Love art? Then book yourself into a boutique hotel where you can wake up surrounded by paintings, sculptures, and murals created by renowned artists. The best art hotels on the planet showcase gallery-worthy collections, often set in buildings that are masterpieces themselves, and many host their own studios and exhibitions. From grain silos filled with modern African art to Parisian buildings once home to avant-garde painters, here are seven of the world’s top boutique art hotels to visit.
Hôtel des Academies et des Arts, Paris
Stay in the 18th-century Hôtel des Academies et des Arts, where famous painters like Modigliani and Fujita once lived and worked. The hotel lies in Paris’s historic 6th district, an artistic hub in Belle Époque times, set across from the distinguished art school Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Paintings, photographs and sculptures adorn the hotel and include striking ceiling frescoes and a lift shaft mural created by Franck Lebraly. If you’re feeling inspired, there’s a studio for guests to work in, where exhibitions are regularly held. Book a room on the top floor where Modigliani once painted and mingle with Academy art students in the onsite Café Atelier.
Perianth Hotel, Athens
The Perianth Hotel is an homage to contemporary Greek art and culture, set in the city’s buzzing Agia Irini Square. The 1930s Art Deco building has been transformed into a boutique hotel by lauded Greek architecture firm K-Studio. They focused on creating a neo-modernist interior with rooms featuring custom-made furniture, high ceilings, black marble bathrooms and pastel walls bedecked with pieces by Greek artists like Yiannis Varelas, Margarita Myroyianni and Juliano Kaglis. Splash out on the sixth-floor penthouse suite with pool, hot tub and Acropolis views.
Byblos Art Hotel, Verona
Just outside Verona, Byblos Art Hotel lies in the 15th-century Villa Amista, surrounded by five acres of gardens dotted with sculptures, marble fountains and a pool. The villa has been revamped by famed designer Alessandro Mendini, who combined original Italian Baroque and Renaissance décor with contemporary art. Guests can enjoy over 180 artworks scattered around the hotel, created by legendary figures like Tom Wesselmann, Vanessa Beecroft and Damian Hurst. Expect bright colors, fabrics and futuristic furnishings nestled among Venetian architecture, with themed corridors and coloured-glass chandeliers.
Silo Hotel, Cape Town
The Silo Hotel was built in 1924 as a mammoth grain store on Cape Town’s thriving V&A Waterfront. Since then, the building has been refurbished by British designer Thomas Heatherwick and is now home to both the five-star Silo Hotel and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which hosts the world’s largest collection of modern African art. The Silo’s cylindrical concrete exterior is a work of art in itself, featuring pillowed windows inspired by grain kernels, while the interior is decorated with a staggering collection of modern African Art, handpicked by the Silo’s owner, Liz Biden. Peruse The Vault, a subterranean gallery where African artists exhibit their work on a six-month rotation.
La Colombe d’Or, French Riviera
Come to the Côte d’Azur to discover a slice of art history. Set in the medieval hilltop village, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, La Colombe d’Or was a mecca for world-famous artists during World War II when the French Riviera became a refuge for creatives. Artists like Matisse, Picasso, Chagall and Léger stayed in the country auberge, which the Roux family has run since its conception in the 1920s. Most of these prestigious guests paid for their stay with artwork, which hangs throughout the hotel’s humble stone and exposed-beam rooms. In the walled garden, there’s a pool and sun terrace topped with a stunning Calder mobile.
El Fenn, Marrakech
El Fenn is a Moroccan riad like no other, conceived by co-owner Vanessa Branson, sibling of Richard. Located next to Marrakech’s Bab El Ksour, the hotel is comprised of 12 connecting riads with an array of courtyards, pool terraces, cocktail bars and patios. A keen art collector, Branson has hung pieces from her private collection throughout the riad, including work from Fred Pollock and William Kentridge, adding photographs, paintings and sculptures in rolling exhibitions. Top picks include Moroccan photographs by Terence Donovan and a Francis Upritchard chandelier. El Fenn is also a hub for the visual art festival, Marrakech Biennale, held every two years.
Altstadt, Vienna
Behind Altstadt’s Ringstrasse exterior, you’ll find over 300 pieces of art either on loan from renowned museums or belonging to hotelier Otto Wiesenthal. The hotel’s boutique rooms and suites have been designed by famed architects and fashion designers and feature high ceilings, picture windows and plush fabrics. Look out for artwork from names like Warhol, Prachensky, Helnwein and Attersee. Altstadt is conveniently located in Vienna’s 7th district, close to the Leopold Museum where you can browse one of the world’s top collections of Austrian art.
