By ASHOK SOMAN

The InterContinental Hotels Group recently announced the opening of their boutique hotel brand, Hotel Indigo, in London. This marks the first extension of Hotel Indigo outside North America and is the first step in an expected 56-property global expansion.

The 64-room Hotel Indigo London Paddington, owned by London Town Hotels, is a row of converted Georgian townhouses on London Street, with a view of Norfolk Gardens. Like some other ventures of this nature, Hotel Indigo offers more personalized service and a cozier environment than a typical large hotel while offering the advantages of the group’s reservation system and loyalty program. Three more London properties are expected by 2012 while the first Asian property – in Shanghai, China – opens in 2010, tentatively.

InterContinental Group