A techno-gym, rooftop infinity pool, Michelin-starred restaurant, and palatial spa are not enough. To be prestigious, hotels must have an art concierge, a cultural mediator, an in-house art museum curator, and a Warhol.
An increasing number of luxury hotels are now art galleries and own “museum-worthy” private art collections. Amenities now include an artist-in-residences, a provocative installation, and a space for regularly rotating exhibitions.
Cavalieri Waldorf-Astoria, Rome
The 15-acre Waldorf-Astoria Cavalieri on top of Monte Mario (once Monte Malo – the bad mountain after a murder and now home to the city’s observatory) opened in 1963.
Its frontage is still of the rather underwhelming, shabby Sixties “Modular Reinforced Concrete School,” jarring with the entrance’s splashy bronze dolphin fountain and sweeping drive. Still, the interior is the thing, and what you get inside is priceless.
It is the spiritual home of “La Dolce Vita” with its Karl Lagerfeld couch couture, seventeenth-century Flemish wall hangings, Galle glassware, Swarovski crystal, Louis Quinze furniture, and highly collectible Marie-Antoinette endorsed French cabinetry as well as antique stopped clocks.
The hotel boasts 1100 objects of art and not just the concierges and the dishes in Heinz Beck’s ninth-floor shrine to culinary savoir-faire, the eternal Michelin 3 “La Pergola.”
Fame is everywhere. Around every corner at the “Cavalieri,” you may meet Hercules, the King of Crete, Marco Aurelius, the guardian of hell, or Rudolf Nureyev in the shape of framed costumes from his 1977 performance as Prince Albrecht in Gizelle. Suites have Andy Warhol originals, and you can have an aperitif or afternoon tea under the 1725 $8m at least Tiepelo triptych behind glass, which protects it from gateaux cream squirting over the daughters of Lycomedes.
Apart from the artwork, the hotel houses Napoleon’s son’s cradle and King Poland’s commode. There is an in-house tour.
Fife Arms, Scotland
Fife Arms, the exclusive Scottish Highlands hideaway and hostelry in Braemar near the Cairngorms National Park is crammed with over 15,000 antiques curated by art Iwan and Manuela Wirth, an extensive collection of Scottish Victorian-era furniture, especially commissioned pieces and a watercolor painted by Queen Victoria’s faithful personal attendant, John Brown.
The Connaught, London
The Connaught’s three-story, two-bedroom suite residence, Mews Mayfair townhouse, boasts Richard Gorman’s Skew 2017, Louise Bourgeois’ Couples, and Annie Morris’ Ultramarine Blue. The Red Room contains the works of Louise Bourgeois. Jenny Holzer, Trina McKillin, Brian Clark, and Ti-a-Thuy Nguyen. Its sister property, The Berkeley, offers a similar immersive arty experience in its premium gallery Suite.
The Royal Portfolio, South Africa
The owner of The Royal Portfolio, Liz Biden, curates the 5-star former industrial grain silo’s 300-piece plus art collection and has chosen works for some of its rooms. Her collection highlights up-and-coming talent and well-established names like Cyrus Kabiru, Mahau Modisakeng, and Nandipha Mntambo. The Vault is a separate private gallery in the hotel’s basement; there is also the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Cape Town’s Ellerman Hotel features almost 1,000 pieces. Including works by Lionel Smit.
The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Bermuda
The island’s oldest hotel, The Hamilton Princess, dates back to 1885. When bought by the Green family in 2012, it was decorated with 300 works of modern and contemporary art, as well as Andy Warhol, Matisse, Magritte, Picasso, and Yayoi Kusama are exhibited. Even the gym is an artistic space.
The Merrion, Dublin
The Merrion holds one of the most significant private collections of 19th– and 20th-century Irish artworks by William Leech, Paul Henry, Martin Mooney, Mainie Jellett, and Jack B. Yeats, whose brother was the poet W.B. Yeats and father was the portraitist John Butler Yeats.
Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito
Santa Barbara County’s luxury hotel’s owner/developer Rick Caruso has overseen an art collection at Rosewood Miramar Beach that includes works by Frank Stella, Fernando Botero, Georges Braque, Hunt Slonem, Marc Chagall, Mel Bochner, Norman Rockwell, and Helen Frankenthaler. Half of the 600 pieces were explicitly commissioned. Rosewood Hong Kong displays works by Henry Moore, Damien Hirst, and Bharti Kher—including Kher’s life-sized sculpture of an Indian elephant, purchased from Sotheby’s—alongside those “local” artists like China’s Wang Keping and Hong Kong’s Wilson Shieh.
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Over the reception desk at The Dolder Grand is a 36-foot-wide work by Andy Warhol’s Big Retrospective Painting. More than 100 other works are on site, as well as Fernando Botero’s piece Woman with Fruit sculpture. There are also pieces by Keith Haring, Takashi Murakami, and Salvador Dali.
Joali, Maldives
Joali, the “first immersive art hotel” in the Maldives, boasts works selected by Istanbul-based art and design firm No LaB. Works are found throughout the 24-acre, 73-villa luxury resort. On display are Misha Kahn’s Under-Water Corals, which can only be seen underwater, and Pork Hefer’s Manta Ray Tree House, home to the property’s experiential dining concept.
QT Wellington, New Zealand
QT Wellington has the country’s most extensive privately owned art collection. The QT Wellington showcases works by Kiwi light artist Angus Muir, Maori visual artist Ngarongo Phillips, and Wellington architectural artist Miz Müller.
Iceland Parliament Hotel Curio Collection by Hilton, Reykjavik, Iceland
Among the 200 pieces of contemporary art displayed in and around the Iceland Parliament Hotel are Egill Sæbjörnsson’s animated work and works by Jóhanna Kristbjörg Sigurðardóttir, Hörður Ágústsson, and Sigurður Árni Sigurðsson.
Hotel Chateau Grand du Luce, France
Hotel Chateau Grand Du Luce, the Loire Valley 1760 neo-classical former country home of the Baron Jacques Pineau de Viennay, has canvas-covered walls painted in the Chinoiserie style by renowned French Rococo-era painter Jean-Baptiste Pillement (1728-1808). On the grounds are statues given as gifts from King Louis XV. The chateau was used to hide paintings from the Louvre during World War II in a secret cache under the theatre stage built in the former stables.
Romeo, Naples
Works at the Romeo Naples Hotel include contemporary art, fine art photography, antiques & collector’s items by Hermès, Andrée Putman, and J.L. Coquet.
Allstadt, Vienna
Allstadt, a 19th-century townhouse in the historical and artistic quarter, hosts artworks including Gilbert & George and the obligatory Andy Warhol. The Helmuts Art Suite displays vintage photographs inspired works by Viennese artist Francis Ruyter.
Hotel Eclat, Beijing
Salvador Dali, Pierre Matter, Zhang Guolang, Chen Wen Ling, Andy Warhol, Gao Xiao Wu, and Zou Liang are all represented at the Hotel Eclat Beijing. The sister property Hotel Éclat Taipei is also an art-forward/heavy hotel.
XVA Art Hotel, Dubai
Xva Art Hotel opened in 2003. The hotel showcases contemporary art from the Arab world with artworks from Mukesh Shah, Behnoosh Feiz, Hussein al Mohassen, and Letizia de Maigret. The hotel also hosts art classes ranging from painting to pottery. The city Hotel Indigo Dubai showcases 200 pieces.
White Elephant Beach, Palm Beach
The 32-room property at White Elephant Beach showcases more than 130 modern and pop art pieces curated by the owners and art consultant Emily Santangelo. The collection includes standout items from artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jennifer Bartlett, Kenzo Okada, and Donald Baechler. A collection of six prints by Yinka Shonibare is on the second floor, and the bathrooms contain pieces from the UK’s The Doodle Boy.
