The 10 Best Boutique & Design IHG Hotels, Based on Verified Guest Reviews - August 2026

Where the room was as good a reason to visit as the city.

A great design hotel is one guests photograph before they unpack — the rooftop igloos, the quirky lamps, the decor that feels rooted in its city rather than rolled out from a corporate template. We ranked these ten from verified IHG reviews, weighting how often guests praised the design, the character and the boutique feel, and how warmly. From a Nagasaki property built into a former church to Melbourne rooftop igloos, these are the hotels with genuine personality.

TORONTO, CANADA

1. Kimpton Saint George Hotel

Chic and characterful is the consistent verdict on this Toronto Kimpton — guests describe a conveniently located boutique hotel with friendly staff, comfortable rooms and a great layout full of boutique style, plenty of lighting and charging ports. Reviewers call the property charming and inviting. It's a design hotel that gets the fundamentals of boutique living right, where the look is matched by the practicalities a modern traveler actually uses, and that combination of style and thoughtful function is what guests single out as the reason it works.

The staff were helpful and welcoming, the room was great layout with boutique style, plenty of lighting and charging ports for devices, comfy bed.

— Lisa, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK

2. voco The Franklin New York

Charm in the classic sense defines this New York property — guests describe a beautifully maintained, charming hotel in a perfect location, full of lovely little touches like chocolate-covered biscuits on arrival and complimentary extras. Reviewers return to the word gracious. It's a boutique property that trades on intimacy and detail rather than scale, the kind of small, characterful New York hotel where the attention to the little things is the whole point, and guests describe it with real affection as a result.

The hotel abounds with lovely little touches such as delicious chocolate-covered biscuits upon arrival, several complimentary coffee drinks (produced with the aid of an awesome, imported espresso machine), a smart self-service snack bar/drug store for handy "oh I forgot" purchases that can be made right off the lobby area, and a charming 1929 elevator that is like a step back in time.

— PattieB, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

3. Vignette Collection Verno House Budapest

Style is the headline at this Budapest property — guests describe an outstanding stay in an ultra-stylish deluxe room with an excellent bathroom, and wonderful upgrades that revealed just how considered the design is. Reviewers describe it simply as a beautiful boutique hotel. It's a Vignette Collection property where the design genuinely elevates the experience, the kind of place where the room itself becomes a reason to extend the stay, and guests leave wanting to share their appreciation for how well the space was conceived.

The hotel is beautifully designed -- stylish and cozy with a true boutique feel.

— Henry, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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NAGASAKI, JAPAN

4. Hotel Indigo Nagasaki Glover Street

Few design hotels tell their location's story as literally as this Nagasaki property — guests describe a boutique hotel that perfectly combines modern design with rich local history, beautifully designed to preserve the timeless elegance of its church-inspired architecture. Reviewers praise how gracefully it honors its setting. It's a Hotel Indigo doing exactly what the brand promises: weaving the neighborhood's heritage into the building itself, and that authenticity of design, rather than generic luxury, is what guests describe being moved by.

Nestled in the heart of Nagasaki, this boutique hotel perfectly combines modern design with rich local history, making for an unforgettable experience.

— Ang AP, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

5. Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur on the Park

Authentic local character is the draw at this Kuala Lumpur property — guests describe a really cool new hotel with great decor that feels authentic to Malaysia rather than generic, plus great views, chic design and fun touches like the history books left in the rooms. Reviewers call it the perfect stay. It's a design hotel that resists the international-anywhere look, grounding its style in a genuine sense of place, and guests clearly respond to decor that tells them where in the world they've actually woken up.

Really cool new hotel, super clean, great views, great decor that feels authentic to Malaysia rather than just being generic like most of the hotels in the city, close to everything you would want to see.

— whitey, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

6. Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherd's Bush

Modern and polished is how guests describe this London property — a beautiful, modern, clean hotel with lovely mod cons, nice decor, great amenities and friendly staff. One frequent business traveler rates it among the nicest hotels they've stayed in across many countries. It's a design-led Hotel Indigo with an aesthetically pleasing ambience that holds up against far pricier competition, the kind of property where the contemporary styling and the standard of finish combine to leave a strong impression on guests who stay in a lot of hotels.

Beautiful, modern, clean hotel with lovely mod cons, nice decor and friendly staff.

— Sandi, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

7. Kimpton Palladian Hotel

The vibe is the headline at this Seattle Kimpton — guests describe great boutique touches, friendly, helpful staff always ready to assist, and a fabulous bar and restaurant that anchor the property's character. Reviewers call it a lovely boutique experience in a perfect location. It's a design hotel where the atmosphere and the social spaces are as carefully considered as the rooms, the kind of boutique property that feels like a destination in its own right rather than simply a place to sleep, and guests respond to that energy.

The vibe of the place was great- boutique touches, friendly and helpful staff ready to help, fabulous bar and restaurant, and an incredibly comfortable room.

— Micky, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

8. Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins

Distinctive design touches set this Melbourne property apart — guests love the decor, rate the bar amazing and single out the outdoor rooftop igloos as genuinely cool, alongside a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing dining room where breakfast is a highlight. Reviewers call it a great new boutique find. It's a Hotel Indigo with the kind of memorable, photogenic features, those igloos chief among them, that give a design hotel its identity, and guests clearly enjoy a property that offers something they haven't seen elsewhere.

Love the decor of the hotel, bar amazing and outdoor rooftop igloos are so cool!

— MummaJules, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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MILAN, ITALY

9. Hotel Indigo Milan - Corso Monforte

Beautifully designed in the Milanese tradition, this property delights guests with its detail — perfectly proportioned rooms with quirky touches like hat lamps and a traditional telephone, chic, modern, comfortable interiors and a breakfast room so beautiful that dining there became a highlight. Reviewers praise an outstanding staff to match. It's a design hotel in the world's design capital that lives up to its address, the kind of property where the thoughtful, characterful touches make a stay feel genuinely special rather than merely smart.

The rooms were beautifully designed: chic, modern, and comfortable, with thoughtful touches that made our stay feel special.

— Alyson, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

10. Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale

Laid-back boutique charm is the read on this Fort Lauderdale Kimpton — guests describe a stylish getaway with friendly service and great beach access, a cute boutique property with kind, helpful staff and immaculate, elegantly designed rooms. Reviewers describe staff going above and beyond to make them feel welcome. It's a beach-side design hotel that pairs a relaxed coastal mood with genuine boutique style, the kind of place where the elegant rooms and the easygoing atmosphere combine into exactly the stylish escape guests came looking for.

If you’re looking for a stylish, laid-back getaway with boutique charm, friendly service, and great beach access, Kimpton Shorebreak is a fantastic choice in Fort Lauderdale.

— Oriana, Verified Guest via IHG.com

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*How we ranked them: Every hotel on this list was identified through analysis of thousands of verified IHG guest reviews. Hotels are ranked by the proportion of reviewers who positively mentioned boutique design, weighted by review volume and sentiment. All reviews sourced from IHG.com.

Explore all 10 boutique and design hotels

CERTIFIED
Kimpton Saint George Hotel

280 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V8, Canada

4.36 (78 reviews)
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voco The Franklin New York

164 East 87 Street
New York, New York 10128, United States

4.52 (442 reviews)
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Vignette Collection Verno House Budapest

Október 6. u. 26
Budapest, H-1051, Hungary

4.84 (87 reviews)
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Hotel Indigo Nagasaki Glover Street

12-17 Minamiyamatemachi
Nagasaki, Nagasaki 850-0931, Japan

4.85 (65 reviews)
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Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur on the Park

No. 5, Jalan Puncak
Kuala Lumpur, 50250, Malaysia

4.62 (282 reviews)
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NEW TO IHG
Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherd's Bush

Richmond Way
London, W14 0AX, United Kingdom

4.95 (60 reviews)
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Kimpton Palladian Hotel

2000 Second Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98121, United States

4.21 (105 reviews)
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NEW HOTEL
Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins

288 Little Collins Street Blgd 2
Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia

4.73 (161 reviews)
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CERTIFIED
Hotel Indigo Milan - Corso Monforte

Corso Monforte 27
Milan, 20122, Italy

4.69 (442 reviews)
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Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale

2900 Riomar Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304, United States

3.95 (146 reviews)
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The cities where design hotels belong

Some cities are design destinations in themselves. Milan is the global capital of design, while Barcelona wears its Gaudí-shaped creativity on every street. New York and Miami drive American style, Berlin channels a raw creative edge, and Tokyo blends precision and playfulness like nowhere else. Melbourne rounds out a list of cities where a boutique hotel can hold its own against the design on the streets outside.

IHG brands with genuine design credentials

Hotel Indigo is IHG's neighborhood design brand, and it anchors this list — every property is shaped by its location's story, from a church-inspired Nagasaki building to Melbourne rooftop igloos, so no two feel alike.

Kimpton brings boutique character and a strong sense of vibe, with design-led rooms, characterful bars and the personal service that completes the boutique experience.

Vignette Collection gathers individually distinctive, design-forward properties under one banner — independent-feeling hotels like Verno House Budapest where the design is the reason to book rather than an afterthought.

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