Hotel Reviews
Travel Tuesday: Le Meridien Indianapolis Hotel Review
When I attended GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana last year, I was taken aback by how many hotels there were in the area — and how many of them were sold out when I went to book. That’s how I ended up at the Conrad Indianapolis. This time around, it was the Conrad that was booked up, leaving me to find a different Indiana Convention Center option. After looking up options, I landed at the Le Meridien Indianapolis.
So how was my Le Meridien stay and how did it live up to my previous Indy experience? Let’s take a look at what to know about this property.
Le Meridien Indianapolis Corner Guest Room Review
About the hotel and booking
The current Le Meridien Indianapolis was previously the Canterbury Hotel. This fact was only brought to my attention because a sign for the Canterbury Hotel Fitness Room can still be found on the property (although the area isn’t actually used). Apparently the Canterbury was well known, but closed in 2013 to make way for the Le Meridien.
Something else to note is that, while this location isn’t far from Indy’s Meridian Street, there’s no relation (hence the different spelling). Instead, Le Meridien is a chain that’s part of Marriott Bonvoy.
In turn, if you’re looking to book a stay at Le Meridien Indianapolis, you can do so on the Bonvoy website. That’s how I booked this time around as, due to GenCon, using Marriott Bonvoy points was far more cost-effective than paying cash. Of course, the property can be found on various third-party travel sites and portals as well.
Parking
On the location’s site, it only lists valet parking. So, when I pulled up to the curb in front of the hotel, I was a bit surprised to be asked “valet or self-parking?” As it turns out, there is a parking garage right across Illinois Street, which is also where the valet will park your car. Nevertheless, since I’d already planned on using valet, I stuck with it — even though it came at a cost of $49 per day. Luckily, though, this option proved to be quite convenient and it was a positive experience overall.
Checking in and elevators
The lobby of Le Meridien is mere steps from the valet area. That’s partially because the lobby isn’t very big. This proved not to be a problem, though, as there wasn’t a line when I arrived. Seeing as it was GenCon time, though, the area was decorated with Zelda decor, 20-sided dice, and more.
Within a couple of minutes, I had my keys in hand and was ready to head upstairs. This is when I learned that the elevators at Le Meridien are also pretty small. At most, I’d say you could probably fit four people (similar to the Tiger Hotel, actually). Despite this, though, I found that these two elevators were rarely busy. Even though the hotel was presumably near capacity, there were only one or two occasions where I needed to pass up on a ride due to a full elevator car. That means this tiny but efficient bank of elevators gets a passing grade from me.
The room
Before we get to the room itself, I do want to continue the theme and note that the hallways of the Le Meriden are pretty narrow. Since there weren’t too many rooms on each level, I never had to try to pass someone in the hall — but doing so might have been a bit of a challenge. In particular, I did fear crashing into someone as I rounded the corners while headed to my room, but this didn’t happen either.
The good news is that the “small” trend ends with the actual room. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it turns out that I was in a different room type than the standard. Looking at their site, the Classic room measures 232 square feet while the Deluxe is 256 square feet. Oddly, my room type is listed simply as “Guest Room” but specifies that it’s a corner room. This one measures 296 square feet, so it is decently larger than the standard.
Walking into the room, the first thing I noticed was the standalone desk. More important, on top of the desk was an Illy coffee maker. Using this machine and the provided pods, you could make either espresso or a larger cup. That said, don’t expect a full cup of coffee out of this machine. While I definitely enjoyed being able to get some coffee and actually found the decaf espresso to be the perfect dessert accompaniment, I still wanted more coffee on most days (as you’ll see later).
Another practical amenity built into the desk is a mini fridge. This was great for holding some of my leftovers… although the lack of a microwave meant that I couldn’t fully revive them in most cases. But I’m always happy to have a fridge and this one worked well.
Speaking of working well, jumping ahead to the bathroom, the shower at Le Meridien may be among my favorites I’ve ever had in a hotel room. The look was nice, to be sure, but where it really impressed was with the water pressure and temperature. I absolutely loved relaxing in this shower — which is why the only other thing I’d want from it is a built-in bench. Short of that, though, this was amazing.
Back in the bedroom, the king-sized bed was fairly comfortable while the nightstand next to it was much appreciated. Unfortunately, though, the reading light above the nightstand would strobe a bit when turned on, so I had to keep it off. Behind the bed was a striking wallpaper that seemed to mash up maps and a kaleidoscope. Whatever it actually was, I liked the look of it.
All things considered, my room at Le Meridien met my needs in some key ways. That starts with coffee and extends to the shower. Plus, having an accessible minifridge that isn’t a minibar is another win. These elements all made for an enjoyable five-night stay.
Mall and SkyWalk access
As I mentioned in my review of the Conrad Indianapolis, one of the best aspects of attending a convention in the city is that a great portion of it is connected via SkyWalk. Not only can you go from several of the hotels, as well as the Circle Centre Mall, to the Convention Center without stepping outside but the Convention Center then connects to Lucas Oil Stadium as well.
In the case of Le Meridien, access to the SkyWalk is found by going through Circle Centre Mall. Guests can exit at Level 2 and follow signs for the mall. Once you’re past those doors, you’ll take the escalator up one level and then make a U-turn to head to the SkyWalk.
To my slight surprise, the Le Meridien was even closer to the Convention Center than the Conrad was. Curious about just how close it was, I decided to time my walk one morning. The results: from the time I set foot in the hotel elevator to the time I broached the threshold of the Convention Center was 4 minutes and 17 seconds! Now that’s convenient.
Heading back to the Le Meridien was also oddly fun. Basically, you head down an unassuming hallway that otherwise just houses a set of restrooms. At the end of the hall, though, you’ll find a small sign for Le Meridien. Just tap your room key and you’ll be able to open the door, head down a small set of stairs, and you’ll be back on the second floor of the hotel. It kind of felt like entering a speakeasy… if, of course, speakeasies were built next to Lids shops.
Jokes aside, I really love how easy it was to get to the Indiana Convention Center from Le Meridien. In fact, aside from check-in and check-out, I only saw the lobby of the hotel one other time since this mall entrance option made it so easy to go to the show, find food, or do whatever else. Speaking of food, though…
Dining and more
Le Meridien Indy is home to the Spoke & Steele Restaurant. This location also offers the hotel’s in-room dining. Alas, during my stay, I never ended up eating there.
Instead, between being attached to a mall and being planted firmly in the downtown district, there are plenty of dining options to be found within minutes of Le Meridien. I won’t bore you with a list of the places I ate (honestly, most were chains anyway, unfortunately), but I do want to shout out two coffee shops I enjoyed.
The first is Command Coffee, which is on Monument Circle — about a five-minute walk from the hotel. I opted for a pour-over that proved to be quite pricey but was, indeed, delicious. As for the other shop, it was a much longer walk but well worth it! That would be Coat Check Coffee, about a mile or so from Le Meridien. So, if you feel like taking a break from the in-room Illy, I’d recommend taking a stroll to one of these shops.
Final Thoughts on Le Meridien Indianapolis
For the second year in a row, my desperation to book one of the only available hotels around GenCon worked out in my favor. As it turns out, Le Meridien Indianapolis is a lovely hotel that offers easy access to the Indiana Convention Center and beyond. Admittedly, the “speakeasy” back entrance to the property also made me feel special each time I had a chance to use it.
Comparing the Conrad to Le Meridien, I think I’d say I preferred the latter overall — even if it’s a tight race. While Conrad has a more luxurious lobby, the rooms at Le Meridien feel more modern to me. And although the Conrad offers easy access to the Artsgarden, Le Meridien is simply closer to the Indiana Convention Center (and you can still get to the Artsgarden by going through the mall). Granted, since I booked both with points, I can’t speak to the actual pricing of either room, which would absolutely be a factor.
Ultimately, if you’re headed to a convention in Indianapolis or just looking for a place to stay downtown, Le Meridien Indianapolis could be a great and convenient pick.
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