Why we love it: An art-filled property that could only exist in Boise
The Highlights:
- Themed guest rooms that look great on Instagram
- An award-winning Italian restaurant
- An impressive art collection that lends a local feel
The Review:
Some upscale hotels feel impersonal, but not the 110-room Inn at 500 Capitol, which approaches interior design with refreshing whimsy. Its 57 themed rooms highlight various hobbies and interests, from the “Flicks Room” with movie star portraits and velvet ropes, to the “Best Friend Room” with dog sculptures and wildlife art. Even the “Standard” rooms are anything but, thanks to gas fireplaces, private balconies, and daybeds built beneath picture windows overlooking the Boise skyline. Hotel staff restock each room’s complimentary snack bar as it’s depleted, and more goodies await in the lobby, including complimentary beer and wine.
Making the inn even more desirable is Richard’s, the on-site restaurant run by Boise icon and James Beard–nominated chef Richard Langston that serves masterful renditions of classic Italian pastas and meats paired with Idaho-grown produce. The hotel also doubles as an art gallery (owner Brian Obie is an avid collector and painter in his own right), with a rotating array of works on loan from the Boise Art Museum, plus permanent pieces by Boise artist JanyRae Seda in the lobby. The kaleidoscopic chandelier that hangs above the entryway and the colorful sconces that fill the hotel are the work of another local artist, Filip Vogelpohl, while the stand of sculpted trees outside—a collaboration between Boise artists Ken McCall, Mark Baltes, and Leslie Dixon—turns the hotel’s doorstep into a city landmark.
