Gone are the days when travelers took comfort in matchy-matchy, cookie-cutter hotel designs. With the proliferation of art hotels all over the world, guests are being treated to one-of-a-kind accommodations where they can rest their weary heads and expand their minds at the same time. From San Francisco’s funky Hotel des Arts to Madrid’s ultrasleek Hotel Puerta América, these anything-goes establishments are truly sites for sore eyes.
Hotel des Arts, San Francisco, USA
One of the world’s pioneering art hotels, this institution was once a dingy Victorian boardinghouse, but local entrepreneur John Doffing, founder of the arts organization START SOMA, set out to rescue it from obscurity in 2004 by inviting cutting-edge artists from all over the world to treat it as a blank canvas. They gradually covered nearly all of the building’s fifty-one rooms in graffiti, figurative murals, abstract shapes, and even political propaganda. The beautifully organized chaos that resulted has made the Hotel des Arts a favorite destination for visitors seeking an authentic San Francisco experience.
New Majestic Hotel, Singapore
This luxury hotel in Singapore’s Chinatown was built in 1928 but received a complete makeover in 2003, when it reopened as a “heritage chic” boutique hotel and subsequently won an Architectural Heritage Award for its efforts. The New Majestic is known for its eclectic collection of vintage furniture from the 1920s to the 1960s; these pieces fill the hotel’s thirty guest rooms, conceived by some of the biggest names in Singapore’s art, fashion, and film industries. Though no two chambers are alike, they share impeccable detail decorating and a flair for the dramatic, showcasing such adornments as freestanding bathtubs, hardwood floors juxtaposed with glass walls, and oversize mirrors. And for a touch of nature amid the urban landscape, some rooms even come with private gardens.
Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, Ontario
Built in 1889, the Gladstone is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto, but it’s anything but stodgy. Each of its thirty-seven rooms was customized by a different Toronto-based visual artist, interior designer, or architect. Working in drastically disparate styles but making guests’ comfort their top priority, these innovators transformed a classic Victorian structure into a livable museum. The Zeidler family, which owns the hotel, is deeply committed to local business development and bills itself as “an architectural backdrop for creative passions to play out,” encouraging adventurers, business travelers, and neighborhood patrons alike to share in its enthusiasm for creative expression of all kinds, from artwork by local artists to musical performances to film screenings.
