Lincoln finally got the boutique hotel it deserved when the Kindler opened in the old Lincoln Commercial Club building — a four-story neoclassical pile from the early 1900s, a few blocks from Memorial Stadium. Forty-nine rooms, heated bathroom floors, Egyptian cotton bedding, and not a chain logo in sight: it’s Lincoln’s first truly independent boutique hotel.
The namesake is Ken Kindler, a Ulysses, Nebraska welder turned industrial artist whose copper sculptures show up around the building. The lounge is the sleeper hit — Olympic skater turned food personality Brian Boitano designed the menu, all Nebraska wines, craft beers, and nearly three dozen signature cocktails. It’s the rare hotel bar locals actually choose on purpose.
Game days: book early and expect the whole building to be scarlet. Off-season, it’s the calmest base for the Haymarket and the university, both an easy walk.