Following the announcement this week that InterContinental Hotels Group will expand its flourishing Hotel Indigo brand to Sydney atop the City Tattersalls Club in the CBD, HM chatted with the company’s regional development VP, Abhijay Sandilya, on this signing and the development of the brand across Australasia.
It must be exciting for IHG and Hotel Indigo to secure prime CBD space in such a high-traffic location. What did the signing mean to you and to IHG?
As we all know, Sydney CBD properties don’t come up every day, so to have the opportunity to partner with such a well-renowned Sydney institution to develop a hotel in this iconic development in the heart of the city is truly humbling, and exceptionally exciting.
This will perfectly complement our existing Sydney city hotels while giving our guests a thrilling accommodation option in the heart of Sydney’s Pitt Street and surrounding shopping precinct.
What were your first impressions of the BVN designed tower and how it fits into Indigo’s image of its Sydney presence?
I think it’s hard not to feel inspired when you see the images of the new City Tattersalls Club development – it will undoubtedly become a landmark on the Sydney skyline.
Hotel Indigo embraces unique design and neighbourhood stories, so it’s going to be great to see how the club’s history will influence every element in the hotel offering, including design, food and beverage and service offerings across the hotel’s neighbourhood café, bar and gym.
We cherish our relationship with BVN, which also designed the stunning voco Sydney Central further south on Pitt Street.
What does it mean for a vibrant brand such as Indigo to align itself with an equally prestigious name in Tattersalls?
The history and prominence of the City Tattersalls Club is a great backdrop for Hotel Indigo to do what it does best: build a neighbourhood story and design playbook that shows off that deep history and personality. Both brands complement each other remarkably well – the CTC brand and membership bring a deep local heritage and reputation, and IHG brings the global power of the Hotel Indigo brand and system.
Can you tell us about some of the shared community values between Indigo and Tattersalls?
I think what Hotel Indigo and City Tattersalls Club share is: storytelling and a celebration of community. We say that Hotel Indigo welcomes the curious and combines authentic local experiences, modern design and intimate service, and CTC echoes that with its reason for being “a place to belong, for friends to meet, to collaborate, relax, escape, grow and participate”.