Now, the Thompson Hotel's general manager, Steve Shern, says: "We are what is called a luxury lifestyle hotel, but when we opened two years ago it was important to me to have authenticity, to be a vital part of the city. We did a lot of research and eventually came upon the Hyde Park Art Center and what was going on there. So we reached out about doing something together. They were thrilled and we are thrilled to be involved with something so distinctive."