Boutique Design - March 2019 - 18

21C MUSEUM HOTEL K ANSAS CIT Y, MISSOURI
21C MUSEUM HOTEL NASHVILLE

Whether it's helming a hotel company or competing on the
U.S. equestrian team in the pair driving event at the 2017 World
Championships (he was 69), Wilson operates at high speed.
Having mastered the learning curve in secondary cities, he set his
sights on making 21c Museum Hotels a lifestyle contender in the
center ring. Step one was closing deals on projects in Chicago
and Nashville. Step two was to get to a point where the company
didn't have to rely on its own balance sheet for growth, especially
in Top 20 cities.
The man who reportedly was laser-focused enough to buy
$117,000 worth of art in 37 minutes at Art Basel Miami Beach
applied that same filter to assessing prospective investors. His
choice, and that of his leadership team: AccorHotels. "We didn't
have to sell; nor were we in a hurry to sell. But, they got what we
were about," says Wilson. And, the acquisitive French giant
agreed to Wilson's and Brown's mandates that the properties
continue to be multi-hyphenate museums/restaurants/hotels;
that the couple would continue to collect and curate the art; that
they would retain a 15% stake and that Wilson would be involved
in the choice of development sites.
Wasn't it hard to step out of the spotlight? "Actually, it was
somewhat liberating," he says. "I was worrying about a lot of things.
The thing I brought to 21c Museum Hotels was my creative ability.
But, the bigger we got, the more my attention had to go to HR,
balance sheets, bankers and loans. Even with all that Craig was
contributing, those responsibilities weighed on me. I felt responsible to our 1,000 employees. I always had to be perfectly smart,
had to pick the right deal, hit the right percentages. Selling the
controlling stake and announcing my retirement in 2017 (Greenberg is now president and ceo, and Wilson retired from his position
as chairman of the board in 2018) means I can be competing in a
pair driving event rather than sitting at my desk (numerous inju18

boutiquedesign.com MARCH 2019

ries haven't been a deterrent). Now my involvement will be focused on what I
love doing-purchasing art and selecting the right locations for our properties.
I'd like to go international, but our agreement with AccorHotels will keep our
development within North America for several years." It was also good for this
self-professed introvert. "It would be easier not to go on the TED (Talks) stage or
put on funky clothes. But I feel I have a role in the community," he says. "I'm
always pushing myself to be that person and not get distracted and not withdraw," he says. His secret sauce: "I tell myself there's no way to turn back. Like the
sign on my wall says, 'Just Do It.'"
So, even while the "Death Clock" (the aka for Austrian artist Werner Reiterer's "My Predicted Lifetime" piece with an LED display that counts down to the
date actuarial tables estimated as the end of a 70-year-old man's lifespan) clicks
off the seconds, Wilson says he's "a happy guy." "If the art in our hotels makes
people think, I've done my job," he adds. "I'm going to have a party the day the
clock hits zero. That will be one more naysayer I've proven wrong."

M I K E S C H WA R T Z C O U R T E S Y O F 2 1C M U S E U M H O T E L S

21C MUSEUM HOTEL NASHVILLE

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