The Hotel Indigo, the InterContinental brand’s first crack at a boutique hotel format, tempts the senses with a refuge from the desert of humdrum hotels in the surrounding beige block of the downtown business district.

Busting open the roof of this one-time YMCA brownstone created an expansive atrium flooded with natural light.

Throw in a bubbling fountain scripted with motivational cues, pump in uplifting aromas (tropical fruits for summer, heavier smells like pine for winter), fire up a lobby fireplace and, presto, the cold Ottawa winter doesn’t seem so long.

Inspired by an ancient design concept known as Phi (also the name of the hotel’s sleek restaurant/bar), Indigo’s balance of the beauty of pure colours, fresh flowers, large wall murals, coupled with the luxury of Aveda-stocked spa showers, plush duvets, over-stuffed sofa chairs and LCD big-screens, make for harmonious relaxation and renewal.

Rates start at $139.