he days of hanging a nondescript landscape
print in each guestroom are over. Many
luxury hotels now pay serious attention to art,
both as a way to enhance the guest experience
and in order to create their own personal
identity – a means of standing out from the
crowd. From massive collections of fine art
to artist-in-residence programmes, spending
time in one of the following properties is sure to stimulate
your creativity.TREASURE HOUSES
These days it’s not unusual for luxury hotels to boast art
collections that would have a gallery director hissing
with envy. In such properties, curated
collections of unique works adorn
the walls from lobby to corridor to
room.Palace Hotel Tokyo’s owner
sank a seven-figure sum in US dollars
into its 1,000-plus art pieces. “For
some years now, it’s been evident that
sophisticated travellers not only seek
encounters with art during their hotel
stays, but expect it. So our investment
in putting together a well-curated,
million-dollar collection was an
instinctive one, as part of the evolution
of our brand,” says Masaru Watanabe,
the hotel’s executive director and general
manager. “We set out to cater to the modern
luxury traveller. Investing in quality art seemed
likeanaturalpartoftheprocess.”49Park Hotel Tokyo
Luxury hotels are giving
galleries a run for their
money. We highlight some
must-visit properties for
art loversWORDSVALERIAN HO
T
‘Our investment in
putting together a
well-curated, million-
dollar collection was
an instinctive one’DECEMBER 2017