Art Hotel

An abandoned apartment building in downtown Sacramento became a temporary, immersive art exhibit open for nine days. 130 artists from near and far, living and past, reworked fourteen rooms plus kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and stairwells into something the public had to see in person before it vanished.

Photos by Martin Christian Photography and Dreyfuss + Blackford Architects.

Media couldn’t enter until opening day in February. With a Facebook event, a website, and M5Arts volunteers running the floor, someone still had to organize the inbound press, pair print outlets with individual artist stories, and keep attention building toward a VIP opening, a dedicated media preview, and the February 5 public opening. City Scout joined as media partner on video, podcast, events, and photography; additional releases and alerts went out on that timeline.

The building saw more than 12,000 visitors in nine days. Live coverage ran on every local TV station; there were 80+ stories from outlets including Spain and Nigeria; #ArtHotel916 passed 3,000 uses on Instagram. Dreyfuss + Blackford Architects published the Virtual Art Hotel tour for anyone who missed the run. Earned reach landed at 22,291,802 impressions with $76,343 in media value.

When the work itself is fleeting, publicity is part of keeping the crowd and the receipts honest.