After a week of fighting crowds at some of Italy’s most standout museums, I sink into a blue velvet chair at Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel‘s astonishing Tiepolo Bar. It’s not crowded yet, and I have the plushy place to myself. As a guest, I’ve been literally enveloped by artfulness at the hotel — a living art gallery that holds a cache of more than 1,000 priceless masterworks from 16th-century classics to contemporary art to Nureyev’s ballet costumes and Gallé glass. The pieces craftily pepper and enliven the hotel’s common areas, suites, and outdoor gardens. Being near them feels far more meaningful than peering through throngs to catch a glimpse of a famous piece in a museum. Here, instead, I experience the artwork with an intimacy that allows for personal connection. I can gaze upon Giuseppe Zais paintings displayed above the concierge and reception desks, peer at Andy Warhol Dollar Signs in the master bedroom of the luxurious Penthouse Suite, and note a spectacular collection of exceptional French (Louis XV and First Empire) furniture spread throughout. In the Tiepolo Bar, where I sit just inches from an exquisite triptych by Gianbattista Tiepolo, the feeling of being one with both Rome and so much fine art waxes mightily. I study the precious three paintings, proclaimed as standout examples of Rococo, inhaling the artist’s known tendency toward caprice and storytelling. I can’t take my eyes off them. That is, until the waiter delivers my gin-based drink, laced with rosemary essential oil and topped with egg white. “It’s called Tiepolo,” he says, handing me the coupe glass. I sip. And, now I’m drinking the artwork, too.
Around the world, scores of hotels take what they hang on their walls or display in common areas and suites seriously. It’s not adornment or afterthought — it’s soul. Here are some of our most cherished art-centric hotels defined by their collections.
The Dolli at Acropolis | Athens, Greece
Greece’s leading family-owned-and-run hotel group struts its stuff at The Dolli at Acropolis, set in Athen’s historic Plaka District in a restored 1925 neoclassical structure. Handpicked by proprietor Mari Daskalantonakis to accentuate and celebrate the city’s Hellenism, albeit via various eras and cultures, the hotel’s riveting collection includes everything from genuine Greek antiquities and artifacts from the Egyptian and Phoenician civilizations, as well as original art pieces from Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Lucio Fontana, Amedeo Modigliani, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, and Takis.
Hôtel Swexan | Dallas, Texas
A melange of ambrosial delights and an astounding sensorial masterpiece, this maximalist hotel blends Texan audacity with Swiss elegance in a haven that defines creative whimsy. Art buffs will swoon. Mirroring the Swiss-meets-Texan backgrounds of its married founders, Hôtel Swexan vaunts Kengo Kuma architecture with interiors by the family’s own team that conjures unique, timeless, and unexpected surprises. Throughout, art abounds. Family-collected pieces from ornate Samurai armour and accoutrements to expressionist paintings to Balinese furnishings to custom Hermès scarves to works by Dali combine for otherworldly allure. No nook is left without eye-catching embellishment, including the 24 common area bathrooms, each unique and dream laden.
The Hari Hong Kong | Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Like a portal to Hong Kong’s buzzy, gallery-laden Wan Chai neighborhood, The Hari Hong Kong opens to an art-centric world that includes hotspots like the Foo Tak Building. But guests need not leave the five-star premises to experience outstanding art. Under the personalized guidance of the hotel’s in-house art ambassador, artist Bibek Rai, aesthetes can follow the Hari Art Trail. Surrounded by noteworthy contemporary interiors, they’ll gather to hear the backstories behind the hotel’s exceptional art collection. Comprised of eclectic pieces that range from graphic paintings to surreal photographs to digital film works.
Palacio del Inka | Cusco, Peru
For high-altitude aesthetic thrills, shelter amid mystical ruins at Palacio del Inka. Ideal for beginning or ending a visit to Machu Picchu, the re-polished colonial mansion, home to hand-carved furniture, original arches, gold leaf and painted ceilings, brandishes a compelling collection of artwork representing myriad eras, from pre-Inca to Republican. Don’t miss the 60 original, rare paintings from the famed Escuela Cusqueña, Cusco’s 16th- to 18th-century colonial period art movement, which fused European technique with indigenous Andean traditions.
Hamilton Princess & Beach Club | Bermuda
A vision in pink, Hamilton Princess Bermuda, blessed with picturesque harbor views, might be a piece of artwork itself. But inside the iconic hotel, the aesthetic plot thickens. A trove of eclectic masterworks by the likes of Banksy, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol (and more), the collection is shared courtesy of the hotel’s owners, the Greens, a prominent Bermudian family. Private art tours can be arranged by the concierge, though many guests take the option for self-guided walkabouts through the art-adorned halls and common areas. Book in the just-renovated Bermudiana Wing, redone for art lovers to the tune of $15 million. It features specially commissioned artwork inspired by Bermuda’s coastline.
The Umstead Hotel & Spa | Cary, North Carolina
An urbane hotel edged against leafy woodland, The Umstead celebrates its namesake, neighboring Umstead State Park. Envisioned from the outset to allow nature-focused artwork to define the hotel’s spirit, The Umstead boasts a prodigious collection, curated to harmonize with the hotel’s boutique-y, contemporary ambiance. Awash in organic shapes, reflecting the quiet palette of earth tones in common areas and suites, the pottery, sculptures, and paintings on display soothe the soul and invoke a peaceful mood. Go beyond visual enjoyment of the collection to gobble up Chef Steven Greene’s Art Tour menu, a multi-course epicurean adventure that melds artistry and gastronomy.
The Joule | Dallas, Texas
Housed in a Neo-Gothic landmark building with Jazz Age gravitas, The Joule shines in downtown Dallas. At the nerve center of the city’s most artsy undercurrents — the Dallas Museum of Art lies nearby — The Joule draws art and culture lovers for its museum-level art collection and distinctive architecture such as its eight-foot, cantilevered, glass-front pool. Throughout the property, stunning pieces capture guests’ attention, including artwork by Roger Hiorns and Andy Warhol. Don’t miss The Eye, a 30-foot-tall structure by Tony Tasset, and large-scale mosaics by Millard Street, which were salvaged from downtown Dallas’ former Mercantile Building.
The Merrion Hotel | Dublin, Ireland
Delicately hewed from the cultured bones of four quintessential Georgian townhouses, The Merrion, a stately five-star hotel, harbors art lovers in the heart of the city. A piece-de-resistance that’s a highlight to the hotel’s heritage-style panache, antique furnishings, and graceful aura, The Merrion’s captivating art showcases a coterie of 19th- and 20th-century Irish masters including Jack B. Yeats — acclaimed as Ireland’s foremost painter. Grab a glass of Champagne (or Guinness) to peruse the works on a solo tour, directed by a comprehensive audio guide. Don’t leave without experiencing The Merrion’s afternoon Art Tea, which tempts guests with cakes created to mirror key works from the collection.
Palace Hotel Tokyo | Tokyo, Japan
Awash in pampering omotenashi (hospitality Japanese style), the sleek Palace Hotel overlooks the Imperial Palace gardens. The custodians of a prodigious collection of more than 700 artworks that draw inspiration from the hotel’s significant setting, Palace Hotel Tokyo offers an art tour, helmed by Art Front Gallery, which installed the curated pieces. Composed of works by Japan’s most up-and-coming artists, as well as art legends, the eclectic hoard encompasses a broad range of styles, including colorful abstracts, laser-cut paper pieces, and traditional ink-wash paintings.
Featured image courtesy, Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel
