Art-based Hotel Will Complement Museum
by June 14, 2010 12:00 am 72 views
Steve Wilson is bringing his brand of 21c Museum Hotels to Bentonville.
That announcement was made June 8 at The Conference Center at Compton Gardens and attended by Wilson’s wife, Laura Lee Brown, as well as other 21c officials. The 130-room hotel, slated for a 2012 open date, is valued at $28 million and could result in as many as 160 permanent full-time jobs.
Wilson, founder and chairman of 21c Museum Hotels, said Bentonville was selected as the fourth home of one of his properties due to the ongoing construction of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
“Crystal Bridges is going to be a major art attraction in the world … and we’re very attracted to the idea of tourism based on art,” Wilson said, “so I look forward to being a complement to Crystal Bridges.”
The boutique hotel, which will feature more than 12,000 SF of exhibition, meeting, and event space and a 9,000-SF bar and restaurant, will be within walking distance of both Crystal Bridges and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters. Investors include a Walton family partnership and Bentonville Revitalization Inc.