Location + Hotel Overview:
Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel is a $75 million reinvention of the iconic 1916 Blackstone Hotel located within Omaha's historic Blackstone District, a burgeoning destination in Omaha, NE known for art, entertainment, boutique shops & good eats.
The hotel opening is a key development in the renaissance of the Blackstone District. The hotel developers, principals of Clarity Development and GreenSlate Development, have played an important role in the rebirth of the area over the last seven years.
The eight-story building, a prime example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture, was declared an Omaha Landmark in 1983 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Significant historical and design elements of the original hotel will be restored.
The hotel will be comprised of 205 guest rooms including 31 suites, a resort-style swimming pool and expansive pool club, a classic steakhouse and innovative mixology-forward cocktail lounge, a cafe serving French-inspired fare, high tea served daily, a spacious solarium, and a rooftop terrace ideal for both social events and leisurely taking in the view.
A Curated Taste of Omaha: The Kimpton Cottonwood will have five food & beverage concepts. Omaha neighbors in the District, including Archetype Coffee, Coneflower Creamery, and Scriptown Brewery, will be featured on menus, which will also honor the former Blacktone Hotel's rich history. For example, the Reuben sandwich was invented by Reuben Kulakofsky during a weekly poker game held at the original Blackstone Hotel and the sandwich was later introduced to the world in 1925 on a hotel menu. The hotel also debuted butter brickle ice cream in the 1920s. Both will be honored and served at the hotel.
Destination Art: The property's 50+ piece collection, entirely produced by Nebraskan artists, will be the first-ever hotel curation by community activist and artist Watie White. Watie describes the collection as "a certain autobiography of Omaha" and deeply connected to the city. One of the hotel's five commissioned pieces by Omaha-born BIPOC fiber and textile artist, Celeste Butler, is a dynamic quilt display incorporating materials from the original Blackstone Hotel, such as a rusted shower drain and Cottonwood leaves from property grounds. Celeste describes her process as "a constant evolution of salvaging, gathering, deconstructing, and assemblage that when woven together are the common threads that connect the stories of life."
Ingrained in the Community: The former Blackstone Hotel was the epicenter of the city's social scene and a destination for some of the biggest celebrities and dignitaries such as Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt. Upon reopening as The Kimpton Cottonwood, in addition to featuring a plethora of Omaha businesses, artisans and artists, the hotel will play host to a robust, ongoing schedule of seasonal events and regular entertainment and return as the Blackstone District's centerpiece for entertainment, dining and socializing.