Quick Hits: Hotel EMC2 Opens in Chicago

Image courtesy of KOO

Who ever said science wasn’t sexy never anticipated Hotel EMC2. The new property, which opened yesterday in River North, was inspired by–you guessed it–Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The hotel, part of the Autograph Collection, is the brainchild of SMASH Hotels president Scott Greenberg (owner of theWit), who set out to build a space that embodied the intersection of art & science.

Boring academia, however, the hotel is not.

Photography by Darris Lee Harris

“I have always been fascinated by art and science, and I’m truly ecstatic to bring a hotel experience like this – geared toward both left- and right-brained guests – to Chicago,” said Greenberg. “At the core of our hotel is the idea of inspiration; we want to ignite guests’ imaginations while educating and challenging them to channel their inner explorative spirit.”

Courtesy of Rockwell Group

The quirky-cool space, inspired in part by 1920s science laboratories, was designed by Chicago’s KOO Architecture along with renowned New York-based interiors firm The Rockwell Group (the latter which also lead the design of The Virgin Hotel). Besides brains and beauty, Hotel EMC2 is also taking the term “Hospitality” to a new level. EMC 2 and the Autograph Collection have partnered with local STEM organization Project SYNCERE (Supporting Youth’s Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments) to pledge a combined minimum annual donation of $90,000.

A genius idea indeed.