Trendsurfing: Art hotels (The Times)
By David Rowan
Ten years ago, needing a budget hotel in Manhattan, I took a chance on a run-down former flophouse that the guidebooks warned was more than a little eccentric. The Carlton Arms, near the numbingly sedate Gramercy Park neighbourhood, called itself "the hotel you'll never forget", and with its unpredictable plumbing and casual aversion to guests' comfort it certainly lived up to the billing. But what really militated against sleep was the bizarre decor scheme that had turned my small twin-bedded room into a gloomily surreal submarine engine-room. Like the hallways and most of the other 53 bedrooms, it had been given over to one of many visiting artists to recreate as a floor-to-ceiling personal statement.
Had I only known then how ahead-of-the-curve I was. What at the Carlton Arms seemed a one-off quirky experiment has lately become a surprisingly mainstream way for hoteliers to market their properties as cool. Over the past couple of years, boutique hotels from Bangkok to Buenos Aires have been commissioning artists to decorate individual rooms as a means of boosting their hip credibility, offering in exchange anything from free accommodation to a fixed percentage of overnight-stay revenues. But unlike my early New York experience, today's art-seeking travellers can now live in some style as they contemplate their provocatively curated surroundings. Whether you want a five-star Impressionist experience or a chic immersion in contemporary kitsch, you can now check in for a delightfully rich and witty range of rooms.
Much of the credit must go to Berlin, where artists were putting their stamp on hotels long before the Wall came down. Today you can appreciate the trend's full potential at the remarkable Künstlerheim Luise, a neo-classical hotel built in 1825 but latterly reinvented as “a gallery where you can spend the night”. If you want to sleep inside a Van Gogh painting, stay in Room 203, designed by the artist Irene Hoppenberg as "Vincent's Bedroom"; other rooms pay tribute to Edward Hopper and Magritte. Artists are paid a small percentage of the room rate and have a number of free overnight stays until it's time to redecorate again. Alternatively, you could stay in Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge, an even more extraordinary hotel designed by the German artist Lars Stroschen. One room is packed with mirrors to create the sense that guests are staying in kaleidoscope. Another requires them to sleep in a coffin whose lid can be closed. Travelodge was never this much fun.
The idea is spreading across Europe and North America, and at prices to suit all budgets. If you have a bit of cash to spend, you may want to visit Hotel du Petit Moulin, in Paris, where the designer Christian Lacroix has made his mark in every bedroom. Or try the rather cheaper Winston Hotel in Amsterdam, which modestly describes itself as "a museum of modern art where you can spend the night". With artist-curated hotels attracting a level of buzz that makes corporate PRs swoon, savvy marketers from other industries are striking deals to become involved. When Volkswagen launched its Fox car in Copenhagen last spring, it housed motoring journalists in a city-centre building which was made over as the new Hotel Fox. The 61 rooms, curated by 21 artists, include a sex-themed honeymoon suite with black lace curtains, and another based around Japanese manga comic books.
The best of these artist-designed rooms offer a brilliantly imaginative experience that other hotel entrepreneurs could learn from. Come on, Stelios - why stop at orange?
(The Times Magazine, May 13 2006)
Ten years ago, needing a budget hotel in Manhattan, I took a chance on a run-down former flophouse that the guidebooks warned was more than a little eccentric. The Carlton Arms, near the numbingly sedate Gramercy Park neighbourhood, called itself "the hotel you'll never forget", and with its unpredictable plumbing and casual aversion to guests' comfort it certainly lived up to the billing. But what really militated against sleep was the bizarre decor scheme that had turned my small twin-bedded room into a gloomily surreal submarine engine-room. Like the hallways and most of the other 53 bedrooms, it had been given over to one of many visiting artists to recreate as a floor-to-ceiling personal statement.
Had I only known then how ahead-of-the-curve I was. What at the Carlton Arms seemed a one-off quirky experiment has lately become a surprisingly mainstream way for hoteliers to market their properties as cool. Over the past couple of years, boutique hotels from Bangkok to Buenos Aires have been commissioning artists to decorate individual rooms as a means of boosting their hip credibility, offering in exchange anything from free accommodation to a fixed percentage of overnight-stay revenues. But unlike my early New York experience, today's art-seeking travellers can now live in some style as they contemplate their provocatively curated surroundings. Whether you want a five-star Impressionist experience or a chic immersion in contemporary kitsch, you can now check in for a delightfully rich and witty range of rooms.
Much of the credit must go to Berlin, where artists were putting their stamp on hotels long before the Wall came down. Today you can appreciate the trend's full potential at the remarkable Künstlerheim Luise, a neo-classical hotel built in 1825 but latterly reinvented as “a gallery where you can spend the night”. If you want to sleep inside a Van Gogh painting, stay in Room 203, designed by the artist Irene Hoppenberg as "Vincent's Bedroom"; other rooms pay tribute to Edward Hopper and Magritte. Artists are paid a small percentage of the room rate and have a number of free overnight stays until it's time to redecorate again. Alternatively, you could stay in Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge, an even more extraordinary hotel designed by the German artist Lars Stroschen. One room is packed with mirrors to create the sense that guests are staying in kaleidoscope. Another requires them to sleep in a coffin whose lid can be closed. Travelodge was never this much fun.
The idea is spreading across Europe and North America, and at prices to suit all budgets. If you have a bit of cash to spend, you may want to visit Hotel du Petit Moulin, in Paris, where the designer Christian Lacroix has made his mark in every bedroom. Or try the rather cheaper Winston Hotel in Amsterdam, which modestly describes itself as "a museum of modern art where you can spend the night". With artist-curated hotels attracting a level of buzz that makes corporate PRs swoon, savvy marketers from other industries are striking deals to become involved. When Volkswagen launched its Fox car in Copenhagen last spring, it housed motoring journalists in a city-centre building which was made over as the new Hotel Fox. The 61 rooms, curated by 21 artists, include a sex-themed honeymoon suite with black lace curtains, and another based around Japanese manga comic books.
The best of these artist-designed rooms offer a brilliantly imaginative experience that other hotel entrepreneurs could learn from. Come on, Stelios - why stop at orange?
(The Times Magazine, May 13 2006)
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