Hotel Indigo Cardiff

The Hotel Indigo brand is a far-ranging and diverse collection overseen by IHG, which is by any measure a giant of corporate hospitality. But hotels like the Hotel Indigo Cardiff are evidence that corporate ownership doesn’t necessarily imply corporate style. This hotel, after all, could hardly be more painstakingly tailored to its location — from its prominent setting on Cardiff’s city-center Queen Street to the surfeit of local color incorporated into its interior design.

This includes local textiles, pop-culture artifacts, and artworks with Welsh themes, both historical and contemporary, referring to the city’s industrial heritage and its musical contributions — not just in the public spaces but in the rooms and suites as well. The accommodations themselves are squarely in the luxury-boutique tradition, with plenty of visual character as well as plenty of comfort — including “spa-inspired” showers stocked with locally made Mydafai bath products.

And up on the top floor, opening onto a rooftop terrace, is the Hotel Indigo Cardiff’s most impressive offering: the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill. It’s several steps up from an ordinary hotel restaurant and bar, and serves admirably to gather the Indigo’s guests together with Cardiff locals over dinner or a drink.