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With the high demand for hotels in Shenzhen, more and more international hotel brands have been re-branded and upgraded and new comers also find a way to set foot into this megacity trying to capture the business by offering a unique accommodation experience to their guests. Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town located in a vibrant neighbourhood is no stranger to wanderlust travellers. mylifestylenews writes.
Like many large and first tier cities in China, Shenzhen is a large metropolis that keeps on increasing in population every year and now nudges 18 millions, a drastic transformation from a quiet agrarian fishing village in the late 1970s into a sprawling, futuristic smart global tech and financial mega city. It now has become one of the most sought after cities for innovative tourism in China.
The high-tech city of Shenzhen is not short on connectivity, whether it be the metro or trains, so totally well connected. We arrived in Shenzhen by fast train and transferred to the local metro line and the Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town was not hard to find and with a rather very short walk to arrive at the hotel.
First impressions of a hotel can quickly put you into the right mindset and this hotel was designed from its day of opening under a different brand around a Venetian theme, which may sound a little twee, but in actual fact creates a point of difference from the usual banal interiors many hotel brands create and get reborn in the neon lights.
Gondolas, mini bridges, mosaic tiles and marble floors, water fountains Juliet balconies as well as a forever-blue sky high ceilings together with works of art referencing Venetian images among many other details that tie in with the theme are to be seen without any blinks.
Ninfa Gallery, which you may have thought is a florist in the centre of the lobby that is woven with flower aesthetics, actually serves light food and beverages which doesn’t seem to gel into the thematic Venetian design.
As the Hotel Indigo brand DNA is fussy about connecting the neighbourhood culture, which in this case was not self evident, but the location was definitely within a vibrant neighbourhood and next to a lifestyle Overseas Chinese City Shopping Plaza in the heart of the Nanshan district.
While being distracted by the thematic interior design and deco, it became apparent to us very quickly that we had arrived at peak check-in time for the weekend, so the Front Desk was a little bit chaotic and flustered trying to accommodate all the arriving guests. Tong checked us in and she seemed distant at first, but warmed up and relaxed once we started going into more detail. The room was not ready, but she quickly reallocated and within a few minutes we were opening the door to our Premium Room on the 9th floor in a jifffy.
The 45sqm Premium Room greeted us with a bright and attractive interior design that was incredibly vivid and electric in design without any referencing of the thematic Venice from the hotel lobby. The beautiful wooden parquet flooring coupled with a blue half wall fluted panelling through the bed and living area, including a framed large window, which leads to a large outdoor balcony overlooking the “Windows of The World” theme park and across the water of Shenzhen Bay, with Hong Kong not so afar and visibly seen. A circular designer rug anchors the living/working area, on which is centred a marble coffee table and semi-circular sofa which segues into a large curved working desk with a very attractive lamp that creates a very eye-catching boutique hotel design setting aesthetic.
The King bed is to the right and has a beautiful upholstered green bed stool with one glass bedside lamp in pendant style and the other bold and gold design anchored hanging lamp that creates a clever juxtaposition of styles that added to the quirkiness. The black and white wall paper with a old glass clock print on top of the bed well contrasted with the entire vibe of the room that gave just the right balance for not taking over each other attention from the design point of view. We have had the pleasure of enjoying this room due to not over-designing and using the space wisely by not sticking to conventional norms, such as a circular shape within the square and the bedside lamps and tables, which are not uniform.
The minibar is stationed just inside the entrance and the living area and bed space is not cluttered. There was no coffee machine, but the tea bags were of a reasonable quality and there was a small selection of snacks and beverages to purchase should you feel the pangs of hunger. The TV sits on the wall opposite the desk and swivels which is never our cup of tea whenever a hotel room is designed that always occurs to us that our fatiged neck needs a proper spa treatment right after. Turn down service on both nights were rather done in a hurry and left a few things not being tidied up in order and only one side of the bed was done as well as slippers was placed only on one side and not properly arranged.
Sensibly, the Premier Room has been located an open plan hanging wardrobe behind the bathroom door and there it is floor to ceiling white marble with a small black rosette pattern which creates such a beautiful harmony and flow. There is a large single vanity and luxurious Shanghai Tang bathroom amenities are offered, plus a separate toilet and walk-in shower with a seat and you couldn’t possibly ask for anything more, not to mention a very strong shower pressure.
Another highlight of the Premier Room is the large free standing bathtub next to which are panelled shutters that open the bathroom up to the rest of the room, by the bed. We totally admired the entire bathroom design and a good hot bath is absolutely needed to enjoy a thoughtful well-designed bathroom with dedicated amenities. Overall, this would have to be one of the more attractive guest rooms in which the Hotel Indigo brand has done well.
Our room afforded us access to the “The Arcade” Club Lounge on the 16th floor with quite an attractive residential feel and ambience. As soon as you step out into the expansive lift lobby the Club Lounge reception desk is front and centre.
The Club Lounge is bright and comfortable and the main lounge area has plentiful of lounge chairs and sofas, adorned with marble top dining tables, a mix of fabric and buttoned leather arm chairs in browns and blues as well as pops of yellow and blue cushions that add to the residential mood of design. Each table was adorned with a vase of fresh carnations which is a nice touch.
The bar counter always had food and snacks on offer and well displayed. Balcony seatings can be in high demand during peak hours, otherwise choose your preferred seating on those sectionzed rooms along the long stretch of the Club Lounge closer to the reception with bookshelf units that breaks up the spaces for privacy. A small work desk with two computer terminals and a printer is also avialable at the quiet end of the lounge for those needing to do some work or catch up with the world outside.
Besides, the large domed conservatory at the other end of the Club Lounge with large floor to ceiling windows is another oasis to chill with light bright natural light flooding in. This is also where the mini buffet is served during the evening cocktail hour with a daily choice of hot dishes among some hor d’oeuvres and suhsi rolls.
Afternoon tea is very proper with beautiful teapots and teacups used, dainty pastries and finger sandwiches and glass candy jars full of a selection of biscuits, so this was an enjoyable experience as our first touch point after checking into the hotel just in time to enjoy the afternoon tea. A good selection of hot and cold food dishes were on offer and the service was quite attentive with easy and very good English communication.
Happy Hour in the lounge was equally enjoyable with a mini buffet spread in the conservatory with alcohol beverages served. Despite there was only one red and one white wine on offer, a few premium beers and a selection of spirits and liqueurs were available to quench your thirst. The same desserts get repeated from afternoon tea, but if you have been out sightseeing and have missed the afternoon tea, here you can enjoy.
The Club Lounge doesn’t serve breakfast and sensibly to be directed to the all day dining at the Campiello 26 on ground level just off the main lobby. Decorated as a gallery of art with contemporary paintings and sculptues that whisper on the walls.
The all day dining is massive, given the size of the hotel, so there were a number of different areas to accommodate guests, both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting).
The dining room ambience was beautiful – it looked like an upmarket bistro - with four different sections and no queues at peak hour and an enjoyable breakfast experience. The service team were roaming the floor and clearing tables promptly and even some chefs interacted with guests. A great team makes their best effort by delivering a very sumptuous buffet breakfast spread.
The open kitchen wafts the smell of cooking from each of the well designated cooking stations.The buffet is well spread out to create ease of flow and there was food aplenty, including (surprisingly) cooked prawns, fried food, steamed buns, a salad and fruit bar, cereals, cold cuts, hot and cold pastries, breads, and the list went on and couldn’t think of anything they had forgotten.
The breakfast spread ticked more than the usual boxes and also had two different coffee stations to ease congestion. The layout was attractive to the eye and while coffee lovers were well looked after, the tea was of banquet quality.
Apart from eating and sleeping, there is an extremely large outdoor pool – only open for summer – and a reasonably sized indoor pool, although it was very crowded during our stay at all times.
The sizeable gym is a little clustophobic and crowded as to how the layout was set and it also appeared to be many guests or members of the club in the gym without proper attire.
With the access to the indoor pool and change rooms through the gym this was rather strange, as there was water trailing everywhere from guests who didn't dry themselves in a proper manner, particularly children that created a lot of slipping hazards. The management should look into this by offering a more seamless experience for the in-house guests, but for our stay we opted out for the gym based on these observations.
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With the high demand for hotels in Shenzhen, more and more international hotel brands have been re-branded and upgraded and new comers also find a way to set foot into this megacity trying to capture the business by offering a unique accommodation experience to their guests. Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town located in a vibrant neighbourhood is no stranger to wanderlust travellers. mylifestylenews writes.
Like many large and first tier cities in China, Shenzhen is a large metropolis that keeps on increasing in population every year and now nudges 18 millions, a drastic transformation from a quiet agrarian fishing village in the late 1970s into a sprawling, futuristic smart global tech and financial mega city. It now has become one of the most sought after cities for innovative tourism in China.
The high-tech city of Shenzhen is not short on connectivity, whether it be the metro or trains, so totally well connected. We arrived in Shenzhen by fast train and transferred to the local metro line and the Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town was not hard to find and with a rather very short walk to arrive at the hotel.
First impressions of a hotel can quickly put you into the right mindset and this hotel was designed from its day of opening under a different brand around a Venetian theme, which may sound a little twee, but in actual fact creates a point of difference from the usual banal interiors many hotel brands create and get reborn in the neon lights.
Gondolas, mini bridges, mosaic tiles and marble floors, water fountains Juliet balconies as well as a forever-blue sky high ceilings together with works of art referencing Venetian images among many other details that tie in with the theme are to be seen without any blinks.
Ninfa Gallery, which you may have thought is a florist in the centre of the lobby that is woven with flower aesthetics, actually serves light food and beverages which doesn’t seem to gel into the thematic Venetian design.
As the Hotel Indigo brand DNA is fussy about connecting the neighbourhood culture, which in this case was not self evident, but the location was definitely within a vibrant neighbourhood and next to a lifestyle Overseas Chinese City Shopping Plaza in the heart of the Nanshan district.
While being distracted by the thematic interior design and deco, it became apparent to us very quickly that we had arrived at peak check-in time for the weekend, so the Front Desk was a little bit chaotic and flustered trying to accommodate all the arriving guests. Tong checked us in and she seemed distant at first, but warmed up and relaxed once we started going into more detail. The room was not ready, but she quickly reallocated and within a few minutes we were opening the door to our Premium Room on the 9th floor in a jifffy.
The 45sqm Premium Room greeted us with a bright and attractive interior design that was incredibly vivid and electric in design without any referencing of the thematic Venice from the hotel lobby. The beautiful wooden parquet flooring coupled with a blue half wall fluted panelling through the bed and living area, including a framed large window, which leads to a large outdoor balcony overlooking the “Windows of The World” theme park and across the water of Shenzhen Bay, with Hong Kong not so afar and visibly seen. A circular designer rug anchors the living/working area, on which is centred a marble coffee table and semi-circular sofa which segues into a large curved working desk with a very attractive lamp that creates a very eye-catching boutique hotel design setting aesthetic.
The King bed is to the right and has a beautiful upholstered green bed stool with one glass bedside lamp in pendant style and the other bold and gold design anchored hanging lamp that creates a clever juxtaposition of styles that added to the quirkiness. The black and white wall paper with a old glass clock print on top of the bed well contrasted with the entire vibe of the room that gave just the right balance for not taking over each other attention from the design point of view. We have had the pleasure of enjoying this room due to not over-designing and using the space wisely by not sticking to conventional norms, such as a circular shape within the square and the bedside lamps and tables, which are not uniform.
The minibar is stationed just inside the entrance and the living area and bed space is not cluttered. There was no coffee machine, but the tea bags were of a reasonable quality and there was a small selection of snacks and beverages to purchase should you feel the pangs of hunger. The TV sits on the wall opposite the desk and swivels which is never our cup of tea whenever a hotel room is designed that always occurs to us that our fatiged neck needs a proper spa treatment right after. Turn down service on both nights were rather done in a hurry and left a few things not being tidied up in order and only one side of the bed was done as well as slippers was placed only on one side and not properly arranged.
Sensibly, the Premier Room has been located an open plan hanging wardrobe behind the bathroom door and there it is floor to ceiling white marble with a small black rosette pattern which creates such a beautiful harmony and flow. There is a large single vanity and luxurious Shanghai Tang bathroom amenities are offered, plus a separate toilet and walk-in shower with a seat and you couldn’t possibly ask for anything more, not to mention a very strong shower pressure.
Another highlight of the Premier Room is the large free standing bathtub next to which are panelled shutters that open the bathroom up to the rest of the room, by the bed. We totally admired the entire bathroom design and a good hot bath is absolutely needed to enjoy a thoughtful well-designed bathroom with dedicated amenities. Overall, this would have to be one of the more attractive guest rooms in which the Hotel Indigo brand has done well.
Our room afforded us access to the “The Arcade” Club Lounge on the 16th floor with quite an attractive residential feel and ambience. As soon as you step out into the expansive lift lobby the Club Lounge reception desk is front and centre.
The Club Lounge is bright and comfortable and the main lounge area has plentiful of lounge chairs and sofas, adorned with marble top dining tables, a mix of fabric and buttoned leather arm chairs in browns and blues as well as pops of yellow and blue cushions that add to the residential mood of design. Each table was adorned with a vase of fresh carnations which is a nice touch.
The bar counter always had food and snacks on offer and well displayed. Balcony seatings can be in high demand during peak hours, otherwise choose your preferred seating on those sectionzed rooms along the long stretch of the Club Lounge closer to the reception with bookshelf units that breaks up the spaces for privacy. A small work desk with two computer terminals and a printer is also avialable at the quiet end of the lounge for those needing to do some work or catch up with the world outside.
Besides, the large domed conservatory at the other end of the Club Lounge with large floor to ceiling windows is another oasis to chill with light bright natural light flooding in. This is also where the mini buffet is served during the evening cocktail hour with a daily choice of hot dishes among some hor d’oeuvres and suhsi rolls.
Afternoon tea is very proper with beautiful teapots and teacups used, dainty pastries and finger sandwiches and glass candy jars full of a selection of biscuits, so this was an enjoyable experience as our first touch point after checking into the hotel just in time to enjoy the afternoon tea. A good selection of hot and cold food dishes were on offer and the service was quite attentive with easy and very good English communication.
Happy Hour in the lounge was equally enjoyable with a mini buffet spread in the conservatory with alcohol beverages served. Despite there was only one red and one white wine on offer, a few premium beers and a selection of spirits and liqueurs were available to quench your thirst. The same desserts get repeated from afternoon tea, but if you have been out sightseeing and have missed the afternoon tea, here you can enjoy.
The Club Lounge doesn’t serve breakfast and sensibly to be directed to the all day dining at the Campiello 26 on ground level just off the main lobby. Decorated as a gallery of art with contemporary paintings and sculptues that whisper on the walls.
The all day dining is massive, given the size of the hotel, so there were a number of different areas to accommodate guests, both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting).
The dining room ambience was beautiful – it looked like an upmarket bistro - with four different sections and no queues at peak hour and an enjoyable breakfast experience. The service team were roaming the floor and clearing tables promptly and even some chefs interacted with guests. A great team makes their best effort by delivering a very sumptuous buffet breakfast spread.
The open kitchen wafts the smell of cooking from each of the well designated cooking stations.The buffet is well spread out to create ease of flow and there was food aplenty, including (surprisingly) cooked prawns, fried food, steamed buns, a salad and fruit bar, cereals, cold cuts, hot and cold pastries, breads, and the list went on and couldn’t think of anything they had forgotten.
The breakfast spread ticked more than the usual boxes and also had two different coffee stations to ease congestion. The layout was attractive to the eye and while coffee lovers were well looked after, the tea was of banquet quality.
Apart from eating and sleeping, there is an extremely large outdoor pool – only open for summer – and a reasonably sized indoor pool, although it was very crowded during our stay at all times.
With the access to the indoor pool and change rooms through the gym this was rather strange, as there was water trailing everywhere from guests who didn't dry themselves in a proper manner, particularly children that created a lot of slipping hazards. The management should look into this by offering a more seamless experience for the in-house guests, but for our stay we opted out for the gym based on these observations.
Overall, it was quite an enjoyable staycation experience for us especially from the dining experience. The room interior design is definitely bold and eye-catching, and it sets this hotel apart from many others.
Apart from the blip at check-in, which was quickly resolved, we experienced some attentive service in all areas of the hotel. Jimmy Zheng at the Concierge desk was incredibly helpful in organizing an itinerary of sightseeing for us, not to mention his great English communication and very detailed in his directions.
Given the size of Shenzhen, there is no one place that is better than another, as all the sights are spread out over different parts of the city, so this location ticked all the necessary boxes. At least, the 354 guest rooms are well transformed and the neighbourhood takes you through the unique streets and alleys to explore the local experience.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5Housekeeping: 3.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town
9026, Shennan Road,Nanshan District, Shenzhen,Guangdong, ChinaTel: +86 755 2693 6888
Given the size of Shenzhen, there is no one place that is better than another, as all the sights are spread out over different parts of the city, so this location ticked all the necessary boxes. At least, the 354 guest rooms are well transformed and the neighbourhood takes you through the unique streets and alleys to explore the local experience.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 3.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4/5
Hotel Indigo Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town
9026, Shennan Road,
Nanshan District, Shenzhen,
Guangdong, China
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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