Hotel Emma

Before Hotel Emma hosted guests for the night, the building hosted drinkers for the evening—it started life as a brewery in 1894. The hotel is named after Emma Koehler, who took over the brewery after her husband, Otto, passed away in 1914. How did Otto die, you might be wondering (you weren’t, but we’ll tell you anyway)? He was having an affair with not one, but two, women, also named Emma—it was no surprise, perhaps, one of the Emmas shot him. His bereaved wife went on to work as a formidable CEO, reinventing the business to suit the market. Designed by acclaimed architecture firm Roman and Williams (New York’s Ace Hotel, the Chicago Athletic Association), this 146-boutique hotel in the Tobin Hill neighborhood also named its presidential suite for this inimitable female founder.