IHG Hotels & Resorts operates 19 hotel brands with more than 6,300 hotels in over 100 countries. In Japan, IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates approximately 47 hotels under seven brands from Hokkaido to Okinawa (as of March 2024). For this interview, we asked Rebecca Thorn, general manager of Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya, about the attractions around the hotel.
Name: Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya
Location: 2-25-12 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
–How did you come to work at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya?
I have been with “IHG Hotels & Resorts” for about 18 years, including 5 years in Japan. While I was Assistant General Manager at the InterContinental Wellington in New Zealand, I was preparing to take the next step in my career when the opportunity arose to take the Assistant General Manager position at the Strings Hotel Tokyo InterContinental in Japan. I love challenges, and the fact that the hotel had been completely renovated, and that Japan was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, was a great opportunity and a big draw. I was also looking forward to learning a new culture and language on a personal level. I also served as the general manager of the “Strings Hotel Tokyo Intercontinental,” where I gained a variety of experience in a pandemic for three years. I had never experienced any new openings, so I was very interested in the “Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya” as it was being built. I love Tokyo and the “Hotel Indigo” brand, and feeling a strong personal connection, I took this opportunity as my own next challenge to open a new “Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya” and it has been about a year now.
–What kind of hotel is it?
Hotel Indigo is a lifestyle boutique hotel brand that allows guests to experience the local Neighborhood Story. Our Neighborhood Story is “a jungle city where personalities and colors mix and change,” and we focus on bringing everything Shibuya has to offer into the hotel. With a particular emphasis on music, art, fashion, and design, you can experience the culture of Shibuya’s streets in our hotel. Enjoying spectacular views that only a high-rise hotel can offer, and with rooms that are functional and beautifully designed, this hotel is a sanctuary within Shibuya, Tokyo’s most vibrant destination. From our guests to our team, it is a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated, and we want you to feel that way.
Restaurant “Gallery 11” uses local, fresh and seasonal ingredients to offer great food and drink with a Japanese twist on Mediterranean cuisine. The neighborhood cafe Shibrewya offers waffles, including the iconic Hachiko waffle, and specialty coffee/tea in a setting that immerses you in the feeling of blending into the heart of Shibuya culture.
We also support our local community and see ourselves as a place to connect with the Neighborhood and give back. We are a diverse and all-inclusive hotel.
I think it is very unique in the way it incorporates Shibuya into the hotel. The physical location in the heart of Shibuya is very unique, and I am confident that no other hotel has an aspect of the guest experience itself that is so unique and intentionally so strongly associated with Shibuya.
Our hotel rooms are decorated with music record covers that I have carefully selected and purchased from local record stores, plus guests can listen to records in their rooms as room service.
I think our experience with Neighborhood Host is also very unique. We are not bound by conventionality, our uniforms are gender neutral for example, and we are a very diverse and inclusive team.
–please let me know if you have any personal favorites tourist spots or restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
We are truly fortunate to have an incredibly diverse culture in the area surrounding this hotel. Yoyogi Park, the nearby Meiji Shrine, and the Kaneo Hachiman Shrine in the Shibuya district, all offer historical and cultural aspects even though they are within the city limits. Also, as a restaurant, my personal favorite space is the hideaway izakaya Esujiro (SG Low). It is a very nice space and a great place to enjoy food and drinks. There are many skateboarders in Miyashita Park, which is fun to watch, and Shibuya’s Nobei Yokocho, of which I recommend the bar “TIGHT”.
We recommend “ABOUT LIFE COFFEE BREWERS” for coffee, but our hotel uses the hotel’s original blend in collaboration with “ONIBUS” of the same group, which can be enjoyed in the hotel, including the “Shibrewya” cafe. You can enjoy it at the Shibrewya café and other places in the hotel.
For shopping, “COTE MER”, “THE FAT HATTER”, and Cat Street where these stores are gathered are great, and “DISK UNION” is recommended for purchasing music records. And don’t miss “SHIBUYA SKY,” an observation deck with great views and experiences.
–What restaurant menu do you recommend?
Being a vegetarian myself, I am happy to be able to offer a very diverse menu, including a vegetarian menu for everyone at our restaurant Gallery 11. I have many recommendations, but one menu item that I always make sure to order and never miss is the Shishito and Broccoli Dumplings. These dumplings are vegetarian and are made with cheese from one of our Neighborhood Partners, SHIBUYA CHEESE STAND. I order these wonderful dumplings every time and they are always my favorite.
I also really like the “Zucchini Moussaka” and highly recommend it. And not to be missed is the dessert “HITS Tiramisu” – HITS is Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya’s original coffee blend made from the wonderful ONIBUS beans, which are also used in this Tiramisu.
–What souvenirs do you recommend?
The hotel has some great souvenirs that reflect the Neighborhood Story. Hachiko is hidden in various places in the hotel, for example, he appears when you lift the saucer of the coffee cup in your room, he watches you from the bottom of the beer glass when you finish your beer, and in the “Gallery 11” space, several paintings by local artists are displayed. Hachiko will also appear in the paintings.
We also have some great photos of graffiti art and street art from the streets of Shibuya, and we have umbrellas with these photos on each panel, as well as origami paper using these photos. There is also a tea box with a wonderful original design box of tea from the Brew Tea Co. which is used throughout the hotel.
Hachiko beer glasses, umbrellas, origami paper, and tea boxes are all available at the Shibrewya cafe and make wonderful souvenirs for yourself or as gifts. And all of these souvenirs celebrate the Neighborhood and are only available here.
© Source travel watch
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