The flag of Hotel Indigo, a hip boutique brand operated by InterContinental Hotels Group, will fly over the 350-room hotel being built as part of the $1 billion Metropolis development in downtown Los Angeles.

The 18-story Hotel Indigo Downtown Los Angeles is intended to serve growing hotel demand in the blocks near the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center. It is expected to open by the end of next year.

“Downtown is in the midst of a thriving resurgence,” said Elie Maalouf, chief executive of the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group. “We think Hotel indigo is very well positioned to serve that economic growth.”

Hotel Indigo is considered in the hospitality industry to be a competitor of the W Hotels & Resorts chain operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. Both W and Indigo are pitched for younger travelers and have fanciful designs that reflect their local settings.


The Hotel Indigo Downtown will incorporate elements of downtown’s past including the Fiesta De Las Flores celebration that originated in the original El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the glamorous pre-Hollywood nightlife scene and the underground speakeasies of the Roaring Twenties, Maalouf said.

The hotel will be at 899 Francisco St., north of the L.A. Live entertainment center and south of the financial district. The Metropolis complex lies along the Harbor Freeway between 8th and 9th streets.

Metropolis is being developed by Greenland USA, the American division of Greenland Group, one of China’s largest real estate developers.

“Hotel Indigo is a well-respected and sought-after boutique brand that embodies the unique experience we intend to provide to those who visit downtown Los Angeles,” said I-Fei Chang, chief executive of Greenland USA.


The hotel will employ more than 200 workers, she said. Hotel Indigo Downtown will be the eighth hotel InterContinental Hotels Group manages for Greenland Group.

In addition to the hotel, Metropolis will include three condominium towers with more than 1,800 units. The first phase, a tower of 308 units, has buyers lined up for more than half of its condos, Chang said.

Twitter: @rogervincent