Premier Hospitality

Hotel Indigo Dundee

Indigo Dundee
Written by Roma Publications

Hotel Indigo Dundee opens its doors, the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design


IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has opened Hotel Indigo® Dundee, in one of Europe’s rising design destinations – Dundee, Scotland. Once famous for its textiles, the city’s industrial spaces are now filled with artists and collectives, including a thriving gaming community which have helped turn Dundee into the creative heart of the world’s computer games industry.

Dundee is the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design and will be home to the soon to open V&A Dundee- Scotland’s first design museum, making it an even more desirable city break destination for the arts and culture-inclined. It also boasts a generous offering of theatres, museums, galleries and shopping destinations, with world famous golf courses on its doorstep, including St Andrews. The city’s cultural quarter features the award-winning Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, the Dundee Rep Theatre and the Sensation Science Centre as well as an array of restaurants and cafes.

Transformed from a two-hundred-year-old jute mill, the 102-room hotel, designed by Graven, sits between the waterfront and the heart of the shopping district. Rich in history, the first spinning mill was built on the site in 1822 by the Baxter family who became one of the world’s largest linen manufactures.

Ross Hunter from Graven told Premier Hospitality: “We were really excited by the buildings because these kinds of buildings are fabulous. They have big windows, stone floors, the columns are cast iron and the big open spaces always look spectacular. Much of the building that we worked on has exposed brick arch ceilings and they look fantastic so we were keen to maintain those and keep those visible. We fought really hard to persuade the project that it was important to maintain and expose as much of the existing fabric as possible.”

Respectfully renovated, the hotel’s three room designs are inspired by Dundee’s past and present and feature the original vaulted brickwork ceiling.

The Dundee Cake Room brings in discreet marmalade motifs together with jute curtains. The Dandy room is inspired by famous publishing house DC Thompson’s ‘Black Bob’ – a plucky sheepdog that always saved the day. Traditional sheepdog commands are hidden in the dado strip. The Gaming Room is reflective of Dundee’s thriving computer game industry, the birth of Grand Theft Auto. Secret gaming codes can be spotted within the dado strip and literature found within the room celebrates Dundee’s unique links to the video game industry. Beds are finished by local textile designer, Hilary Grant, whose work is inspired by waves breaking on the River Tay.

Hotel Indigo Dundee’s restaurant and bar, Daisy Tasker, offers guests a contemporary spin on traditional Scottish dishes with an abundance of fresh seafood, prime cuts of meat and locally-grown fresh vegetables. It is named in honour of a much-loved weaver who organised activities for the jute mill workers and, true to the original Daisy’s sociable spirit, the restaurant is set to be the ideal spot for family and friends to eat and drink together.

Ross added: “Everybody is really happy with the end result and the feedback has been great. There are a lot of objects and in there that are recognisable so Dundonians should be able to go in there and have a feel for what it was. Many people who worked in these mills are still alive, or are related to people who worked there, so I hope they will be pleased to see the buildings saved.”

Williams Inglis, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Dundee Commented: “This is a unique and beautiful hotel and through clever design, we’ve really brought its heritage to the forefront. Dundee has recently been voted as one of the best cities to visit in 2018 and its rich culture is showcased throughout the city. With the opening of the V&A later this year, we look forward to welcoming guests from the globe and have no doubt that they will fall in love with Hotel Indigo and everything this incredible city has to offer.”

Inspired by the neighbourhood around each property, so just as no two places are alike, no two hotel Indigo® properties are the same. Each Hotel Indigo property features thoughtful design touches and vibrant restaurants and bars connected to the spirit of the local neighbourhood.

“All projects are important but this has been satisfying – it’s high profile, it’s international, it was creatively challenging and from that point of view, a good one to be involved with. It was nice to do a full project with IHG,” said Ross.

 

Moleta Munro

Moleta Munro is a UK based contemporary furniture company with a showroom in Edinburgh, providing specialist furniture consultancy and suppling contemporary and classic modern furniture and lighting solutions to contract and residential clients throughout the UK and Europe.

Priding themselves on being a very approachable business that finds creative solutions to solve a client’s brief, Moleta Munro was established in 2007 from a shared passion for beautiful interiors; premium quality products and the philosophy that good design can enrich peoples live.

The company has an exceptionally creative and dedicated team with a wealth of experience working on both commercial and residential projects. Inspired by the finest designs from Scandinavia, Moleta Munro specialises in showcasing Europe’s premier furniture and lighting brands.

Highlights over the last ten years include furnishing the new extension for Scottish Opera in Glasgow, supplying the front of house furnishing for the new Apex Hotel in Bath and supplying conference suites for the Novotel Les Halles in Paris.

Moleta Munro recently worked on the new Hotel Indigo in Dundee where they supplied nearly all of the loose furniture and decorative lighting to 102 bedrooms, as well as acting as the main furnishing supplier for the front of house areas.

Commenting on the work, Justin Baddon from Moleta Munro said: “Personally I have gone full circle: my further education in design started at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. It’s extremely satisfying to feel part of the regeneration of central Dundee.”

About the author

Roma Publications