Press & News
Travel + Leisure Best City Hotels in the Continental U.S.
Travel + Leisure readers sang Emma’s praises for the third consecutive year in the publication’s prestigious World’s Best Awards, hailing our historic destination as the #7 Best City Hotel in the Continental U.S.
TripAdvisor
For the fourth year in a row, the world’s largest travel platform honored Hotel Emma with a place in the top 10 of their Travelers' Choice Best of the Best, naming Emma as the #5 best hotel in the U.S.
Travel + Leisure
As part of the annual World’s Best Awards, Travel + Leisure readers voted Hotel Emma as the #15 Best City Hotel in the Continental U.S., noting how the Hotel honors its historic past and the cultural personality of San Antonio.
Home Journal
Home Journal lists San Antonio among 4 emerging design cities worth your attention. Its rich history, art scene and Hotel Emma landed Texas in the company of Mexico, Germany and Qatar.
Imbible
Imbible lists Hotel Emma and the walk from Supper to Sternewirth among the best in-house bar crawls across hotels in the country.
Forbes
When choosing a place to stay in San Antonio, Forbes opts for Hotel Emma.The piece calls out the hotel for striking the rare and right mix of cool and industrial as well as Supper for having an unexpected twist for Texas.
Worth
Worth shares Hotel Emma’s alluring past as one of their 14 Hotels That Tell Women’s Stories, sharing the story of the Three Emmas and how the hotel came to be what it is today.
Texas Lifestyle Magazine
Texas Lifestyle Magazine shares their “Book Lover’s Guide to San Antonio” and lists Hotel Emma and its dazzling library as a top hotel to stay at during your stay.
Culture Trip
Culture Trip features Sternewirth as one of the best cocktail bars in San Antonio, praising the bar’s warm industrial-meets-elegant aesthetic.
The Star
The Star enlightens Toronto on Hotel Emma’s “scandalous” past and the story behind the making of the iconic hotel and its most popular drink.
Forbes
Forbes lists Hotel Emma’s Supper as one of six great places to eat if you're visiting San Antonio, highlighting the upscale restaurant’s design, amenities and great lunch options.
Forbes
Forbes features Hotel Emma as an iconic brewery in San Antonio. The feature explores Hotel Emma’s rich history and highlights the hotel as a “crown jewel of the culinary-focused Pearl complex.”
Houstonia
Houstonia gives intel that “The Best Bookworm Vacation May Be San Antonio” and suggests staying at Hotel Emma to check out our impressive library, which includes a 3,700-piece collection acquired from novelist and cultural anthropologist Sherry Kafka Wagner.
San Antonio Magazine
San Antonio Magazine features Hotel Emma’s pastry chef, Stephanie Norcio, for creating “edible art” and delicious pastries that can be eaten at the hotel’s restaurant, Supper.
October
October shares the history of Pearls Brewhouse, and how the 1800s brewery became the heart of San Antonio, noting how Hotel Emma has been integral in modernizing San Antonio and turning it into a travel destination.
CNN Travel
CNN Travel lists Hotel Emma as one of the Best Hotels in North America and the Caribbean, with a nod to the hotel’s best features, AAA rating and Sternewirth’s homage to the original brewhouse.
Bloomberg
Want to Try the Most Exciting Food in America? According to Bloomberg Pursuits you need to leave New York City and make your way to San Antonio. As a city with a new appetite for chef-driven restaurants, Hotel Emma is complimented for its grocery kiosk, Larder.
Reader’s Digest
Reader’s Digest list of “The Best Hotel in Every State, According To Customers”, features Hotel Emma as the best hotel in Texas.
Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor ranks Hotel Emma #8 on their list of Top 25 Hotels in the United States.
Worth
Worth’s Editors’ Picks 2018 features Hotel Emma’s fragrance spray in Milagros as the perfect hotel scent for purchase, “clean and botanical in a not-too-feminine way.” The feature notes that apart from the hotel’s signature scent, Curio in its entirety is worth a visit to San Antonio.
Forbes
Forbes lists Texas as one of The Top 15 Places To Travel in 2019, drawing attention to Hotel Emma as a boutique property visitors must see.
Thirsty Mag
Thirsty Mag features Hotel Emma’s famous “Three Emmas” cocktail and dives into the inspiration and history behind the hotel’s signature cocktail.
Harper’s Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar swaps Mexico City for San Antonio as an alternative holiday vacation. Hotel Emma is listed as a stylish hotel that visitors must stay at.
Fathom
Fathom lists Texas among its Top 15 Travel Destinations for 2019 and includes Hotel Emma as a solid home base to stay when exploring San Antonio.
Harper’s Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar includes the intersection of San Antonio and Mexico as one of four unique ways to see Texas. The article calls attention to Hotel Emma as the “jewel” in San Antonio's crown.
Brides
With ‘engagement moon’ now trending, Brides Magazine recommends to anyone that lives in the midwest to head to San Antonio and check into Hotel Emma.
Honest Cooking
Honest Cooking features Hotel Emma as a top place to eat and drink in San Antonio’s Pearl District. The article highlights both Larder and Supper as not to miss spots.
Breakfast Television
Canada’s Breakfast Television visits Hotel Emma along with other scenic areas of San Antonio, highlighting a wonderful experience due to the food, culture and history of Pearl.
Travel + Leisure Mexico
Travel + Leisure Mexico tells its readers about the Pearl, the newest hot spot in San Antonio, featuring Hotel Emma as one of the many destinations that will impress you because of its architecture and history.
Worth Magazine
Worth Magazine’s Destinations 2018 lists Hotel Emma as a top destination to visit in San Antonio, highlighting the hotel’s delicious drinks and food and exquisite architecture.
Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal’s ‘Where to Find the Most Remarkable Margaritas in San Antonio’ calls out Hotel Emma for their famous La Babia, a straightforward, sweet-meets-tart version of a margarita.
Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal names San Antonio as ‘The Best Under-the-Radar Food Food Destination in the U.S,’ with a nod to Hotel Emma’s upscale dinner at Supper and Sternewirth bar.
Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal features Hotel Emma’s signature cocktails and highlights the property as one of their five sites to take in between meals.
Brides.com
When looking for the perfect pre-wedding getaway, Brides.com suggests heading to San Antonio and staying at Hotel Emma, where you’re an easy bike ride away from the best food and locations in the city.
Mexico Food and Travel
Mexico Food and Travel named San Antonio among a list of four must see cities in Texas. The story features Hotel Emma and its unique architecture as a favorite spot.
Venue Report
Hotel Emma was featured on Venue Report for having the perfect fireplace to drink delicious cocktails, listen to jazzy tunes, and cozy up next to this winter.
Conde Nast Travelor
Conde Nast Traveler lists San Antonio as a top day trip to take from Dallas. The article names Hotel Emma as its hotel of choice to visit, due in part to the fantastic food, luxurious local amenities, and an ambience that showcases the city.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly features Hotel Emma’s Los Poblanos Lavender Lotion on their annual Holiday Gift Guide: For Foodies and Fabulous Hosts. The lotion, along with a selection of goods from the hotel, can be purchased on Hotel Emma’s newly launched online shop.
Dallas News
Dallas Morning News features Hotel Emma and the programs that make locals and visitors alike love it even more. From cooking demos, mixology lessons, regional wine tastings and craft classes, Hotel Emma offers it all.
Taste of the South
Taste of the South guides its readers on where San Antonio locals love to eat, featuring Hotel Emma for its old-school opulence and convenient location.
Vacation Idea
Vacation Idea lists Hotel Emma as the #1 of 25 best hotels and inns in San Antonio, featuring its warm Texas ambience and variety of culinary delights.
Travel Pulse Canada
Travel Pulse Canada visits San Antonio and stops at Hotel Emma, commenting on the hotel’s truly remarkable design that incorporates old brewery machines with countless industrial treasures.
Conde Nast Travelor
Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards ranks Hotel Emma at #5 among the best hotels in Texas.
American Airline’s American Way Magazine
American Way magazine names Hotel Emma as one of the five "Best City Hotels" in the world, noting its history, expansive library and grand Emma Koehler Suite.
CultureMap San Antonio
San Antonio CultureMap shares a report by research firm Source Strategies Inc. naming Hotel Emma one of the top lucrative hotels in Texas. Read the full article on how Emma ranks among the top 10 Texas hotels.
The Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun travelled to San Antonio to discover the city’s “fiesta of flavor”, history and beaty found around the Pearl and in its architectural gem, Hotel Emma.
Hideaway Report
Hideaway Report features Hotel Emma among “7 Hotels with Guest-Only Spaces.” Our two-story library boasts a collection of over 3,700 books from Sherry Kafka Wagner’s personal collection.
USA Today - 10 Best
USA Today 10 Best’s 2018 Readers’ Choice names Hotel Emma among the top 10 “best historic hotels” highlighting the hotel’s “loads of luxury amenities” like a culinary concierge and custom made robes as well as its intriguing past.
CBS San Francisco
The CBS San Francisco team with Where’s Roberta? traveled to San Antonio to visit the riverwalk and Hotel Emma. Watch the clip to see Roberta explore the Pearl and Hotel Emma for her unforgettable weekend in San Antonio.
New York Times
The New York Times features San Antonio’s homage to Spain during the city’s tricentennial anniversary. Cuisine is an integral part of the historic Pearl’s summer-long celebration Ole, San Antonio and Chef John Brand of Hotel Emma’s Supper ensures his tapas embody Spanish authenticity.
CultureMap San Antonio
CultureMap San Antonio names Supper one of the 8 tastiest San Antonio breakfast spots to brighten up your day. With dishes like a Scotch egg with green chorizo, cornbread, and crème fraîche; cheddar biscuits with house cured ham; and buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd, whipped ricotta, and blueberries, there’s something on Chef Brand’s menu that will leave you with a smile.
Stellar Magazine Australia
Stellar Magazine Australia features Hotel Emma in its travel guide to San Antonio, mentioning its iconic location that was once home to the Pearl Brewing Company, now a bustling area to thriving restaurants, shops, green spaces and apartments.
Travel + Leisure
The Pearl is credited as a contributing factor to the “truly unique food identity” of San Antonio. Travel + Leisure also highlights Supper as a restaurant to visit that’s beyond the traditional Mexican food often associated with the city.
Garden & Gun
Garden & Gun praises how Texas’s Dos Carolinas turns guayaberas a— Latin American wardrobe staple—into bespoke works of art. Her designs can be seen throughout Hotel Emma from the staff uniforms to the bathrobes and Garden & Gun attributes the guest’s experience to the spread of Dos Carolinas designs beyond the city of San Antonio.
Hotel Online
Hotel Online announces the promotion of Hotel Emma’s Beth Smith as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Travel + Leisure Mexico
Travel + Leisure Mexico highlights Hotel Emma as a travel destination well-worth the trip to the states. From its antique charm to its vast library, this old brewery will captivate everyone who visits - beer lover or not.
Luxury Travel Advisor
Luxury Travel Advisor showcases Hotel Emma’s six culinary monographs honoring the essential flavors of Spain including olive oil, jamón (Spanish ham), tinned fish, salt and spices, wine and sherry, and cheese. Chef John Brand has prepared tapas to compliment each series at Supper, which will be available at Supper, Sternewirth, and Larder.
Texas Cocktails
Texas Cocktails names Hotel Emma a bucket list vacation spot for the history, beauty and hospitality. The book features Sternewirth’s signature Three Emmas Cocktail including the recipe so that readers can make their own splash of San Antonio right at home.
American Way’s Celebrated Living
Hotel Emma was nominated in Celebrated Living’s 2018 Platinum List Awards for being one of the best hotels in luxury travel due to Emma’s period details and accommodations.
USA Today
USA Today lists Supper’s Creme Brûlée with strawberry curd in a roundup of ways to savor strawberries in May.
Travel Pulse
Travel Pulse provides the perfect guide to a girls’ weekend in Central Texas and recommends staying at the Pearl’s crown jewel, Hotel Emma, to have your girl gang treated like royalty.
AAA
Hotel Emma is a recent recipient of the coveted AAA Five Diamond designation, only the second hotel in Texas to receive this recognition.Hotel Emma was chosen among less than 1 percent of 27,000 AAA inspected and approved establishments due to their deliverance of luxury, sophistication and comfort.
HGTV
HGTV features Hotel Emma on their Top 10 List of Hotels With Incredible Industrial Design, highlighting that the property is a “stylish jumble of industrial-meets-refined.”
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly features Sternewirth’s ‘Bulls on Parade” cocktail among their list of inventive cocktails to order in celebration of Cinco de Mayo and the Tricentennial in San Antonio.
Destin Asian
Destin Asian’s Deep in the heart of Texas spread features the industrial-chic, Hotel Emma, noting the character of Sternewirth and it’s signature cocktail.
Southern Living
Southern Living names Hotel Emma, one of the rare hotels you’ll never want to leave, on their list of 15 incredible solo vacations to take in the south. The decor, history and onsite activities make it the perfect introduction to solo travel.
Southern Living
Southern living names Hotel Emma, home to a 3,700-volume library, as one of the South’s best places to stay in 2018.
Conde Nast Traveler UK
Hotel Emma’s bathroom is featured in Conde Nast Traveler UK, featuring hotels that incorporate the classic blue and white palette.
MySA
The Pearl announces Olé San Antonio, a special summer programming in commemoration of San Antonio’s tricentennial anniversary. Hotel Emma is thrilled to participate with events, special menus, and more throughout all of our culinary properties, Supper, Sternewirth, and Larder.
The Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle explains why Hotel Emma's Andres Rizo has one of the coolest jobs in San Antonio and what his title of Culinary Concierge entails.
Eater
Eater maps out ‘What to Do Between Meals in Texas’ for their readers and recommends Hotel Emma as “a dream stay” in San Antonio.
Coolector
The Coolector names Hotel Emma among 10 of the Best American Boutique Hotels for the boutique nature of the design, making it impossible to ignore.
San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News lists Supper in their top 10 among the 2018 Top 100 Dining & Drinks, raving “Supper wows with thoughtful plates that are simultaneously on trend and timeless.”
Southern Living
Southern Living names Hotel Emma, one of the rare hotels you’ll never want to leave, on their list of 15 incredible solo vacations to take in the south. The decor, history and onsite activities make it the perfect introduction to solo travel.
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune features San Antonio as home to 2018’s Final Four. Mentioning Hotel Emma as the “most soulful upmarket hotel in town” crediting the culinary classes, literary readings and Chef John Brand’s Supper as a master class in restraint.
Tablet
Tablet features Emma in the 2018 Tablet Hotel Awards (Category: Best for Creatives), highlighting its contemporary classic style, rich backstory and sprawling location.
Smarter Travel
Smarter Travel lists Hotel Emma as where to stay in San Antonio, 1 of the 11 Best U.S. Cities to Visit in 2018, remarking on the luxurious accommodations draped in South Texas charm.
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report attributes the cool culture behind Hotel Emma as a stand out for travelers when and ranking it #1 in Best San Antonio Hotels, #3 in Best Texas Hotels, #37 in Preferred Hotels & Resorts and #32 in Preferred Legend Collection Hotels.
Texas Highways
Texas Highways lists San Antonio as one of the 5 romantic places in Texas to visit for Valentine’s Day and recommends booking a stay along with dinner reservations at Hotel Emma.
Texas Monthly
Hotel Emma’s celebrated nod to the past and signature Three Emmas cocktail land on Texas Monthly’s list of San Antonio’s grand dame hotels encouraging a stay during the city’s Tricentennial.
Hideaway Report
Hideaway Report names Hotel Emma as 2017’s favorite hotel of the year and shares Supper as a distinguished restaurant.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly lists the Brewmeister’s office at Hotel Emma among the best discoveries across the state after being floored by the design.
AFAR
Afar shares 15 hotels that used to be something completely different and features Hotel Emma as the original home to the Pearl Brewery.
BRIDES
BRIDES selects Hotel Emma as one of the Best Venues in America for 2018, revealing what brides love best about the hotel.
Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle names must-see hotels in 2018, including Hotel Emma, and compliments the signature Three Emmas cocktail.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly shares San Antonio's five most memorable hotels featuring Hotel Emma, commending its history and interior design.
Paper City Magazine
Paper City Magazine shares Charles Barkley's recent trip to San Antonio and why he can't stop talking about Hotel Emma.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly’s Made in Texas Gift Guide features the Hotel Emma Seerscuker Robe from Dos Carolinas, available for purchase at our gift shop Curio.
AFAR
AFAR names Emma among the 14 Coziest Hotels in the US, depicting the history and beautiful details that encourage curling up with a stiff one from Sternewirth.
Bon Appetit
Bon Appetit urges readers to take a note from Supper on their churros among other doughnuts done right.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly includes Supper among its list of best restaurants in town, noting how German accents meet posh Edwardian style.
NYLON
NYLON’s guide to San Antonio praises Hotel Emma’s old-world charm on their list of the best places to stay.
Mic.com
Mic.com features Hotel Emma in Road Trips diaries celebrating Texas culture stating that its only problem is that you’ll never want to leave the premises.
CultureMap
TripAdvisor’s 2017 Travelers’ Choice list ranks Hotel Emma at No. 10 of the 25 best hotels in the U.S., the only hotel in Texas so honored.
San Antonio Business Journal
San Antonio Business Journal celebrates Hotel Emma’s second anniversary and the makers that brought the award winning hotel to life, noting how Hotel Emma has become “one of the Alamo Cities premiere hotels in its short tenure."
San Antonio Magazine
San Antonio Magazine features Hotel Emma's Chef John Brand, on his idea of a great weekend in San Antonio, starting off with a cocktail at Sternewirth or dinner at Supper.
Bustler
The Historic Pearl Brewery is named one of 13 real estate development projects from around the globe to receive Urban Land Institue's 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence, and highlights Hotel Emma's "old-world comfort within the historic and industrial context of the original brewhouse.
Fodor’s Travel
Fodor's Travel includes San Antonio, TX on it's 2018 "Go List" and names Hotel Emma the "finest hotel in the city" and encourages readers to explore the entire historic Pearl Brewery.
Huffington Post
The Huffington Post depicts staying at Hotel Emma as "feeling a bit like sneaking in the home of the most interesting man in the world," while praising the achievement of "a luxury aesthetic within the confines of a factory context."
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler ranks Emma in the top 5 Texas Hotels as part of its 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards.