Hotel Indigo opens; features local artwork

Hotel Indigo opened quietly in downtown Athens this weekend, providing complimentary rooms Friday to some of the workers who helped build the College Avenue hotel and hosting corporate staff Saturday night.

Rialto Property Partners of Atlanta, the developer and owner of Hotel Indigo, held a "soft opening" but would have offered rooms to paying customers as well, said Rialto managing partner Barry Rutherford.

"We wanted to give the hotel's management staff an opportunity to practice with non-paying guests," Rutherford said. "We figured (these) guests will be a little more forgiving."

Rialto invested more than $20 million in the 130-room hotel, which meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines as outlined by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage environmentally friendly construction.

Hotel Indigo, located at 500 College Ave. just north of downtown, features a cafe and bistro, an art gallery managed by Mercury Art Works of Athens, a fitness center and a 7,000-square-foot private concert hall that can be rented for events like wedding receptions.

The hotel has 12 suites, and three of them can be configured into a three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot penthouse.

The new hotel is categorized

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