Hotel Emma

How to Spend 24-Hours Eating and Drinking at the Pearl in San Antonio | Eater Austin

"A dominant hotel in this part of the District named after Emma Koehler; the property’s history is preserved and presented throughout. Emma took over the brewery after her husband died under mysterious circumstances ("two other Emmas, with whom he was having affairs, were possibly involved") in 1914, and during Prohibition she kept the business going by shifting to near beer, ice cream, and soda and adding auto repair and dry cleaning services using the existing equipment. The design "marries existing elements, like the plaster walls of the brewery, with newer elements made to look original, like the black iron windows with hand-blown glass." Former brew tanks in the hotel bar have been renovated into booths for private tables, and a plaque tucked in the lobby documents the Koehlers and the brewery history. Guests can enjoy morning cocktails (or mocktails and iced tea) while taking in the layered historic-modern design." - Courtney E. Smith