21c Museum Hotels is a surprising growth driver for this mega-hotel company in the U.S.
When you think of Paris-based hospitality company Accor, brands like Sofitel, Raffles and Fairmont are likely the first things that come to mind.
The company's Ennismore offshoot of lifestyle hotels also includes well-known brands like Delano and The Hoxton. But it’s a brand with roots in the southern U.S. that is building up one of the largest footprints of any Accor brand in the U.S.
21c Museum Hotels — which just opened an eighth U.S. location in St. Louis in recent weeks — is bigger in this part of the world by property count than The Hoxton, Sofitel or SLS. The brand was launched by luxury art collectors Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2006. It's known for its art museums and restaurants as much as the guest rooms at each location. It also takes part in the Accor Live Limitless loyalty program.
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It might not have some of the notoriety of some of its sibling brands, but 21c Museum Hotels is clearly a growing option for lifestyle-driven travelers across the U.S. It’s unlikely the growth is going to slow down anytime soon — even beyond the brand’s significant concentration in the South and Midwest.
“We've got several pokers in the fire,” Sarah Robbins, 21c Museum’s chief operating officer, said in an interview with TPG. “If you looked at it on paper, you could deduce that this was the [geographic] strategy, staying kind of in the South or Southeast. But it was really where the buildings were, where the partners were, and it happened a little bit by accident.”
The St. Louis location, where weekend rates this fall start at around $200 per night, features a full-service wellness center with a pool, the popular Spanish-influenced Idol Wolf restaurant and a cafe that leans as much into decor as it does into locally sourced growers and purveyors. Handsomely decorated accommodations range from a twin-size bed Bunk Room to a 1,115-square-foot 21c King Suite — a two-story suite with a fireplace, kitchenette and personal fitness loft.
It might be the new show pony, but the brand has several other proeprties. In addition to the new St. Louis location and the original 21c in Louisville, 21c Museum Hotels has locations in Bentonville, Arkansas; Chicago; Cincinnati; Durham, North Carolina; Kansas City and Lexington, Kentucky.
Where 21c Museum Hotels goes from here
As for where the future 21c locations might be, Robbins hinted two of the active conversations are in the Midwest, but the rest are in “opposite directions.” She indicated the brand has previously looked at properties in Los Angeles, Miami and Austin. Still, she declined to get specific on where the brand would go after its latest opening in St. Louis.
But it’s a big win for both travelers and surrounding neighborhoods when a 21c Museum hotel comes to town. The projects are just as much a case of community revitalization as they are about bringing out-of-towners to the city.
21c Louisville is spread across five former warehouses dating back to the 1800s. Meanwhile, 21c Bentonville delivered much-coveted, high-end hospitality to the city in northwest Arkansas, a short distance from its famous Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. (There's also a complementary art museum within the hotel). The 173-room 21c St. Louis entailed the renovation of a Renaissance Revival-style YMCA building in the city’s downtown area.
“We hope that by us putting our stake in the ground that others will follow,” Robbins said. “It is great where it can be additive to a neighborhood that maybe doesn't have as much of an art presence. But if you look at Chicago, for example, you can hardly say that we're additive in some ways. It's not like, ‘Oh, they're really missing out on art.’ But it can be complementary, as well.”
The 21c Museum Hotels experience
Art is a significant brand standard for 21c Museum Hotels, and the 21c is a nod to art from the 21st century. Each hotel features contemporary art in a space open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Basically, you can feast on culture even when the kitchen is closed for room service.
“The best are the people that are coming in at nontraditional museum hours, and you can do that because it is 24/7. We really mean it,” Robbins said with a laugh. “There was an artist that was interviewed, and they said, ‘Looking at art at 3 o'clock in the morning is very different than looking at art at 12 o'clock on a Tuesday.”
The company also puts a significant emphasis on chef-driven restaurants at each hotel. This fits in with Accor’s broader lifestyle hotel strategy that banks on courting business from the surrounding community of nearby residents to keep bars and restaurants as bustling as the out-of-town guests staying upstairs.
“That one-two punch really makes a big impact, not only for the in-house guests but for the community as well,” Robbins said. “Those two avenues are the way that we really do feel like we're more part of the community than just dropping in from outer space and dropping our brand in.”
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.