designphilia: Postcard Inn

I love boutique hotels. I often catch myself on random websites making mental wish lists of places I would like to visit. For my first blog entry on a boutique hotel I've chosen one that exemplifies my appreciation for this breed of hotel. I read about the Postcard Inn last year in Interior Design and recently ran across it again the other day and experienced the same [almost] cheesy excitement.
Located in St. Pete Beach near St. Petersburg, FL. They didn't name this hotel Postcard Inn for nothing, a slice of Americana right on the beach, is something worthy of writing home about. Reason #1 why I love this hotel: it used to be a Travelodge until last year, I will always give thanks for any space that is re-used and not scrapped for something new. Postcard Inn has a surf theme. Honestly, I don't typically care for themed spaces but this hotel is beautifully simple and so well put together. It is vintage yet new, classic and modern, casual and hip, there is a sense of youth and excitement, all around they pulled off the retro surf vibe. To top it off the design team SLDesign worked on a limited budget, even making some of the hotels best features themselves, to provide for a hotel that looks amazing and doesn't cost the guests an arm and leg to stay.
The Postcard Inn has 196 guest rooms, including 16 bungalows. Each room this unique and features art done by local artists. Vintage surfboards, bold and bright patters, a mixture of materials and textures make each room feel one of a kind. Love the wall of skate decks. There is so much going on at PCI with the different styles and colors yet it is so minimal and not overdone...not easy to pull off!