the fitout works on multiple levels. The sensual space is warm - think linen napkins, soft lighting and dark wood - with romantic nooks for tête-à-têtes, cosy corners for solo diners to hide away in and longer, flexible tables for rumbunctious celebrations or working lunches that end in a toast.
Bistro Saine is the first of three eateries planned for the Hotel. Guests can look forward to the opening of Café Etiquette, a café and wine bar, and the Henry, a cocktail lounge.
Small details make all the difference. Rooms come with pour over coffee sets from Auckland's Kokako Organic Coffee Roasters and cups from Acme. Photo / Tyson Beckett
Room service wasn’t up and running during our stay, but is expected to be in motion by the end of April. They’re teasing a digital ordering system that is both efficient and gourmet. The minibar is stocked with local brands like Karma Drinks, Ubernaut, Serious Popcorn and a tea selection from Zealong Tea Estate. I squealed with delight to discover a proper pour-over coffee set-up - replete with Kokako beans and thorough instructions for those not acquainted with the brewing method.
In the neighbourhood: Venturing out there’s plenty on your doorstep. One can enjoy a nightcap at the equally chic Gilt, a seven-minute amble away, or at Quinn Bar on Mills Lane just across Albert Street. In the morning, Britomart’s Amano is a short walk away while Daily Bread is just across the square.
Otherwise, you’re two blocks from Sky City and within easy walking distance of the theatre district, Auckland Art Gallery, the University, the waterfront, Commercial Bay, Britomart and Wynyard Quarter.
The design of Hotel Indigo Auckland embraces the site’s motoring heritage. Photo / Supplied.
Sustainability: It’s good to see standard sustainability practices, including using large refillable bottles for soaps and shampoos and asking visitors to hang their towels up if they’d like to reuse them. There is no heated towel rail, which saves on unnecessary energy expenditure.
A couple of easy tweaks would fortify the green credentials. Minibar beverages are all housed in glass bottles, so they should be recyclable, but there are no separate recycling bins in the rooms which makes you wonder whether they will be.
Accessibility: TheSt Patrick’s Square entrance has wide automated doors for easy access to the lobby. After check-in guests are shown to the lifts where an access control system sends the elevator to the floor associated with your swipe key card, eliminating the need to press buttons.
Ten accessible rooms offer all the standard adaptations: grab bars, tall toilets, built-in transfer shower seats, bathroom handrails and extra turning space. The hotel offers both an accessible parking drop-off point adjacent to the entrance and flat terrain between parking and front door. The hotel also welcomes dogs under 30kg for a $150 pet fee per stay.
Price: King rooms in the 225-room hotel start at $309 per night. A Park, Wander and Stay package from $320 per night, includes valet parking and a 2pm late checkout. Valet parking is available for $60.
Contact: For more information visit ihg.com/hotelindigo or call 0800 44 8470.
