Project profile: Hotel Indigo in Coventry

Summary

Chapman Taylor designed the new Hotel Indigo in Coventry on behalf of developer Castlebridge Group and operator Castlebridge Hospitality. The 101-key, 4* boutique hotel is a significant contributor towards Coventry’s growing leisure and hospitality market, as well as the wider economy.

Facilities at ground level include a 100-cover fine dining restaurant (with associated 12-person private dining room), a 40-cover bar and guest lounge/lobby. Active frontage facing key pedestrian and vehicle routes ensures the hotel’s vibrancy and welcoming interior is publicly accessible. Extensive floor-to-ceiling glazing aids transparency, encouraging passers-by from the neighbouring train station.

The guestrooms are contained wholly within the upper volume of the building, with these more intimate, private spaces expressed externally in a visually distinct manner when compared to the open, public spaces below. The upper volume, which cantilevers over the lower, high-ceilinged ground floor, is expressed in a silver-blue metallic cladding. ‘Darker’ columns of recessed glazing, framed by hues of indigo blue contrast with the differing vertical stripes and lighter cladding tones, giving the building a striking ‘barcode’ appearance befitting its position as a gateway to the Friargate masterplan.

Chapman Taylor’s interior design team delivered the full interior design. Neighbourhood narratives are inspired by the local context, with themes steeped in Coventry’s culture and history. Spaces have been created with layers of meaning, with rooms adopting three distinct themes that can be discovered and interpreted on every visit.

The hotel opened in January 2024 to immediate success, with an overwhelmingly positive response from visitors on social media.

The brief

Project Text (500 word limit)

The brief was to craft a dynamic and engaging hotel that serves as a positive addition to Coventry’s burgeoning city centre. The strength of the Hotel Indigo brand lies in connecting each hotel to its neighbourhood, embodying high standards of experience-focused hospitality whilst allowing designers creative freedom. Our design had to intertwine Coventry’s DNA, celebrating the city’s journey from medieval roots to its role in the 20th-century music scene, immersing itself in the city's rich heritage and vibrant cultural setting. We responded by designing a highly functional and sustainable building that delights both visitors and employees.

Guest experience

Guest experience was a core design focus throughout. We wanted visitors to enjoy an unforgettable stay, offering them a layered experience that reveals new elements with each visit. The hotel provides a memorable and engaging location to attract a broader demographic of visitor to the city, a key aim of Coventry City Council’s wider vision.

Challenges

The project, over 5 years in the making, had to navigate significant obstacles. The pandemic, followed by the conflict in Ukraine contributed towards escalating construction costs along with pressure on funding due to climbing interest rates. Naturally, this impacted on the protracted period of design development. The unwavering commitment from all involved, however, ensured an exemplary scheme was realised.

Design approach

Chapman Taylor championed a collaborative design process, ensuring stakeholder involvement throughout. Input from Castlebridge’s operational team allowed a balanced scheme to develop, marrying creativity with functionality. We created narratives which could be shared with guests - enriching their experience with stories that connect them to Coventry:

• Lady Godiva: Her legendary ride through Coventry is captured through leather livery and concealed "Peeping Tom" motifs throughout.
• Industrial Heritage: Spinning wheels and cogs are incorporated into the bar designs and fixtures, reflecting Coventry’s role in emerging transport technologies.
• ‘Coventry Blue’ (a blue cloth woven and dyed with woad in Coventry): Along with the dark blue colour inferred by the ‘Hotel Indigo’ name, this inspired the external cladding palette. Serendipitously, the blue dye which comes from the woad plant is the same blue which comes from the tropical indigo plant.
• Elephants: Representing Coventry, elephants are subtly hidden throughout the hotel, inviting guests to discover the 'elephant in the room’.
• Two Tone wall paintings: Coventry’s cultural heritage provided the melting pot for the emergence of Ska as a major musical influence.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) were embraced to minimize the carbon footprint. Guestroom floors utilised light-gauge steel, with bathroom pods constructed offsite to ensure factory-controlled quality. MMC offers significant sustainable benefits, allowing higher quality control, a reduction in waste (up to 90% in some cases) and improved energy consumption (via a reduction in the ‘performance gap’). While sustainability certifications were not pursued, Chapman Taylor’s commitment to reducing our industry’s carbon footprint guided the project. Similarly, it was important to Castlebridge Group to embrace Heatline - Coventry’s central district heating network to provide a hot water source. Using responsibly sourced materials that honour the past while embracing modern sustainability, this commitment extended to the selection of all finishes, fixtures and furniture.

The result

The Hotel Indigo Coventry project is a testament to Chapman Taylor’s innovative and inclusive design approach, successfully weaving Coventry’s rich cultural tapestry into the fabric of the hotel. This blend of history, technology, and neighbourhood storytelling not only enhances the guest experience but helps foster social value as it pays homage to the city’s legacy, setting a benchmark for future Hotel Indigo developments.

The guestrooms are contained wholly within the upper volume of the building, with these more intimate, private spaces expressed externally in a visually distinct manner when compared to the open, public spaces below. The upper volume, which cantilevers over the lower, high-ceilinged ground floor, is expressed in a silver-blue metallic cladding. ‘Darker’ columns of recessed glazing, framed by hues of indigo blue, contrast with the differing vertical stripes and lighter cladding tones, giving the building a striking ‘barcode’ appearance befitting its position as a gateway to the Friargate masterplan.

Chapman Taylor’s interior design team delivered the full interior design. Neighbourhood narratives are inspired by the local context, with themes steeped in Coventry’s culture and history. Spaces have been created with layers of meaning, with rooms adopting three distinct themes that can be discovered and interpreted on every visit.

The hotel opened in January 2024 to immediate success, with an overwhelmingly positive response from visitors on social media.

Chapman Taylor’s interior design team delivered the full interior design. Neighbourhood narratives are inspired by the local context, with themes steeped in Coventry’s culture and history. Spaces have been created with layers of meaning, with rooms adopting three distinct themes that can be discovered and interpreted on every visit.

The hotel opened in January 2024 to immediate success, with an overwhelmingly positive response from visitors on social media.

The brief

The brief

The brief was to craft a dynamic and engaging hotel that serves as a positive addition to Coventry’s burgeoning city centre. The strength of the Hotel Indigo brand lies in connecting each hotel to its neighbourhood, embodying high standards of experience-focused hospitality whilst allowing designers creative freedom. Our design had to intertwine Coventry’s DNA, celebrating the city’s journey from medieval roots to its role in the 20th-century music scene, immersing itself in the city's rich heritage and vibrant cultural setting. We responded by designing a highly functional and sustainable building that delights both visitors and employees.

Guest experience

Guest experience was a core design focus throughout. We wanted visitors to enjoy an unforgettable stay, offering them a layered experience that reveals new elements with each visit. The hotel provides a memorable and engaging location to attract a broader demographic of visitor to the city, a key aim of Coventry City Council’s wider vision.

Challenges

The project, over 5 years in the making, had to navigate significant obstacles. The pandemic, followed by the conflict in Ukraine contributed towards escalating construction costs along with pressure on funding due to climbing interest rates. Naturally, this impacted on the protracted period of design development. The unwavering commitment from all involved, however, ensured an exemplary scheme was realised.

Design approach

Chapman Taylor championed a collaborative design process, ensuring stakeholder involvement throughout. Input from Castlebridge’s operational team allowed a balanced scheme to develop, marrying creativity with functionality. We created narratives which could be shared with guests - enriching their experience with stories that connect them to Coventry:

• Lady Godiva: Her legendary ride through Coventry is captured through leather livery and concealed "Peeping Tom" motifs throughout.
• Industrial Heritage: Spinning wheels and cogs are incorporated into the bar designs and fixtures, reflecting Coventry’s role in emerging transport technologies.
• ‘Coventry Blue’ (a blue cloth woven and dyed with woad in Coventry): Along with the dark blue colour inferred by the ‘Hotel Indigo’ name, this inspired the external cladding palette. Serendipitously, the blue dye which comes from the woad plant is the same blue which comes from the tropical indigo plant.
• Elephants: Representing Coventry, elephants are subtly hidden throughout the hotel, inviting guests to discover the 'elephant in the room’.
• Two Tone wall paintings: Coventry’s cultural heritage provided the melting pot for the emergence of Ska as a major musical influence.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) were embraced to minimize the carbon footprint. Guestroom floors utilised light-gauge steel, with bathroom pods constructed offsite to ensure factory-controlled quality. MMC offers significant sustainable benefits, allowing higher quality control, a reduction in waste (up to 90% in some cases) and improved energy consumption (via a reduction in the ‘performance gap’). While sustainability certifications were not pursued, Chapman Taylor’s commitment to reducing our industry’s carbon footprint guided the project. Similarly, it was important to Castlebridge Group to embrace Heatline - Coventry’s central district heating network to provide a hot water source. Using responsibly sourced materials that honour the past while embracing modern sustainability, this commitment extended to the selection of all finishes, fixtures and furniture.

The result

The Hotel Indigo Coventry project is a testament to Chapman Taylor’s innovative and inclusive design approach, successfully weaving Coventry’s rich cultural tapestry into the fabric of the hotel. This blend of history, technology, and neighbourhood storytelling not only enhances the guest experience but helps foster social value as it pays homage to the city’s legacy, setting a benchmark for future Hotel Indigo developments.

Guest experience was a core design focus throughout. We wanted visitors to enjoy an unforgettable stay, offering them a layered experience that reveals new elements with each visit. The hotel provides a memorable and engaging location to attract a broader demographic of visitor to the city, a key aim of Coventry City Council’s wider vision.

Challenges

The project, over 5 years in the making, had to navigate significant obstacles. The pandemic, followed by the conflict in Ukraine contributed towards escalating construction costs along with pressure on funding due to climbing interest rates. Naturally, this impacted on the protracted period of design development. The unwavering commitment from all involved, however, ensured an exemplary scheme was realised.

Design approach

Chapman Taylor championed a collaborative design process, ensuring stakeholder involvement throughout. Input from Castlebridge’s operational team allowed a balanced scheme to develop, marrying creativity with functionality. We created narratives which could be shared with guests - enriching their experience with stories that connect them to Coventry:

• Lady Godiva: Her legendary ride through Coventry is captured through leather livery and concealed "Peeping Tom" motifs throughout.
• Industrial Heritage: Spinning wheels and cogs are incorporated into the bar designs and fixtures, reflecting Coventry’s role in emerging transport technologies.
• ‘Coventry Blue’ (a blue cloth woven and dyed with woad in Coventry): Along with the dark blue colour inferred by the ‘Hotel Indigo’ name, this inspired the external cladding palette. Serendipitously, the blue dye which comes from the woad plant is the same blue which comes from the tropical indigo plant.
• Elephants: Representing Coventry, elephants are subtly hidden throughout the hotel, inviting guests to discover the 'elephant in the room’.
• Two Tone wall paintings: Coventry’s cultural heritage provided the melting pot for the emergence of Ska as a major musical influence.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) were embraced to minimize the carbon footprint. Guestroom floors utilised light-gauge steel, with bathroom pods constructed offsite to ensure factory-controlled quality. MMC offers significant sustainable benefits, allowing higher quality control, a reduction in waste (up to 90% in some cases) and improved energy consumption (via a reduction in the ‘performance gap’). While sustainability certifications were not pursued, Chapman Taylor’s commitment to reducing our industry’s carbon footprint guided the project. Similarly, it was important to Castlebridge Group to embrace Heatline - Coventry’s central district heating network to provide a hot water source. Using responsibly sourced materials that honour the past while embracing modern sustainability, this commitment extended to the selection of all finishes, fixtures and furniture.

The result

The Hotel Indigo Coventry project is a testament to Chapman Taylor’s innovative and inclusive design approach, successfully weaving Coventry’s rich cultural tapestry into the fabric of the hotel. This blend of history, technology, and neighbourhood storytelling not only enhances the guest experience but helps foster social value as it pays homage to the city’s legacy, setting a benchmark for future Hotel Indigo developments.indigo