• by Tanya Gazdik , February 26, 2014

The interactive Neighborhood Guide, a proprietary offering found only at Hotel Indigo hotels, offers guests an overview of each hotel's unique neighborhood story, a roundup of the local hotel team's favorite attractions and restaurants, and the technology to share what they've discovered through a photo-sharing tool linked to Facebook.

With 55 Hotel Indigo properties worldwide, guests can explore and discover the brand's global community through an interactive map, prompting some to plan future travel as they discover new hotels and locales around the world.

Piloted in eight test markets in 2012 — including Atlanta, San Diego and Chicago — the Neighborhood Guide was immediately well-received by guests, generating more than a quarter of a million guest interactions and the sharing of more than 12,000 pictures.

The guides are now available in all Hotel Indigo properties across the Americas, and will eventually be in all Hotel Indigo properties worldwide.

The Neighborhood Guide information is also available on the Hotel Indigo mobile Web site, enabling travelers to explore any Hotel Indigo neighborhood they're visiting, even if they don't set foot in a hotel.

"You don't have to be a guest in one of our hotels to discover our neighborhoods," says Mary Winslow, director, Americas brand management, Hotel Indigo, in a release. "Anyone can access our recommendations directly from the palm of their hand."

The brand has turned the idea of the traditional concierge role into a full-scale experience throughout each hotel, and it starts with the team members, many of whom are locals themselves. Everyone who works at a Hotel Indigo hotel, from a bartender to a room attendant, can recommend hidden neighborhood gems that won't be found in most guidebooks or recommended by many, if any, concierges at other hotels.

Hotel Indigo guests want to experience something unique and different when they travel. For them, it's not about doing what's trendy or popular. They want to be with interesting people and make a meaningful connection to the neighborhood, Winslow says.

"Every person who works in a Hotel Indigo hotel is an expert on their local neighborhood,” Winslow says. “They learn what intrigues our guests and what they're passionate about, and they make recommendations based on their personal knowledge. At our hotels, it's everyone's role to connect guests to the neighborhood."