Ironworks Hotel Indy opens with industrial style, modern amenities

Writer  /  Jon Shoulders

Photographer  /  Amy Payne

Amy Isbell-Williams, general manager of Ironworks Hotel Indy on 86th Street near Keystone Avenue, says the newly opened, 100,000-square-foot boutique facility combines a 19th Century industrial aesthetic with an array of modern touches and dining options.

Wisconsin-based Hendricks Commercial Properties (HCP) decided to build the hotel after observing the quick rise in popularity of its mixed-use Ironworks at Keystone development, which opened in 2014.

“After they developed the apartments next door they found that this is really a great location to invest in,” Isbell-Williams says. “Construction took a little over a year, and now we’ve been focused on staffing, training and presenting ourselves to the Indy community.”

The five-story, 120-room hotel officially opened on September 12 and features four room styles for guests to choose from, as well as a fitness center and three conference rooms. Reclaimed barn wood, reused piping and beams and even a repurposed crane at the main entrance all add to the facility’s distinctive style.

Dining options include Indy-based Cunningham Restaurant Group’s Provision, a 5,000-square-foot upscale dinner concept and Rize, a farm-to-table breakfast and lunch eatery. National chain Blue Sushi Sake Grill is slated for a December opening onsite as well.

“We also have Massage Heights which is a massage and facial spa, as well as a fast-casual restaurant with sandwiches and flatbread pizzas,” Isbell-Williams adds. “Cunningham is providing room service also.”

The hotel shares the 19th Century industrial character of its sister Ironworks Hotel in Beloit, Wisconsin, where HCP’s corporate headquarters facility is located. Isbell-Williams says the headquarters building itself is a converted paper mill formerly known as Merrill & Houston Ironworks, founded in 1858.

“When Hendricks took over that space in Beloit they were left with all these cool molds that the piece of art in the Indy lobby is actually made from,” she says. “Wisconsin in general has a really big industrial history, so that’s where they were inspired as far as the first Ironworks Hotel in Beloit. That visual concept worked well up there and they decided that the people here in Indianapolis would value it as well, especially with the lack of boutique hotels and lifestyle brands here.”

To further distinguish itself from competitors, Isbell-Williams says Ironworks is offering amenities and customer service touches that many other hotels have abandoned in recent years due to expense issues.

“People have gotten away from the full-service side of things,” she says. “For example, we’re giving complementary valet to all of our guests. We have a stocked minibar in every room, but what makes us a little special is we don’t have an outrageous markup for a lot of those items. So maybe you get to your room late and you want a bottle of wine, or grab a bag of M&Ms or popcorn while you watch TV, and you won’t pay a small fortune for it. We’re going back to those full-service basics when it comes to the hotel and service.”

To commemorate its opening, the staff at Ironworks hosted a grand opening gala on October 21 featuring live music, hotel tours, a beer garden and food from Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Sangiovese Ristorante and Cunningham Restaurant Group.

For additional details on Ironworks Hotel Indy including reservation information, call 463-221-2200 or visit ironworkshotel.com/Indianapolis.