Sometimes when traveling, the average hotel can get a little boring. Why not try something unique and artistic on your next trip? These ten hotels don’t just hang paintings on the walls, they make guests feel as if they’re staying in a real life work of art.
Daddy Long Legs Independent Travellers Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
The designers of Daddy Long Legs had independent, creative backpackers in mind when building the property. Staying here is like being inside an interactive art exhibition, with unique rooms decorated by artists, poets, photographers, musicians, and designers who had free range to do whatever they pleased. The result is a mix of funny, ironic, and adventurous themed hotel rooms. Some room examples include:
- the Freshroom- This is the only room to be commissioned by a commercial product. Guests can expect a retro Mentos theme, including a blinds with a pinup of Mona Lisa holding a pack of Mentos, circular raised wallpaper, and furniture adorned with 2,500 rolls of Mentos mints.
- Far From Home- This room makes guests feel as if they are in the Karoo Wilderness by turning photographs of the region into wallpaper.
- The Photo Booth (pictured above)- This room contains 3,240 images that are geared around the theme of “life”.
The Henry Jones Art Hotel
Tasmania, Australia
The Henry Jones Art Hotel is a unique hotel offering first class accommodations. Australia’s first art hotel, Henry Jones features original contemporary artworks by emerging and established Tasmanian artists. Sculptures, design pieces, paintings, prints, photographs and more can be perused in the rooms, restaurants, bars, and public spaces, and some of it can even be purchased. For guests who want the full art experience, take a guided tour through the hotel to get a closer look at the range of works as well as the historical overview.
Hotel des Arts
San Francisco, California
The Hotel des Arts is located in the French Quarter and presents the contemporary work of local artists. Guests will not only look at art, but interact with it. Staying in one of the hotel’s Painted Rooms will immerse you in your choice of imaginative installations or edgy graffiti from floor to ceiling. And, if that’s not enough, there is an art gallery on premises that hosts an array of creative exhibitions.
Gladstone Hotel
Toronto, Canada
The Gladstone Hotel is more than just an accommodation; it’s an ongoing experiment that intertwines urban development and cultural entrepreneurship. Along with being a values driven business with a green philosophy, the property also promotes art. Artists created unique themes for each room, a few of which include:
- The Biker Room (pictured right)- This room features furniture and adornments influenced by motorcycle culture.
- The Map Room- The goal of the artist was to have guests create their own view Toronto by engaging with the room’s features. For instance, the headboard and ceiling chart the surrounding streets, while a line drawing in the bathroom depicts the nearby ferry route and street grid.
- The Felt Room- This room is based on the material and the idea behind it. Associated with modern industrialization, felt is rich in scope and can be worked as a surface as well as a structure.
New Majestic Hotel
Singapore, South East Asia
The New Majestic Hotel includes 30 rooms, all designed by artists whose creations were made specifically for the accommodation. While some rooms may contain hidden messages in the art work that can only be read when laying in bed or sitting in the bathtub, others are more flashy with mirrors making up the walls and ceiling. There is an array of creative and interactive experiences for guests to choose from.
Arte Luise Kunsthotel
Berlin, Germany
Originally a building for artists to camp out after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the structure eventually evolved into what is now known as the Arte Luise Kunsthotel. Often called “a gallery where you can spend the night”, this hotel offers rooms that have each been designed by established artists. Guests can choose from an array of themes. While one room may have life sized women painted onto the walls, another may be created to make you feel like you are on safari. Others may have shoes protruding from the walls or have accessories that make you feel as if you are an actor in a sci-fi film.
21C Museum Hotel
Louisville, Kentucky
The 21C Museum Hotel holds a creative experience in every room and space, including the bathrooms and sidewalk outside. While the rooms themselves hold unique pieces of art, what’s really special about this property is the fact that it houses North America‘s first museum dedicated only to collecting and showcasing 21st century contemporary art. On the first floor you will find the actual gallery, while the restaurant and bar also feature a rotation of exhibits. Upon check-in, guests will be given an I-Pod that will give them a guided tour of the hotel’s collection.
Hotel Fox
Copenhagen, Denmark
Hotel Fox is an exciting and creative lifestyle hotel that features 1,000 ideas from 21 different artists in 61 rooms. Combining comfort with the bizarre, each room is a unique piece of art. Some themes include the wacky and humorous, street art, Japanese Manga, fairytales, monsters, and more.
Kosta Boda Art Hotel
Kosta, Sweden
The Kosta Boda Art Hotel is a hotel with a glass art theme, with a glass bar, glass art installations and exhibitions, glassblowing workshops, and rooms featuring creative glass works. Not surprisingly, the hotel is located in the center of the Kingdom of Crystal, so even when you venture out of the hotel your glass art experience will continue.
Propeller Island City Lodge
Berlin, Germany
The Propeller Island City Lodge is truly a unique property as it is a “habitable work of art”. All rooms and their contents are creations of German artist Lars Stroschen, with every object in every room being custom made. While rooms vary from the tame to the extreme, your sense of reality will be altered. And with hanging beds to entire rooms being made of mirror, you will encounter a lot of unusual and trippy scenery.