The Nightwatch suite is immersive in the best ways.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

Art seems to be everywhere at and around the 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati. You’ll find art outside and inside in unexpected places. This contemporary, eye-catching hotel is home to a contemporary art museum, and it is across the street from Aronoff Center for the Arts in downtown Cincinnati. It’s next to The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art.

The exterior of the 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati features works of art like its interior.

Peter Frank Edwards

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati was originally the Hotel Metropole when it opened on New Year’s Eve in 1912, and it was long loved as one of the most luxurious and enticing hotels in The Queen City. It was reimagined 100 years after it first opened by the architecture and interiors firm Deborah Berke Partners. The Neoclassical Revival architecture and original character of the historical hotel was preserved, and a contemporary, art-forward space was established that still greets guests today.

The yellow penguins catch your eye at the 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati.

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The Museum At The 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

The art galleries feature important works of art.

Felipe Rivas San Martín

The contemporary museum in the hotel has permanent and rotating exhibits. You don’t want to miss the exhibition Revival: Digging into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow; it will be on display until September 2025. It explores how the past still echoes in this current moment in time and much more. It’s full of beauty with works on display by artists such as Myrlande Constant, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, and Ebony G. Patterson.

FotoFocus Biennial: backstories is another exhibit that is currently on display and will be up until September 2025. It spotlights the work of visual artist and activist Felipe Rivas San Martín. He uses his voice as an artist to explore such important topics as the erasure of indigenous cultures of the Chile who were almost completely wiped out by European settlers. It also explores sexual diversity and how homosexuality was once against the law in his home country Chile.

‘Nightwatch’ By Chris Doyle

The Nightwatch installation brings your attention to nature and fantasy.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

At this hip hotel, immersive art experiences sometimes extend to guest suites. You can sleep in an art exhibition here! Nightwatch is a multi-sensory work of art by Chris Doyle that’s installed within a guest suite. It’s available for guests to book when choosing which type of room or suite they’d like to stay in.

You can relax and sleep within the art installation.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

Prepare to delight in the details when entering the Nightwatch suite. It’s different by day and night. When you first walk in during the day, you will notice the forest-inspired art that fills the walls, carpets, and even curtains. It all coordinates to help you feel immersed in both a surreal natural landscape and pure fantasy.

The art is all around you in this suite.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

At night, another kind of art comes to life. There are projections on the walls in both the bedroom and the living room of the suite that animate the art on the wall and brings it to life in a different way. A searchlight casts forms and designs on the wall in the bedroom and in the sitting area. In the bedroom you see birds in flight in a celebration of movement, color, and shadows.

Other Accommodations: Guest Rooms and Suites

Original artwork can be found in all the guestrooms.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

You don’t have to stay in the Nightwatch suite to enjoy artistic accommodations. The hotel has 156 spacious guest rooms and suites, and they all feature original artwork by Laura Lee Brown. You’ll also find custom tiles in each room that were crafted by Rookwood Pottery Company, a company that’s based in Cincinnati. The hotel has a local feel because many of the things within in are made or inspired by the city.

The corner suite is luxurious.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

The furnishings in each room are beautiful and chosen because they have a home-like feel. Although there seems to be a kinetic energy throughout the hotel with all the fascinating art, it was also carefully crafted to be a relaxing place to stay.

Things To Do At The 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

With the entire city conveniently at your feet when you stay at the 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati, you might be tempted to stay out for most of your trip. However, there are things you shouldn’t miss right within the hotel itself.

Metropole Restaurant is named in honor of the original hotel.

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The Metropole restaurant pays homage to the hotel’s original name. Its menu changes, and sometimes the vegan options are more abundant than others. Be sure to discuss your dietary needs prior to your visit and remind your waiter that you’re vegan when you sit down at your table.

The spa is the perfect spot to relax at the hotel.

21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

For maximum relaxation, book a treatment at the Spa at 21c. It offers such treatments as an oxygen facial, a deep-tissue massage, and an aromatherapy immersion treatment. There’s a little something for everyone no matter what you want to experience from your spa visit and from your hotel stay.