A Little Art with your Hotel?

How would you like to stay in a place where each room is a little different? Gone are the generic prints or canvases framed on the walls in each and every room, and environments that are interchangeable, you could be in Columbus or Chicago but you wouldn't know the difference just looking at the walls in your hotel. At 21c Museum Hotels, a new brand of boutique lodging, you not only have a comfortable room in a prime location, but the unique experience where museum and hotel merge into one.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati
(image credited to http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com)

I recently had the pleasure of visiting one of the 21c Museum Hotels in Cincinnati, not as a guest, but as a visitor to the museum, which is open to the public.  It's in the perfect location, right next to the Contemporary Arts Center and across the street from the Arnoff Center. The museum is made up of two floors of gallery space that is filled with ever-changing exhibitions. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mix of artists I recognized and some I didn't, art I liked and some I didn't. Their current exhibition is entitled Hybridity: The New Frontier, which explores the evolution of species and spaces. There are also a number of works that are apart of the Museum's permanent collection. Currently, there are three locations for these fabulous accommodations: Cincinnati, Louisville, and Bentonville, with more locations opening up across the south. 

Some may say that it will never last or its simply the new 'next best thing', but looking a little deeper at the company one finds at its heart good intentions that are being realized. Its founders are trying "to create both an economic driver for the community and an oasis where art challenges and amuses, stimulates conversation and provokes new ideas." They are promoting contemporary 21st century artists in a venue that embodies the century it was created in. So many places, small town and large city alike, are attempting to reinvigorate their downtown areas and with lodgings like this, it becomes a destination all on its own. So next time you are in Cincinnati, Louisville, or Bentonville and you are looking for a place to stay or a small museum to visit, check out 21c for an inspiring experience. 

~Caitlin