21c Museum Hotels plans expansion through civic involvement

New York City–As all of the big brands work to achieve brand clarity in various ways, 21c Museum Hotels believes it has a style that clearly stands out.

The original property in Louisville, Ky., received a lot of attention for its design and concept—combining an art museum with a hotel. This attention sparked an interest in its owners to expand to 15 hotels within the next three to five years when they originally had no plans to build more than one.

“The positive feedback gave us confidence,” said Michael Bonadies, president and CEO. The focus for development will be cities—large or small—that fit the high-culture aesthetic of 21c. Bonadies wants the hotels to fit in with or become the start of a larger art scene.

For example, its next hotel will be built in Bentonville, Ark.—not because of the city’s name value and size but because Bentonville is striving to add several new cultural components. The $28-million project is being funded in part by the Walton family (Bentonville is the headquarters for Wal-Mart) and Bentonville Revitalization, and is expected to break ground this fall. Other cities under development are Cincinnati and Austin, Texas.

Bonadies wants 21c to focus on “community involvement and finding local partners. We want to demonstrate our ability to give back and create civic pride. Civic support is critical.”

And it’s that message of art and local partnership that Bonadies thinks will help development as cities will want a 21c Museum Hotel to come to town.

“The art changes so much,” he said. “Cincinnati had strong [financial] incentives involved to bring us in. It’s critically important.”

All 21c Museum Hotels will be owned and operated by 21c with no plans for franchising.