IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced the introduction of the first Hotel Indigo property in Central America.  The property is expected to open in the first quarter of 2009 in the metropolitan city of San Jose, the capital and largest city of Costa Rica.

Originally announced in February 2007 as the Holiday Inn Express San Jose Forum, the project was modified to become a Hotel Indigo, following the success of the brand in North America including Canada and Mexico. 

"We are very excited to bring the first Hotel Indigo to Central America, together with our franchisee Prime Holding,” said Alvaro Diago, area president, Latin America, IHG.  “The brand's retail-inspired concept fits the evolving perception of today’s modern-day travelers and brings a totally fresh, new and competitive brand into this market.  Hotel Indigo emphasizes creative design while it absorbs a city’s local flair, and its service philosophy perfectly ties into the cultures of many Latin America countries."

Boutique hotels, known for their intimate, luxurious environments in addition to personalized accommodations and services, have gained increasing popularity.  As the industry's first branded boutique hotel, Hotel Indigo artfully combines the conveniences and consistencies of a brand hotel with the design cache and service personality of a boutique at an attractive price. 

“We have seen that Hotel Indigo has been incredibly received in North America, so we are confident in the success of this property,” said Luis Fernandez, president, Prime Holding. “Hotel Indigo is a unique and innovative brand, perfect for travelers looking for accessible luxury and an alternative to traditional hotels. We’re extremely excited to be introducing this brand to the region together with IHG.”

Hotel Indigo San Jose Forum Costa Rica will be located in Santa Ana, one of Costa Rica’s fastest developing areas, next to a major thoroughfare that connects to Escazu, the prominent residential and business district of the city.  Surrounded by a major commercial complex that features two shopping centers with retail stores, boutiques and restaurants, the Hotel Indigo will be ideally situated only 15 minutes away from the Juan Santamaria Airport and within walking distance to Forum Business Park I and II, the city's latest and most upscale office tower complexes.

San Jose offers a wide array of activities for both business and leisure travelers.  It is Costa Rica's only major metropolitan city offering a variety of restaurant and nightlife venues, a number of museums, and art galleries that travelers can’t miss. There is also a steady stream of theater plays, concerts, and other cultural events that cannot be found anywhere else in the country.

Currently, IHG is represented in Costa Rica by the Real InterContinental Hotel & Club Tower Costa Rica, the Crowne Plaza Corobici San Jose, the Holiday Inn San Jose – Aurola and the Holiday Inn San Jose Airport, which is expected to open next month. 

“Opening the first Hotel Indigo in Central America will ensure that IHG preserves its role as the premier hotel group in the region, as it allows us to contribute to the dynamic tourism industry with an even wider collection of our brands,” said Tom Murray, COO, the Americas, IHG. “We are confident that travelers will welcome Hotel Indigo, and we are eager to provide our guests in Costa Rica with the unique blend of branded-hotel consistencies and boutique design and service found only at Hotel Indigo.”

The 100-room Hotel Indigo San Jose Forum is owned and will be managed by Prime Holding, under a license agreement with a company in the InterContinental Hotels Group.  Located at Diagonal al Centro Empresarial Forum 2, the three-story Hotel Indigo will have a Phi Bistro & Bar, four small meeting rooms, a fully equipped business center, an outdoor swimming pool and a “Phi”tness Studio with cardio equipment and free weights.

The soul of Hotel Indigo’s retail-inspired concept is renewal - thoughtful changes that are made throughout the year to keep the hotel fresh, similar to the way retailers change their window displays.  The renewal concept provides even the most frequent guest a unique experience with every stay.  The hotel will feature renewable elements such as vivid nature-inspired murals, area rugs, plush duvets and slip-covers that will change periodically.  Public spaces will be transformed seasonally through changing artwork, music, floral and murals.

The Hotel Indigo brand is quickly expanding across the globe, with 19 locations open and more than 60 under development, either in the pipeline or in final negotiation. The first Hotel Indigo opened in Atlanta in October 2004, followed by Hotel Indigo Chicago Gold Coast; Chicago Schaumburg North; Houston at the Galleria; Hotel Indigo Dallas; Ottawa Downtown City Centre, Canada; Hotel Indigo Scottsdale, Ariz.; Hotel Indigo Sarasota, Fla; Hotel Indigo Buffalo-Amherst, N.Y.; Hotel Indigo Nashville West End; Hotel Indigo Merida Hacienda Misne, Mexico; Hotel Indigo Boston-Newton Riverside; Hotel Indigo Columbus Downtown, Ind.; Hotel Indigo Fishers-Indy’s Uptown; Hotel Indigo Chicago-Vernon Hills; Hotel Indigo Ontario Rancho Cucamonga; Hotel Indigo Skyview Rahway, N.J.; Hotel Indigo Basking Ridge, N.J.; and Hotel Indigo Miami Dadeland.  Future sites of Hotel Indigo hotels include Miami, Fl.; St. Louis, Mo.; London, England; San Antonio, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and New York, N.Y.

Hotel Indigo participates in IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards.  The industry's first and largest guest loyalty program has more than 39 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 4,000 hotels worldwide.

IHG has more than 160 hotels in Mexico, Central and South America as the well as the Caribbean, and has been serving Latin America for over 60 years. IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms and the second largest hotel operator in Latin America.  IHG has hotels situated in nearly every key market in the Latin America territory.