When traveling around the world, tourists often have famed art museums on their lists of must-see attractions. But what if the hotel they’re staying in is basically a museum unto itself? There is no debating the fact that waking up in a gorgeous location, looking at millions of dollars worth of beautiful art is pretty incomparable. The following hotels all offer top-notch amenities and services, but they all also have such stunning art collections, you won’t even need to step foot out of the lobby to get your culture on. Here are eight hotel art collections that are worth a visit. Add them to your bucket list!
1. Gramercy Park Hotel, New York City
A favorite among celebrities, the Gramercy Park Hotel is filled with beautiful things. From an intricately beautiful matador jacket to Warhol’s Diamond Dust Shoes to the left of the front desk, the lobby and common spaces include a variety of works from numerous time periods and movements. However, it’s clear which are the curators favorites; the hotel has numerous pieces by Warhol, as well as Richard Prince, a contemporary American artist whose works have been compared to the likes of Warhol and Jackson Pollock.
2. The Thief, Oslo
A different, audacious and timelessly elegant hotel situated at the water’s edge in Tjuvholmen, Oslo, the Thief houses around 150 contemporary works, by artists ranging from Julian Opie to Jeff Koons, and the works in the hotel change from time to time. Every room contains artwork from prints, photographs, and protected works on paper, while the Oslo Suite also contains original works, including a selection by Sir Peter Blake.
3. The Surrey, New York
The Surrey is New York City’s only Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel. An intimate Upper East Side hotel, it is reminiscent of a Manhattan residence, where discreet service allows guests to retreat from the public-and keep a low profile in an otherwise high profile lifestyle.
A marriage of classic and modern mirrored by a high-contrast aesthetic, The Surrey is a residential haven and luxury Upper East Side hotel getaway where guests access and revel in what makes New York City special-without compromising calm personal space.
It’s a transcendent experience, where the high-energy Manhattan milieu meets cathartic uptown service and discretion.
4. The Jefferson, Washington DC
Undergoing a major renovation in 2009, The Jefferson is one of the nation’s capitals most distinguished and elegant hotels. With a decidedly Jeffersonian theme, the hotel’s private collection includes a marble bust of Jefferson by Houdon, political cartoons dating back to the 18th century, Native American engravings, historic documents signed by Jefferson himself, 18th century maps, as well as other beautiful pieces of art. The lobby also features a beautiful skylight from 1923.
5. Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans
A regal hotel with a regal name, New Orleans’s Windsor Court has hosted numerous celebrities – and even royals – over the years. It’s art collection, worth multi-millions, is so impressive that the hotel’s free app includes a guided audio tour of the artwork. Most of the works of art depict Victorian court life painted by famed British portraitists. Notable pieces include William Powell Frith’s King Charles II’s Last Sunday, formerly displayed at the Royal Academy of London, Nicolas de Largilliere’s Portrait of the Prince of Wales and His Sister, and several portraits by Joshua Reynolds.
6. 21c Louisville Museum Hotel, USA
21c is a group of very contemporary art museum hotels. It all started when founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson began collecting art. But as their number of contemporary works grew, they opened their four hotels-with four more in development-to accommodate rotating exhibitions.
Works currently on display at the Louisville site are, among others, Camille Utterback’s Text Rain video work, Iván Navarro’s Untitled lightbulb and mirror ceiling installation in the elevators, and Ned Kahn’s Cloud Rings, which emits mist into to the exterior sidewalk.
There are works in all guest accommodation, so visitors can literally wake up surrounded by art.
7. Ritz-Carlton Millennia Singapore
At The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, visitors will discover that a work of art does not always require a traditional canvas. A stunning structure designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Kevin Roche, the luxury hotel sets geometric lines, contemporary style and subtle Oriental touches against a backdrop of the Marina Bay and city skyline. Here, guests are immersed in a visually stimulating, five-star experience, from the hotel’s 4,200-piece contemporary art collection to the spectacular views afforded from each of the 608 guest rooms. Artful details carry over into the 5-star Singapore hotel’s restaurants, where works from known artists such as Dale Chihuly are displayed alongside dishes that are creative both in taste and presentation. This attention to detail also makes our Singapore hotel the perfect venue for weddings and conventions, offering exquisite spaces, state-of-the-art equipment and experienced planners. Centrally located in the heart of Marina Bay, our five-star hotel allows guests to easily explore Singapore’s treasures, with the Singapore Flyer, ArtScience Museum and Esplanade -Theatres on the Bay, all just steps away.
8. Elma Hotel, Zichron Ya’akov, Israel
The Elma hotel, founded by collector Lily Elstein, is not only a museum within a hotel, it also houses two performance spaces in the refurbished Brutalist building, and sits on stunning hilly land overlooking the Mediterranean.
The large complex was restored into its current incarnation from a design by architect Ya’akov Rechter with the idea of creating a museum, hotel, and arts center, which would be a national center of excellence.
Works in the collection date from the Post-Impressionist era, including Pablo Picasso, Braque, Jim Dine, as well as works by Israeli artists, such as Sigalit Landau.
9. Bellagio, Las Vegas
Guests of the Bellagio come face-to-face with museum-quality art upon entering the hotel’s massive lobby, where an (almost) equally massive blown-glass Chihuly adorns the ceiling. But everything’s bigger and Vegas, and the Bellagio even boasts it’s own museums with a rotating collection; the current Andy Warhol exhibit will run through October of this year. The hotel’s aptly-named Picasso restaurant also features numerous original works by the artist.