BENTONVILLE, ARK.- 21c Museum Hotels will build a new combination boutique hotel and contemporary art museum in downtown Bentonville, announced Steve Wilson, Founder and Chairman of 21c Museum Hotels.
This should be a a requisite overnight stop for ARTKABINETT collector members who visit the hometown of Walmart.
Our social network will obtain Kabinett Colleague discounts when the property opens in 2012.
The new hotel is being developed by 21c Museum Hotels and will be modeled on the award-winning 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, which was voted the #1 hotel in the U.S. and #6 in the world in the CondÈ Nast Travelerís 2009 Readersí Choice awards.
The estimated cost of the project is $28 million and is anticipated to open in two years. Investors in the project include a Walton family partnership and Bentonville Revitalization, Inc.
Wilson and his wife Laura Lee Brown are philanthropists and arts patrons and founded the flagship property in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006, with the vision of supporting the continued revitalization of downtown Louisville.
The critical acclaim and financial success of 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville have demonstrated the power of that vision, and Brown and Wilson have brought an important new cultural resource and economic engine to the community.
Members of the Walton family are committed to a similar vision for their hometown: to support the renewal of downtown Bentonville, and to create a hub for culture, entertainment and outdoor activities in the city.
"21c Museum Hotel is about bringing people together with art and each other in new ways," said Mr. Wilson. "It's our philosophy to provide an exciting cultural experience to travelers and community residents alike. We are excited to establish a new 21c Museum Hotel as a creative, educational and civic resource for the people of Northwest Arkansas."
Originally, Brown and Wilson did not envision expanding outside of Louisville.
But since the opening of 21c in 2006, they have been regularly contacted by people interested in adding to the existing arts and cultural life in their region through the development of a 21c Museum Hotel.
21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY is the first of its kindóa 90-room hotel dedicated to accessible luxuries, Southern-style hospitality and contemporary art from living artists, exhibited throughout its galleries and public space.
Among the many upscale offerings: iPods with a wide variety of music for guests' listening pleasure, award winning design and décor, poster art, 42" HDTV flat screen televisions, WiFi, 500 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets imported from Italy crowning the exquisite bedding, silver mint julep cups, gourmet coffee makers, mini-bar refrigerators, Malin + Goetz bath amenities, and nightly turn down and Concierge services.
The hotel also offers a full exercise facility with a steam room, sauna and spa services. And, of course, red penguins.
"The growth of 21c Museum Hotels is something that has happened organically," says Michael Bonadies, President and CEO of 21c Museum Hotels. "Its success has surpassed our expectations.
As a hub of global commerce and a rapidly emerging arts and entertainment destination, Bentonville is the perfect place for a 21c Museum Hotel.
We are excited to be part of the team that is making the Bentonville area an even better place to visit, live, work and play."
Since its opening in 2006, 21c Museum in Louisville has organized nearly 30 exhibitions and projects that range from exhibitions of internationally acclaimed artists to installations by students at local universities.
Recent exhibitions it has organized include: Creating Identity: Portraiture Today; Allís Fair in Art and War: Envisioning Conflict; Tangled Up in You: Connecting, Coexisting, and Conceiving Identity; and Hybridity: The Evolution of Species and Spaces in 21st-Century Art.
The Museum permanently displays a number of site-specific commissions and presents traveling exhibitions. Exhibition space will be open to the public free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, currently under construction, will be located approximately one third of a mile from 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Bentonville.
21c Museum Hotel will be located on the northeast corner of the Bentonville town square within walking distance of both the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the worldwide headquarters of Walmart.
It will feature more than 12,000 square feet of exhibition, meeting and event space, and an affordable restaurant that supports sustainable agriculture and serves contemporary cuisine showcasing locally grown and produced ingredients.
The project will bring an estimated 160 new permanent full-time jobs to the area
