Hotel Indigo Leeds

The building began life as the Cosmopolitan Hotel, dating back to around 1890. Over more than a century, it has witnessed the urban development of Leeds and the ebb and flow of the city’s fortunes. Although in recent years the property had grown somewhat tired, the refurbishment to convert it into a Hotel Indigo brand property restored its place as a top hotel, while retaining its deep links to Leeds’s heritage.

In designing the interiors, the new management commissioned Franklin Ellis to draw on Leeds’s industrial, textile and cultural legacies. The hotel design includes motifs referencing local industries (textiles, board games, film) in its room design. The refurbishment has also led to the establishment of a new restaurant and bar to serve both guests and locals.

While the building is not a grand Victorian palace, its longevity and location give it a modest but significant place in Leeds’s hospitality history. Some guests will appreciate that it is more than just a new build.

Hotel Indigo Leeds has 107 bedrooms spread across multiple floors. Standard rooms include a work desk, open-style wardrobes, a flatscreen television, tea-and-coffee-making facilities, and en suite bathrooms (with rainfall showers). The interiors are warm and modern, with design flourishes that reference local identity rather than generic minimalism that you may find in many other hotels.

The rooms are clean, well-maintained, and visually more contemporary than what you would have found if you had stayed when it was called the Cosmopolitan. The décor leans toward stylish boutique rather than austere luxury, with local references and occasional playful touches.

The hotel’s Banksia Bar & Restaurant has a focus on Mediterranean flavours with a menu built around local produce. Its interior will mix warm tones, botanical elements and relaxed seating, offering spaces both for casual drinks and more formal dining.

Breakfast is served in the Banksia. This normally comes at an additional £20 charge, although some accommodation packages, particularly if you’re booking multiple nights, include breakfast.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The Hotel Indigo chain is part of IHG, meaning that guests can earn points and status in IHG’s loyalty programme.

The hotel has an excellent location across the street from the Malmaison Hotel at the southern edge of Leeds city centre. It is at the southern end of Briggate (Leeds main shopping street) and at the western edge of The Calls (the gentrified area noted for its nightlife and restored brick warehouses). From here it is only a one-minute walk to the River Aire, a four-minute walk to The Tetley and a five-minute walk to the railway station. It is very close to Leeds main shopping districts and only a two-minute walk to Trinity Leeds and the Corn Exchange, a four-minute walk to Leeds Kirkgate Market and a five-minute walk to the Victoria Quarter.