Stay creative: hotels’ artist residencies

The trend is being driven by changing consumer demands. Travellers no longer just want a room with a view: they want a portal into the local culture. A hotel shouldn’t just be a transient stop, but part of an enriching, authentic travel experience.

Hotels have responded enthusiastically, with guided neighbourhood tours, local cookery classes and lively event schedules all becoming commonplace. But some properties are taking things a step further, merging the world of arts into the hotel sphere by inviting artists and professionals to take up residency and share their talents with guests. It’s not exactly a new trend – The Savoy, London hosted Claude Monet back in 1899 – but the latest iteration of creative collaborations is even more wide-ranging, with digital art exhibitions, poetic libations and even tarot reading experiences…

Artist in residence

Every self-respecting five-star lobby has an eye-catching mural or stunning sculpture these days, but increasingly, guests may find artworks in their room or photography exhibitions lining the corridors. At some properties, you may even find yourself chatting to in-house artists at breakfast, watching them sketch in their studio, taking part in creative workshops or purchasing their work to take home.

In 2022, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam launched a one-off year-long residence, inviting 52 artists to stay for a week. The resulting works were collated and reproduced into a beautiful coffee table book, with some works displayed in the hotel. Similarly, Hotel Eden in Rome invited fashion illustrator Andrea Ferolla to capture sketches of the daily comings and goings in the hotel over a year. His works are displayed in the hotel’s La Libreria lounge bar and have been turned into a range of fashionable accessories.

Some hotels also operate worldwide initiatives. Ace Hotels has run its A!R (artist in residence) programme for close to a decade, with regular creative partnerships at properties across its portfolio. The Brooklyn property, for instance, is currently partnered with culture magazine Byline to champion four local artists via the theme of “art at play”. This month, the spotlight is on Larissa Lockshin, whose satin paintings are on display within the hotel until May. Meanwhile in Kyoto, independent gallery and bookseller Commune has selected four emerging artists to explore the theme “good art is key to life” – find photography by Shiori Ikeno at Ace Kyoto this month.

“Our Artist in Residence programme is a natural extension of Ace Hotel’s commitment to fostering creativity and supporting emerging artists,” said Tokotah Ashcraft, director of partnerships and programming at Ace Hotel.

“Ace has always been a home for artists – a place where they can experiment, create and engage with the communities around them. Through the programme, we hope to inspire meaningful work that not only enriches our hotel spaces, but continues to resonate far beyond them.”

For the current 2024/2025 programme, Ace is promoting a tech-forward view of what an artist residency could look like. The brand has partnered with FWB – a Web3 platform (or Web 3.0, which refers to a new kind of internet based on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies) – and the world’s first NFT gallery, Superchief Gallery, at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs.

Multidisciplinary artists Erika Weitz and Latashá will use techniques like chemical light painting and thermo-imaging to create interactive NFT works inspired by their time in the desert. The resulting exhibitions, ‘HOLY WATER’ and ‘muva nature,’ offer hotel visitors a uniquely immersive artistic experience.

The Peninsula Hotels also has an ongoing Art in Resonance programme. This is a commission-based initiative that aims to shine a light on emerging talent and support artists with funding and logistic, while simultaneously offering guests a deeply immersive art experience that goes beyond simply exhibiting artworks.

This year, The Peninsula has partnered with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), which kicks off later this month at its Hong Kong property – coinciding with Art Basel Hong Kong 2025. The grand lobby will feature a brand-new installation, alongside two additional works, which celebrate the hotel’s historic façade.

“The creative vision shared by the selected artists perfectly embodies the spirit of our new partnership,” said Tim Reeve, deputy director and chief operating officer of the V&A. “Working with The Peninsula to create a greater reach for these works reflects the V&A’s mission to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge and inspire makers, creators and innovators everywhere.”

The writing room

Residencies expand to further art forms. Focusing on the literary arts was a natural fit for Raffles Singapore, which has inspired many authors from Ernest Hemingway to Rudyard Kipling – who famously wrote The Jungle Book while sitting at The Writers Bar. The hotel revived this tradition in 2019, with the launch of the Raffles Writer’s Residency. Poet Madeleine Lee won the coveted spot in 2022-2023, visiting the hotel for a series of stays, which inspired a collection of 30 poems entitled how to build a lux hotel. Five of these poems were subsequently translated into libations by the hotel’s mixologists – including balcon, whose cocktail counterpart features a mix of Billecart-Salmon Champagne, gin, absinthe and Perrier lemon.

Tucked away in the Austrian mountains, the five-star Sonnenburg became a self-proclaimed “literary hotel” in 2016. It hosts regular events at the Sonnenburg Literary Salon, including readings, literary exchanges and author residencies. Previous names have included American author John Wray as well as Austrian writer Ursula Poznanski. You’ll also find over 1,000 books stored in book boxes throughout the property, with cosy reading nooks to consume them.

Over at The Hoxton Brussels, meanwhile, literary inspiration takes the form of The Hox Book Club curated by singer/songwriter Kriticos Mwansa, a former journalist and literary enthusiast. Here, guests are encouraged to join discussions of powerful themes evoked by the book of the month. In February, participants discussed ‘The ‘Art of Falling in Love’, with references to The Course of Love by Alain De Botton, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, among others.

House band

Perhaps you’re more of a music aficionado? W Hotels can always be counted on to turn up the volume, with larger than life events and musical collaborations. In 2018, the branch launched its own label W Records, with tracks recorded in the brand’s onsite Sound Suites, created to appeal to visiting musicians and podcasters. In 2021, the hotel launched a partnership with French media company Cercle to live-stream a performance by German electronic musician Monolink from the stunning W Maldives at Gaathafushi Island. This partnership grew in 2022, with live-streamed events from its hotels in Goa, Amman, Rome and Montreal.

Over in Music City, meanwhile, guests can get up close and personal with a real-life country musician. The Four Seasons Nashville has launched a Songwriter Experience package, which includes a private audience with a local musician who will perform original songs in your room – which, of course, has decor themed to fit (think: tables that look like record players and microphone-inspired lighting).

Wellness in situ

It’s not just creative partnerships being sought; wellness professionals are also starting to make regular guest appearances. New York-based Equinox Hotels takes sleep seriously, engineering its own mattresses and bed linens, launching AM and PM rituals and offering sleep-driven spa treatments. To strengthen this offering, the group has now partnered with Dr Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California and author of Why We Sleep. The collaboration will see the introduction of the Equinox Hotels Sleep Lab, an immersive sleep experiment with studies led by Dr Walker. The sleep expert has also consulted on newly designed guest rooms, which focus on sleep-optimised environments, plus a new jet lag digital solution, which will offer guests personalised strategies to manage their time zone adjustment.

Elsewhere, you’ll spot nutritionists (get macro-calculated meal plans at Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai), fitness partnerships (head to Kuramathi Maldives this summer to have your child coached by football legend Harry Redknapp) and new-age spiritual guidance too (head to The Standard Miami Beach for tantric workshops with intimacy coach Michelle Alva or New York’s 1 Hotel Central Park for tarot readings with Shayla Martin).

For time-poor business travellers, the combination of artistic engagement and luxury hospitality offers a convenient way to get a cultural fix and soak up some creative inspiration during your stay. Check in with your bags, check out with a bounty of new ideas.

Fashion and beauty

Makeup artists are also being welcomed into the hospitality sphere. At The Dorchester Collection’s Le Meurice (right) in Paris (see our review on page 78), a new partnership gives guests exclusive access to all the insider beauty tips and secrets – while also contributing to a worthy social cause. In January, the hotel launched a partnership with Olivier Echaudemaison – the former creative director of make-up at Guerlain. Guests can now book in for a personal consultation with the renowned make-up artist every Wednesday, with each session including practical tips and personalised recommendations using prestigious cosmetic brands. The price of a consultation starts from €450, with all proceeds going towards Maison des Femmes, an organisation dedicated to supporting women in vulnerable situations.

Meanwhile, luxury London hotel Middle Eight (below) launched a partnership with up-and-coming fashion designer Katie Ko last month, with an exclusive collection unveiled in celebration of London Fashion Week. In February, the runway was transformed into a theatrical performance, choreographed by Valentino Zucchetti, the first soloist of the Royal Ballet, with arrangements by florist Hamish Powell.

The hotel’s general manager Botho Stein said: “Rooted in the arts and at the heart of the city’s cultural scene, Middle Eight serves as a curator of creativity and inspiration. We are proud to partner with Katie Ko, whose multi-dimensional approach shapes a cultural programme throughout the hotel. Guests can experience a tea and cocktail menu designed by Katie, alongside an art display and a lobby installation created in collaboration with botanical artist Hamish Powell. The partnership offers guests a unique artistic experience from multiple perspectives.

by Tamsin Cocks