Omaha, Neb., Feb. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Omaha, Neb. – The famed Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel – birthplace of the Rueben sandwich and butter-brickle ice cream – has added another item to its list of unique amenities: Personal Plants.
Wait. Plants?
The Cottonwood has long invited guests to bring their furry friends on stays (pets are welcome in all 205 rooms), and now the Cottonwood has become even more of a staycation destination by adding adoptable plants to become Nebraska’s first pet and plant-friendly hotel.
Indeed, the psychological healing powers of pets has been well documented. If you’re having a bad day, a cuddle with Fido can cheer you up in an instant. But a philodendron or a peace lily can positively affect your mood, too, by alleviating stress and reducing anxiety.
“We see a clear connection with the fact that being around plants improves cortisol levels in our body,” Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor of horticultural science and therapy at North Carolina State University, recently told Time magazine. “We hold our stress hormone, cortisol, in our saliva, and we know this is decreased when we’re around plants.”
Making a guest’s stay as stress-free and pleasurable as possible is on the top of the list at Cottonwood, which is why the historic hotel offers its guest the option to adopt a live plant companion for their room. Each plant comes with a name and biography – plus, guests get a package of seeds so they can grow a companion plant of their own once they return home.
“We’re going all-in on healthy living in 2024,” said Dayna Baker, General Manager at Cottonwood. “We were already a health-minded space surrounded by healthy choices and adding horticulture therapy to our offerings adds another option for our guests. We’re rooted in our rich and colorful history, but we’re always forward-thinking when it comes to the unique amenities we offer here.
“If we want to be a staycation destination we need to make the Cottonwood more than a place to stay – we want the Cottonwood to be a lifestyle.”
Cottonwood’s classic-meets-modern, traditional meets contemporary boutique-style began to take shape in 1916 when it opened as the Blackstone Hotel in what has become known as Omaha’s Blackstone District. With a guest list that includes three presidents (John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Ronal Reagan all stayed at the hotel) and a popular lounge area known as the Cottonwood Room where poker and Rueben sandwiches ruled, the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel has transcended into one of the most popular places to stay in the Midwest.
Today, the Cottonwood Hotel has won three-consecutive “Best Hotel in Omaha” awards and is known for matchless features, such as its rooftop pool club, it’s culinary-forward dining and it’s “Instagram Hallway” where social media influencers pose for visually stunning photos.
The menu at the hotel’s Committee Chophouse, in particular, has earned rave reviews for chef Jason Sirois whose fall Harvest Dinners are sold-out affairs. And upstairs in the hotel’s Orleans Room, cocktails pour and music flows for locals and visitors alike, which includes touring musicians who visit during Omaha tour stops.
“There’s a movement happening here in the Blackstone District,” said Baker, “whether it’s dining, entertainment, special events or horticulture therapy – whatever it is, the Cottonwood will be at the heart of it.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you would like to interview a representative of the Cottonwood Hotel, please contact Jim Minge, public relations liaison, at 402-740-8188 or jminge@bozell.com.
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ABOUT THE KIMPTIN COTTONWOOD HOTEL: Originally opened in 1916 as The Blackstone Hotel, this historic landmark is an elegant icon of Second Renaissance Revival architecture. Once a popular stop for U.S. presidents and celebrities traveling between Chicago to Los Angeles, the hotel is home to the Reuben sandwich and butter brickle ice cream. Today, the boutique-styled hotel has been renamed The Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel in honor of the hotel’s Cottonwood Room where the former owner hosted a weekly poker night. The Cottonwood now features 205 luxurious, pet-friendly rooms and is known for its spirited service, its inventive, locally-sourced menu, boutique accommodations and gorgeous sunrise views from the rooftop garden terrace. thecottonwoodhotel.com; Facebook; X; Instagram
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