New York City: Indigo Brooklyn (March 2013)

My spouse and I stayed at the Indigo Brooklyn for one night in early March 2013. Our purpose in staying in Brooklyn was to dine at a nearby restaurant (Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare). We reserved our room about 30 days in advance, and found that the cancellable rates for this hotel were on par with the non-cancellable rates at the two Starwood properties across the street (Sheraton and Aloft). (We had no intention of cancelling, except perhaps because of inclement weather that might prevent us from reaching the city.) In the week prior to our stay, the rates raised about $25 per night, so it was beneficial to us to book ahead.

This hotel does not have its own parking lot; however, both self-parking ($30) and valet parking ($39) are available from Vic's Parking, which is on the street parallel to Duffield (it may be called Albee Square). We had difficulty finding an open spot to temporarily park our car while we unloaded, even though there was a yellow line in front of the curb for the loading zone. It seemed much easier to valet park/unload at the Sheraton and Aloft across the street; those properties (being side-by-side) allot much more space for cars to pull in. No valet attendant is staffed on-site at the Indigo; the desk attendant calls someone to come over from the nearby parking lot, which is probably why the loading zone was filled when we tried to pull in.

There is a deli/market that sells drinks (alcoholic and non) and snacks at the corner of Duffield and Willoughby (away from the Fulton Street Mall), as well as a tiny market across Duffield Street that sells a few items. Planet Fitness is located right next door to the hotel, although the Indigo has its own small fitness center (about five machines). The Indigo will eventually have its own restaurant on the street level, with access from both the sidewalk and inside near the lobby. The restaurant (a brew pub) looks ready to open, but was not yet operating when we stayed there.

There is a small terrace off the fitness center, and another terrace on the 19th floor of the hotel. The 19th floor terrace is minimally landscaped and has two small tables, each with four chairs surrounding it (made of that all-weather wicker material), and smoking and drinking are permitted. (A sign states that the terrace is not open between the hours of 9:00 pm and 7:00 am.) Rooms on the third floor have their own balcony, and one 2-bedroom suite on the 18th floor has a large skylight (which you can see from the 19th floor terrace). The second floor (besides housing the fitness center) has a small lounge with a computer for guest use, as well as a bar for guests. A meeting room and treatment room (for a massage, we assume) are also on the second floor. Had we realized that there was a small bar, we might have had a drink there before going to dinner. In the lobby is a refrigerator holding cold drinks and a few meals such as sandwiches and salads - a refreshing change from the usual packaged frozen dinners that most hotels sell in their pantries. (There is a large microwave on the bar in the second-floor lounge for guest use.) 
We had room 401; according to the evacuation map on the back of our door (and we assume most floors followed the same layout), rooms ending in 01 and 08 are the largest on the floor. (It appears that the hotel has eight rooms per floor, except for the 19th floor, which only has two rooms.) Our room and bathroom were a great size, but again, according to the map on the door, most other rooms on the floor looked a lot smaller. We had a handicapped room, which sometimes has its own issues - modified shower head, roll-in shower, and so on. We had a mini-refrigerator and safe in our room, as well as a Keurig coffee maker. Disappointingly, despite the size of our room, there was no lounge chair and ottoman; the only place to sit to watch TV other than on the bed was on the modern-looking (and not-so-comfortable) desk chair. We realize that most rooms on most floors do not have the space to permit a lounge chair, but our room was surprisingly spacious and would have benefitted from it. The ceilings are covered with a wallpaper mural of a chandelier, which is a cheeky touch. Ceilings are high, and floors are covered with a Pergo-like wood flooring; bathrooms were tiled with slate-looking floors. Decent toiletries were provided (shampoo, conditioner, lotion), and there were plenty of fluffy towels, toilet paper, and tissues on hand in case you ran out. We had some trouble with both water pressure and water temperature, particularly in the bathroom sink.

We enjoyed our stay at the Indigo, and should we find ourselves in Brooklyn again, we would consider staying here, although we might instead try the Sheraton or the Aloft across the street.