When it came time to set up accommodations for Mayor Craig Greenberg’s Kentucky Derby guests, three hotels made the cut.
There was Hotel Genevieve on East Market Street, Hotel Bourre Bonne a few blocks west, and then there was 21c Museum Hotel on West Main Street — a hotel Greenberg led as chief executive before becoming the city’s top elected official.
In the end, 21c Museum Hotel got the $48,951 contract to host Greenberg’s guests. Details about what the contract includes were not immediately available.
Now, the process for choosing the hotel is raising questions among local lawmakers.
Instead of soliciting bids through the city’s purchasing department, Greenberg’s office enrolled the city’s tourism agency, Louisville Tourism, to compile cost quotes from the three hotels. This let Greenberg’s office enter the contract without Metro Council’s approval, which city purchasing policy requires for any no-bid contract above $40,000.
“It needs to be looked into,” said Metro Council president Brent Ackerson, a District 26 Democrat, when asked about the contract Thursday morning.
Ackerson said he didn’t know anything about Greenberg’s Derby guests’ hotel accommodations and wouldn’t comment further on the process without learning more.
“From there, once the facts are gathered, the course of action can appropriately be deemed,” he said.
Ackerson said he will refer the matter to the council’s Government Oversight, Audit and Appointments Committee for review.
Greenberg’s spokesperson, Kevin Trager, said tapping Louisville Tourism to help select hotels for Derby guests is “consistent with prior practice predating Mayor Greenberg’s term in office.”
He said 21c Museum Hotel offered “the most favorable pricing.”
Jeff O’Brien, the executive director of the city’s cabinet for economic development, wrote a December 2024 memo to the director of procurement saying a key element to attracting prospective investors in Louisville is showcasing the economic revitalization of downtown.
“The downtown location of 21c combined with the high level of hospitality and pricing makes it an ideal location to host potential partners,” O’Brien said.
The city’s contract with 700 Main Hotel LLC — the legal name of the 21c Museum Hotel — began in December 2024 and expires next week.
Louisville’s mayors have traditionally hosted an array of guests for the Kentucky Derby horse race and festivities. This year, Greenberg said he is taking along seven people who work in film and professional baseball, plus two philanthropists with deep ties to Fort Worth, Texas.
Greenberg’s openness about his Derby entourage is a sharp contrast to former mayor Greg Fischer, who often refused to share his guest list with the public.
Steve Haag, a spokesperson for the Metro Council’s minority Republican caucus, said Greenberg’s transparency about his Derby plans makes it difficult for lawmakers to assume something nefarious about the hotel selection. But Haag said they will probe the process to determine if Greenberg tried to intentionally bypass the council or subvert the city’s purchasing rules.
“We’ll ask some questions next week,” he said. The council is currently on break.
Haag said council members knew nothing of Greenberg’s hotel spending until contacted this week by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. He said he’s not aware of a mayor using the city’s tourism agency to solicit cost quotes before.
A spokesperson for Louisville Tourism said the agency conducts up to 2,000 hotel cost inquiries each year for various groups seeking to stay in the city — from corporate gatherings to weddings and bachelor parties. He would not say if the agency has previously obtained cost quotes for the mayor’s office.
