Nicole S.
Yelp
Did you know: The founder of Vera Bradley -- the brand behind those ubiquitous flowered, quilted bags you see slung on every Hoosier woman's shoulders -- created a hotel? Technically, it was co-created by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard of Vera Bradley, and also Provenance Hotels, known for their boutique hotels. I guess it makes sense to have a Vera Bradley-themed hotel in Fort Wayne, because Vera Bradley's headquarters are in Fort Wayne.
Don't tell Vera (or Barbara), but I find VB purses and bags a little dowdy and old-fashioned, and I thought I would step into The Bradley and be greeted with a hotel decked out in the same frumpy aesthetic. But no! The hotel is sleek and modern, yet there are subtle details that feel touched by Vera Bradley's influence. For instance, my room had pops of coordinating colors and patterns mixing together to create a homey but chic look. The whole hotel is like that, really. They could have gone really heavy-handed with the floral prints in this hotel, but they restrained themselves, and the hotel is all the better for it.
Beyond the aesthetics, this cute hotel has nine specially designed suites, a rotating art gallery and two restaurants, including a rooftop bar. I didn't get to check out the restaurants or bar, but I definitely am the next time I stay here. (And there will be a next time!)
A quick head's up for people thinking of staying here with kids. Kids are absolutely welcome here, but The Bradley doesn't really have the things that a parent and kids might want, like a pool and free breakfast. The Bradley would make a great getaway for adults-only stays!
One small thing that vexed me during my stay was that I couldn't take the stairs to go up to my room, which was on the second floor. There are emergency stairs on each floor that go down, but you can't go up them because they are locked on the lobby floor, and unless you enter a code, which only the people who work there know, you can't open the stairs door. My personal ethos is to take the stairs for anything less than four flights, so it really perturbed me to have to use the elevator to go up and down a single floor. But I had no choice!
They have an OK fitness center here, with a couple of treadmills and one elliptical, which blessedly was free every time I visited the fitness center. There are also some free weights and cold towels, which were refreshing.
One thing to keep in mind is that valet parking is the default. I am a cheapo and don't generally like to use valet, but the only other option was a public lot a couple of blocks away, and that was only slightly less expensive than just doing valet. So I just did valet. For the most part, the valet attendants were quick to get my vehicle, except for check-out morning, when it felt like everyone was waiting for their vehicles at the same time.
The Bradley is located right in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, and it within easy waling distance to what seems like everything, including The Landing, a historic district that has multiple independent shops and restaurants.