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IHG opens a Hotel Indigo in the Galapagos

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The big hotel brands are getting everywhere. Last year we saw Hilton open in the Faroe Islands and, if that wasn’t remote enough, a Curio Collection hotel opened in Santa Cruz in the Galapagos. This was a conversion of an existing 21 room hotel.

IHG has now jumped in with the opening of Hotel Indigo Galapagos on the island of San Cristobal. It is actually the first Hotel Indigo property anywhere in South America.

Like the Hilton property this is very modest, with just 35 rooms. To quote:

Hotel Indigo Galapagos

San Cristobal is where Charles Darwin took his first steps towards land in the archipelago and collected his first scientific specimens. The property thoughtfully weaves this storytelling into its design, creatively using immersive contemporary architecture. Coatings and details in wood and volcanic stone bring the island neighborhood’s aesthetic to life. Mindful and intentional design incorporates textures, materials, and shapes found in the local landscape, capturing its uniqueness through the interpretation of nature.

Modern, intimate guestrooms encourage rest and relaxation while celebrating the adventurous spirit of the Galapagos. Each is an ocean-view open space with a private balcony and features a lounging area with a minibar and state of the art amenities. Guests can enjoy their choice of King or Queen bedded rooms or one of its three suites, complete with sumptuous bedding, spa-inspired bathrooms, and state-of-the-art amenities. Public areas include a spa, gym, wellness patio, pool and jacuzzi, business center, gift shop and event spaces.

We have covered Galapagos travel before on HfP. Here is a review of the Finch Bay Galapagos hotel, submitted by a reader as part of our ‘My Favourite Hotel’ series.

We also ran this article on how to use Avios to get to the Galapagos. Now that LATAM flights are again available on Avios via Qatar Privilege Club (and some LATAM routes can be booked directly via ba.com) it is back as an option.

The Hotel Indigo Galapagos website is here.

IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

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Comments (17)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Keith says:
    25 Jun25 June 05:25

    110,000 IHG points a night for the Galapagos

  • His Holyness says:
    25 Jun25 June 06:56

    £280 is nuts. Glasgow hasn’t bounced back since Coronavirus and rates remain very low due to weak demand from the corporate sector and suffers from low tourism vs Edinburgh which is printing money. GLA CC feels neglected and there have been many shop closures.
    I doubt Virgin were rushing to open it.

    • numpty says:
      25 Jun25 June 09:33

      on the other had, I’ve always been told by people in the events industry there has always been a shortage of hotel rooms in Glasgow to meet the requirements of conferences and events, which was made only worse when the Hydro opened up. Which is a reason for the glut of hotels that have been opening up in recent years.

      There is also a shortage of premium hotel rooms, which is what I imagine Virgin are targeting, the Premier Inns are often the highest rated hotels on Tripadvisor!

      The Virgin hotel was ready to open last year, the excuse given was difficulty in finding staff (some of the managerial staff they did recruit have been getting paid since last year), doesn’t ring true though – and the very nice (and good value) Clayton Hotel opened up last year on the same street.

      • John says:
        25 Jun25 June 09:57

        Agree with both, I go to Glasgow a lot for business (never during conferences/events) and the hotels are always close to full even during the quiet periods, so when its a busy week there is definitely a shortage of rooms, particularly premium. But £280 is also nuts.

        • AnotherUser says:
          25 Jun25 June 14:45

          £280 isn’t far off the Glasgow Kimpton in summer – so I’m assuming there’s a market, if they can get it right. I’m definitely not the market for this – I’d book a midrange place instead of paying those cash rates in summer – but the Kimpton seems to keep busy

    • Chrisasaurus says:
      25 Jun25 June 15:29

      There’s not a lot high end though.

      There’s a citizen M which is halfway decent but the Hilton and Marriott are pretty tired and there isn’t a lot else around there that’s genuinely any good

      • hugol0ver says:
        25 Jun25 June 19:13

        Hilton? it’s fully refurbished. Maybe you mean DT, that needs a refurb.
        Check the rates in Glasgow, they’re a fraction of EDI. A friend of mine was offered GM in GLA and turned it down due to the yields as well as the status of the city. It’s hard to make money there right now.

  • Robert says:
    25 Jun25 June 09:30

    For the recent Hyatt summer promotion of double points, does it include existing bookings? I’ll start looking for a cheap mattress run if so thanks.

  • The Original Nick. says:
    25 Jun25 June 09:41

    I’m going to the Galapagos islands in November. There is only one direct flight from Quito (UIO) to GPS that I found and that was with Avianca and there’s only one flight on a Monday, Wednesday and a Saturday. Cash prices in economy were coming in at £350pp return.

    • meta says:
      25 Jun25 June 11:44

      Not sure where you’re seeing £350pp. Google Flights shows £232 return in November and if you don’t mind a stop in Guayaquil it’s £160pp or less if you fly from Guayaquil direct. Iberia also flies direct to Guayaquil.

      • meta says:
        25 Jun25 June 11:46

        Latam and Avianca both fly. You can also use miles.

        • The Original Nick. says:
          25 Jun25 June 19:02

          But if you take those fares you’ll have to pay $150 pp for entry onto GPS.

  • The Original Nick. says:
    25 Jun25 June 19:03

    I know I can use miles as I’ve done with SAS.

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