These 9 Art Hotels Are The Best To Stay At Around The World

If you’re a (self-proclaimed) art connoisseur with art galleries and museums dominating your travel bucket-lists, you would be gung-ho about the existence of art hotels — an amalgamation of five-star comfort and a unique cultural experience. Some of the best art hotels to stay in around the world, weave a stunning visual story by housing architectural anomalies, exclusive paintings, famous artworks, sculptures, intricate displays and eye-catching art exhibits right under the hotel’s roof. By Eesha Kulkarni

A paradise for art lovers, these art hotels are infused with rich history and artistic flair, elevating your travel and stay experience by a mile. With floors of contemporary art and fine art adorning the lobbies, rooms, restaurants and bars, you can enjoy a cup of coffee with a side of Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol right from the comfort of your hotel.

These are 9 of the Best Art Hotels Around the World For Your Next Trip

Art Paradiso Hotel, Incheon, South Korea

Exuding European charm, with sleek and modern architecture, the Art Paradiso Hotel in Incheon, South Korea, is a luxury hotel perfect for avid art and architecture enthusiasts. With reflective ceilings and marble clad interiors, the hotel is the essence of modern luxury. At this hotel, you will feel like you are sun-bathing on an island in Santorini, Greece whilst in South Korea.

Spread across 58 rooms and 7 floors, the Art Paradiso is just a stone’s throw away from the city’s best boutiques, art galleries, fine dining restaurants and casinos. With 24-hour room service, exclusive in-house restaurants offering mouthwatering and scrumptious Korean meals, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and relaxing spa treatments, the Art Paradiso is an art hotel you cannot miss.

Taj Falaknuma, Hyderabad, India

Floating in the clouds, 610 metres above the sparkling city of Hyderabad, the multiple award-winning Taj Falaknuma is a sprawling 32-acre five-star property and a former palace of the king (Nizam) built in the 1890s.

Situated in a city known for its royal opulence and romance, the Taj Falaknuma pays tribute to Hyderabad’s rich history and regal qualities by ushering its guests into the grand hotel in horse-drawn carriages. The hotel boasts 60 gorgeous guest rooms offering stunning panoramic views of the city and the palace courtyards. Each room comes equipped with a private butler on duty for 24 hours throughout your stay.

You can go back in time and fulfil your dream of living like a king or queen at Taj by attending high teas, private fine dining, tours of the massive royal courtyards or pampering yourself with traditional Indian Ayurvedic spas and wellness treatments.

All the different types of guest rooms exude luxury and grandeur. With lavish tapestry, premium oak wood floors and beautifully hand-painted wall motifs, coupled with the regal canopied beds in each room, you’ll definitely be living life king size.

The hotel is decadently adorned with century-old antique furniture, spectacular chandeliers, rich upholstery and artworks which were once acquired and paraded by royalty. The concierge of the hotel can arrange art, culture and shopping tours along with sightseeing excursions to Hyderabad’s famous historical spots like Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Golconda Fort, Chowmahalla Palace and the popular Ramoji Film City.

Galleria Vik Milano, Italy

Situated in the heart of Milan in Italy, lapped up in the art, heritage and architecture of the iconic shopping gallery, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the hotel Galleria Vik Milano boasts 89 stunning rooms overlooking the cultural masterpiece of Italy which has palatial proportions, soaring roofs and intricate mosaic floors.

The luxury hotel opened in 2007. The exclusive and custom-themed suites at the Galleria Vik Milano boast a play of antique and contemporary furniture, vibrant and distinctive walls finished in stucco Veneziano and artistic installations created by Italian, Uruguayan and international artists. You can soak yourself in the history and architecture of Milan, thanks to the art pieces displayed in the suites and even the bathrooms.

The magnificent shopping arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is home to luxury boutiques like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, along with the Galleria Vik Milano art hotel, was constructed between 1865 and 1877. Designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Mengoni, the stone-walled arcade has several unmissable sun-kissed domes and arches built in glass and iron which roof the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and its opulent boutiques, cafes, wine bars and hotels.

With gorgeous vistas of the historical shopping gallery, the hotel suites are clad in luxurious materials like marble, wooden parquet floors and colourful hand painted murals and frescoes. This is one luxurious art hotel you should definitely stay at during your visit to Italy.

The Silo, Cape Town, South Africa

Crowned as the Best City Hotel in Africa 2020 by Travel+Leisure, The Silo is an architectural marvel and five-star hotel situated six floors above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art, Africa, which is the world’s biggest museum of contemporary African art. The incredible art hotel is perched on top of Cape Town’s famous Victoria & Alfred waterfront, the oldest operating harbour in Africa, and is designed by the Heatherwick Studio.

Engulfed in incredible views of the Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and the Cape Town stadium, the suites at The Silo houses modern and contemporary art collections with unforgettable, eclectic interiors complementing them. The exterior of the hotel is built in industrial-inspired steel and glass geometric facades to maximise the views and beautifully juxtapose the sophisticated interiors and exquisite selection of art personally curated by the talented owner, Liz Biden.

The Silo plays the role of an incubator for up and coming contemporary African creators and showcases artworks by both new and established local artists in not just the lobbies and suites of the hotel, but also at a private art gallery in the basement of the hotel, called ‘The Vault.’ This hotel is a dream come true for art lovers owing to their tailored art tours, immersive experience of the vibrant African art scene, swashbuckling architecture and all-day dining and spas amidst the breathtaking natural views of Cape town.

21C Museum Hotels, Louisville, Kentucky, the USA

The 21c is a chain of luxurious art hotels across the USA, the brainchild of contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. Sprawled across 837 square metres of exhibition and display area attached to the boutique hotel and restaurant, the first of the 21C Museum Hotels was opened in Louisville, Kentucky. This art hotel was built by upcycling and renovating several existing nineteenth-century warehouses, designed by the architecture and interiors firm Deborah Berke Partners.

The 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville is like the Disneyland for art enthusiasts, with free-of-cost tours of exhibitions featuring artworks by talented artists like Serkan Özkaya, Camille Utterback, Romy Achituv and Ned Kahn without even having to step a foot outside the hotel premises.

Once you’re done stimulating the right (creative) side of your brain through the museum activities, the double-heighted, bright, airy and spacious guest rooms will be ready to welcome you in an atmosphere of relaxation and premium comfort. The highlight of several guest rooms is the preservation of original 19th century architectural elements such as exposed brick walls and the historic artwork to complement it.

The bespoke interior spaces and furniture oozes eclectic charm and allows the visitor to enjoy an immersive art experience right from the comfort of their bed. When you’re not marvelling over the art displays and exhibitions at the hotel, you can indulge in artisanal and fresh meals at the restaurant and bar, or wind down at the luxurious spa and get soothing massages.

Conrad, Indianapolis, the USA

Inspired by the Pop, Modern, Surrealist and Contemporary art movements, the ‘Collection’ suites at the Conrad Indianapolis boast walls decorated with rare, signed art pieces by legendary artists and painters such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, William John Kennedy and Andy Warhol, among others.

Each of these suites are custom-designed to reflect the style of different art movements and genres like modernism, surrealism, contemporary and pop art. Each suite is meticulously designed to honour a particular genre of art and it comes with luxurious interiors, premium furniture, a bespoke butler bar and specially curated artworks and paintings belonging to one art movement and era.

With guided tours from trained art connoisseurs, art exhibits with remarkable rosters of artists and an entire floor dedicated to the display of works by local artists in the state of Indiana, you’ll enter as a curious amateur and leave as an art expert. After you’re done soaking up the art and culture, you can head to their restaurants and bars for an intimate dinner and drinks or enjoy a relaxing massage at their spa and wellness centre.

The Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart, Australia

The Henry Jones Art Hotel is a first-of-its-kind, historic waterfront hotel built from repurposed 1820s warehouses. In contrast to its historic neighbourhood, the hotel is home to contemporary art and modern-inspired artists, detailing the history of the European settlement in Tasmania through visual storytelling.

The art hotel plays an incubator to burgeoning local artists and displays works by both established and emerging creators. The five-star stay comprises different types of unique suites paying homage to particular styles of architecture and boasting diverse vistas including the harbour, city or mountain views.

Many of the original architectural elements have been preserved and displayed in the suites to enhance the visitor’s experience and provoke conversations about untold history. With vibrant splashes of colour woven with the industrial rustic chic style or magnificent timber beams juxtaposed against pastel-coloured bricks, the art hotel just doesn’t miss. The property also boasts in-house talent, which continues to contribute to the hotel’s art collection during the artist’s stay, coupled with art classes and studio tours to get your creative juices flowing, among other facilities.

Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam

This brilliant and awe inspiring hotel in Amsterdam is an ode to the quirky and playful side of architecture and design. The exterior of Inntel Hotels in Amsterdam is a patchwork of vibrant facades representing various traditional Dutch houses. Looking like something straight out of Squid Game or Barbie, the facade puts a modern twist on the region’s historical architecture, toppling over each other like a unique puzzle.

The four-star hotel features seventy luxurious, nostalgic rooms, a spa facility and fitness and wellness club offering Turkish steam baths and soothing massages. The blue-house corner of the hotel’s facade that seems to be branching out and touching the sky, takes inspiration from the famous French artist Claude Monet’s 1871 impressionist painting, which was born out of his own trip to Zaandam back then.

The guest rooms are painted in eye-catching white and green shades and contrasted with life-sized vintage art, posters and advertisements. The young and hip interiors of the hotel stand out, all whilst paying tribute to the history of its workers and townspeople.

La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, the USA

La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza is a breathtaking landmark on Santa Fe’s historic and celebrated Plaza and an all-time-favourite for locals and tourists alike. With stunning paintings and rare artworks from local and Native American artists, the pueblo-style Spanish architecture and interior design in itself is woven together like fine art. Featuring handmade glass tiles, vintage wooden headboards, bespoke cabinets and grand chandeliers made of tin, glass and copper, the guest rooms are a joy to live in.

With simple, off-white walls clad in stucco, adorned with handcrafted decor and paintings, exquisite, plush hand-woven carpets, vibrant upholstery and cosy earthen fireplaces, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into 19th century Spain for a holiday.

Just a stone’s throw away from the most popular museums, art galleries, boutiques and restaurants, the ‘Grande Dame’ of Santa Fe hotels should be a must-visit on every art lover’s travel list. Exuding old-world charm and nostalgia, the hotel also encourages local artists by displaying their paintings and artworks all around the property and its exhibition spaces.

Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy of Taj Falaknuma, Hyderabad

Related: 10 Trips About 150 Kilometres From Delhi That You Must Take