Emmanuel Gardinier has been the general manager of the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonvillesince it opened in 2013. 21c has a contemporary art museum and The Hive restaurant as part of the hotel.
Gardinier, 54, is a native of Paris and managed hotels in Switzerland, France and the French West Indies before becoming managing director of the Planters Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. He was also general manager at Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in the Florida Keys.
Gardinier graduated with a hotel management degree from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland.
Are there any special considerations in managing a hotel property with a museum?
Indeed, we consider ourselves a museum of contemporary art first, then we happen to have guest rooms and a restaurant. Art is a huge part of what drives us. It allows us to do things very differently and to bring an incredible layer of creativity and a unique experience to our team and our guest. Like any museum, we have great respect for the work of artists and the conversations they start.
