The original concept was ambitious: Turn an old brewhouse into a destination hotel. Incorporate exposed masonry and rich mahogany into a modern industrial design. Convert 19th Century furniture and flooring into a contemporary space of luxury. Make the lobby and ground floor feel like San Antonio’s living room.
Ten years after opening, Hotel Emma has exceeded the ambition, evolving into a five-diamond property with two Michelin keys, recognition its developer neither imagined nor coveted. As one of Texas’ most acclaimed hotel properties, Emma has become an attraction itself, drawing travelers to experience its historic architecture, unique design and remarkable hospitality.
Arrivals are welcomed by uniformed staff near a wood-burning fireplace and led to a two-story library. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves of books, they are greeted with a warm smile and a cocktail. A concierge is made available by text message. Phone chargers are available at the front desk.
“We hear from guests, ‘Oh my gosh, I could live here,’” said Beth Smith, a Silver Ventures vice president who served as Emma’s chief marketing officer when it opened in 2015. “People feel like they’re staying at home — only with lots of service.”
Exemplary hospitality and culinary service stood out at Emma’s recent 10th anniversary celebration. More than 300 guests enjoyed caviar and seafood at one station, short rib empanadas and lamb lollipops at a second and pork tenderloin and chicken thighs at a third.
“The food was outstanding,” said Nikki Whitehead, philanthropy manager at the San Antonio Food Bank. “The lamb chops and mini crab cakes were my favorite. Truly a chef’s kiss.”
Guests flooded the lobby of Hotel Emma as the doors officially opened in November 2015.
The Elephant Cellar — a spectacular room with enormous, gray tanks ranked along the walls — featured live music, a whiskey bar and a white linen-covered table with delectable desserts.
To cap the evening, guests sipped cocktails beneath a 25-foot vaulted ceiling in the hotel’s bar, Sternewirth Tavern.
Emma is swathed in luxury and history. Stories materialize at every turn, from the ballrooms and bar on the first floor to the $10,000-a-night Emma Koehler suite on the seventh floor. Here’s one: A gold pachyderm hangs by red silk outside the Elephant Cellar. Why, you may ask, was the grand ballroom given such a name?
Brewhouse workers back in the day thought the beer tanks with upraised pipe “trunks” reminded them of elephants. The hotel commissioned a metalsmith to design a silver elephant charm to give each guest.
“I came up with this idea so our guests would have a memento for conversational currency going home,” said Smith, the Silver Ventures’ vice president. “It’s the same reason I had the ‘Three Emma” cocktail created: storytelling.”
Salvaged beer tank ends resembling elephants with upraised pipe “trunks” await reuse in Hotel Emma’s Elephant Cellar ballroom during Pearl’s construction. Credit: Courtesy / Scott Martin
The story behind the drink is crazier than fiction. It’s a tale that spawned headlines, “Nurse is Held for Murder of Wealthy Man,” inspired a novel, “The First Emma,” and entertains patrons sipping a blend of gin, lager beer and Amontillado sherry.
Pearl Brewery owner Otto Koehler was married to a woman named Emma and had affairs with two nurses also named Emma. After Koehler was slain in 1914, authorities charged Emma Burgemeister, who cared for Emma Koehler, with the murder. Burgemeister claimed she shot Otto in self-defense. A jury found her not guilty. A year later, Burgemeister married a member of the jury that acquitted her.
The other Emmas moved on. Emma Dumke, the first mistress, relocated to Missouri and married a lawyer. Emma Koehler rose to become president of Pearl Brewery. Almost 101 years to the day after the scandalous murder, a 146-room boutique hotel opened that bears Emma’s name. A two-story suite, which features a fireplace, a grand piano and floor to ceiling windows, is also named after her.
A compendium in the suite tells her story. After Otto’s murder, Emma kept the brewhouse afloat during Prohibition, repurposing the facility to produce non-alcoholic goods and offering dry cleaning and auto repair. After Prohibition, she led the brewery through the Great Depression, overseeing its remodel and expansion.
A clawfoot bathtub in a room at Hotel Emma. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report
The spirit of Emma fills her hotel namesake. The space celebrates the gritty, grandeur of her time (clawfoot tubs, tool-leather elevator cabs) and the luxury of modern time (private balconies, rooftop pool).
Rooms start at $396 per night and rise to $900, each with complimentary drinks, turndown service and fresh macarons. Luxury suites range from just under $1,000 to $10,000 and feature two-story terraces, full wet bars, in-room ice boxes, original artwork and Spanish porcelain tile bathrooms.
“If you would have told people that a hotel at peak time could charge $1,000 a night, be packed, be doing great dinners, be inviting chefs from all over the country and having a successful bar inside a place that was abandoned 20 years ago — that would have been a hard sell,” said Geronimo Lopez, Emma’s executive chef. “But this little shining star [hotel] says, ‘Yes, we can do a lot of things.’”
Lopez began working at Pearl before ground broke at Emma. He served as an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America from 2012-2015, then left to launch Botika, a stone’s throw from the hotel. After closing Botika in 2024, the hotel offered Lopez his current position.
Geronimo López is Executive Chef of Supper at Hotel Emma, which recently received a second Michelin two-key rating. Credit: Bria Woods / San Antonio Report
He’s seen Emma evolve from architectural rendering to destination hotel and the Pearl district grow up around it.
“Pearl has become the main hub for culinary adventure in a city that supports hundreds of families that work here,” Lopez said. “I’ve been here for 14 years and still call this place home. I love the idea of what Pearl and Emma are doing here. It’s very emotional, to be honest with you.”
Emma attracts global celebrities. Paul McCartney checked in before his recent concert at the Alamodome. Celine Dion and Adam Sandler have visited. NBA teams often stay at Emma before playing the San Antonio Spurs. Cher raved about her stay on social media.
“She came into the hotel, walked to the front lobby, went upstairs and played the piano,” Smith said. “She tweeted that it’s her favorite hotel in the world. She said, ‘If they ever make a movie, I want to play Emma.’”
Hotel Emma at the Pearl. Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report
Ten years after opening, Smith marvels at Emma’s reputation and stature. It doesn’t have the modern polish or refined aesthetic of a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons hotel, she says. And yet it enjoys wide acclaim.
“We didn’t set out to be a five diamond,” Smith said. “That came later.”
It isn’t often a hotel exceeds its ambition. It isn’t often a hotel becomes the crown jewel of a culinary district. Emma has done all that and more, impressing celebrities and common folk alike.
“Every time I visit Hotel Emma,” said Whitehead, the San Antonio food bank manager, “it feels like there’s a touch of magic woven into the experience.”