Hotel Indigo, located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, has now rebranded its Phi Bar & Bistro and Phi Terrace to incorporate more local flavor and less confusion. “The Hotel Indigo brand was originally designed around mathematics,” said hotel spokesman Patrick McTigue. From welcome letters in the form of haikus to the Fibonacci sequence subtly incorporated into room designs, Hotel Indigo represents a calculated, well-balanced and high-style design in all of its amenities. In keeping with the trademark, the hotel’s restaurant-bar, located on the first floor of the hotel, and the rooftop terrace bar, located on the ninth floor of the hotel, were both named “Phi,” referring to the naturally-occurring “golden ratio.” Therein lay the confusion. Few guests could pronounce the name. Even fewer understood the rationale behind the title. Furthermore, guests could easily mistake one food and beverage venue with the other as both shared the same name. The rebranding of the food and beverage outlets came with more than just a new sign. The menu expanded to incorporate more local flavor catered to guests’ desires. “When we opened the restaurant, the food and beverage options were more limited and focused on small entrees. Guests liked the small entrees, but they wanted something more,” McTigue said. Table 509, formerly Phi Bar & Bistro, is an open-air style restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and a new, expanded menu featuring seasonal, local produce from farms such as Crows Pass in Temecula. Herbs used for gourmet items on the menu are grown just about as local as they come — on the ninth floor terrace. Level Nine, formerly Phi Terrace, is the hotel’s rooftop terrace bar that overlooks Petco Park. In keeping with the hotel’s locally-inspired fresh design and sustainable building practices, the terrace is complete with a “green roof,” a moisture-shield composite deck made from polyethylene plastic and recycled wood fibers, and a fresh herb garden. Events such as the once-monthly “Canine Cocktail Hour” bring out-of-town guests and local residents together with their pooches to enjoy rooftop treats of both the human and canine varieties. Live music will coordinate with the upcoming Padres’ baseball schedule to bring fans to the sunlit terrace that overlooks the stadium. Hotel Indigo is located at 509 Ninth Ave. For reservations, call (619) 727-4000 or visit www.hotelsandiegodowntown.com.
