Ever want to spend the night in an art museum? The Alexander Hotel in downtown Indianapolis offers an experience that might come close to that. Opened January 2013, the contemporary and comfortable Alexander Hotel is filled with art curated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art: paintings, sculpture, photography and graphic design. Each guestroom has its own one or two pieces of individualized art, with no two rooms alike.
Formerly a parking lot, The Alexander is a colorful and stylish center for Indy’s CityWay, a new kind of neighborhood in the heart of the city with gardens and trees, plus places to play, work and stay. The Alexander’s prime location is across from Banker’s Life Fieldhouse (home of the NBA Pacers) and within walking distance of the Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the NFL Colts).
The Alexander Hotel in downtown Indianapolis — Photo courtesy of The Alexander Hotel
The Alexander offers 157 guest rooms and 52 extended stay rooms. Guest rooms have complimentary Wi-Fi, refrigerators, waterfall showerheads in roomy shower stalls, desks, flat-screen TVs and complimentary rollaways and child cribs, which must be reserved ahead of time. Microwaves cost $10 nightly and must also be reserved head of time.
A 24-hour fitness center includes treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes and weights. For some fresh air, use one of the complimentary bicycles for a ride along Indy’s cultural trail. Afterwards, get a soothing massage from an on-call masseuse in one of the hotel’s two treatment rooms.
Check in is at 3 p.m. and check out is 11 a.m. A nice extra at The Alexander is, if you arrive prior to 3 p.m., you can leave your luggage with Guest Services and enjoy complimentary beverages in the main lobby until the room is available. All rooms are non-smoking, with all designated smoking areas located outside the hotel.
The Alexander has an attached garage and offers valet parking at $29 per night with unlimited in and out privileges, as well as self parking at $25 per night with in and out privileges.
To stay a little longer at The Alexander, book an extended stay room. Rooms come complete with a spacious living room and fully furnished kitchen. For extra convenience, there’s a coin-operated laundry facility or a personal washer and dryer for $40 a month. Two bedroom suites also offer a private patio.
Dogs 50 pounds or less can stay with guests in extended stay rooms for a $25 non-refundable cleaning fee.
Extended stay includes a daily complimentary breakfast buffet at the on-site restaurant, Market Table, which serves breakfast and lunch daily.
Alexander Executive Chef Jeremy Martindale has created a room service menu that makes dining in a pleasure, with choices like charcuterie, crab cakes, ruby trout, PEI mussels and chorizo hash. Lighter nibbles include truffle popcorn and da Vinci gelato, plus local beer and wine to wet your whistle.
For a relaxing drink and some tasty munchies, stop by Plat 99, an upscale cocktail lounge in the hotel. The Plat menu offers everything from short ribs to grilled cheese, edamame to corned beef sliders and bunches of sweets.
Décor in Plat 99 features a cool, contemporary vibe designed by Cuban-born artist Jorge Pardo, including 99 blown-glass pendant lamps above the lounge and another 20 lamps suspended above the grand staircase.
The drink list is an education in itself. Not only does it carry creative concoctions, but it also tells when the drink was created and by whom. Take, for example, the East India Cocktail made in 1882 by Harry Johnson with cognac, raspberry liqueur, triplo, maraschino and angostura bitters. Or the Green Lantern, whipped up by William Mohring in 2014 with mezcal, machu pisco, gin, egg white, simple syrup, lime and sea salt.
For more info, visit The Alexander's website.
