BENTONVILLE — Streams of people poured into the 21c Museum Hotel on Monday morning for their first peek of the rooms and artwork that make up the city’s newest hotel.
Hotel staff and city leaders lined up alongside 21c’s signature green penguin to cut the ribbon on a project that broke ground in December 2011.
“Bentonville has its own 21c Museum Hotel,” Mayor Bob McCaslin said.
At A Glance
Bike-Friendly
The 21c Museum Hotel provides bike amenities for local trails. Guests traveling with their bicycles and hotel employees can utilize the hotel’s bike lockers, and guests have the option of a bike valet. The hotel will provide free cruiser bikes for guests and bike rentals through a partnership with a local bike shop.
Source: Staff Report
The 104-room hotel took shape just northeast of the downtown square over the past 14 months. The angular gray brick facade and parking garage were ensconced behind chain-link fencing during construction.
Museum founder Steve Wilson said this 21c is the first of his three hotels that was “started from scratch” and not a revamp of an existing building. Other 21c hotels are in Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati.
Museum space fills the lower floor of the building at 200 N.E. A St., with a site-specific collection and rotating collections. The museum is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Bentonville collection includes commissioned works from eight artists from around the world. A Sudden Gust of Wind is a massive piece that floats throughout a room filled with natural light. More than 200 sheets of metal emulate the scattering of a stack of papers caught in the wind.
John Lamparski with the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau looked over A Sudden Gust of Wind and said it reminded him of the scene from the movie “American Beauty” where a plastic shopping bag dances on the wind.
The hotel features 12,000 square feet of exhibition, meeting and event space to house rotated, curated exhibitions and lectures.
The artwork provides a juxtaposition to the historical American art at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Wilson said.
“It’s a great way to fill out the art that’s available here,” he said.
The art museum was one factor in Wilson’s decision to locate in Bentonville. He said he believes Crystal Bridges will change the face of tourism in the region. The 21c Museum Hotel will provide visitors to the museum with a hotel option that complements the art experience, he said.
Hotel architect Deborah Berke said the museum will provide a draw between the downtown square and Crystal Bridges.
“I hope the architecture provides grace and delight to Bentonville,” she said. “We hope you enjoy the building.”
The hotel group is committed to downtown areas, Wilson said. He said it was unlikely a 21c would ever locate in a suburban area.
The hotel will be the largest downtown Bentonville hotel, joining bed and breakfasts and suite offerings at Merchant Flats.
“From a true hotel perspective, it’s one of our key assets,” said Daniel Hintz, director of Downtown Bentonville Inc.
The museum hotel will help continue the cultural momentum in Bentonville and around the region, he said. In addition to bringing a different art perspective to residents of Bentonville, the museum hotel will also bring international artists to experience the city, Hintz said.
No rooms were available on its opening night, but they are available beginning today. Prices range from $214 for a king room to $449 for a luxury suite.
The Hive restaurant opened two weeks ago for dinner only. Wilson said he views the hotel and the restaurant as separate identities, with the restaurant catering more to a local patron base.
“The restaurant is of a quality all on its own,” Wilson said. “It’s more about the local people.”