For many of the world’s most dazzling hotels, art isn’t just a decorative touch. It’s a defining point of their identity. Imagine a towering sculpture emerging from a rooftop pool, or a mural sweeping across the hotel lobby ceiling, catching your eye upon arrival, or even meeting an artist in residence, sketching the landscape that surrounds your luxury retreat.
The rise of tastemaking hotels like Soho House across the globe has driven a new era, an opportunity for a hotel’s every corridor, bar, and suite to feel like a curated gallery space. The comforts of luxury hotels are still there, of course (think 500-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and infinity pools), but they’re now paired with something deeper: a sense of place keeping with traditions and culture, curated artwork, and aesthetic intention. For art lovers today, staying somewhere connected to the local and international art scene is just as important as the destination.
Artsy selected the world’s most dazzling hotels that bring art to their guests. Expect luxury and design combined with artistic expression that will make these hotels an unforgettable part of your holiday.
MACAM, Lisbon
What to know: Museum meets hotel in this restored palace featuring a private art collection
The façade of Lisbon hotel MACAM features a tile pattern designed by award-winning ceramicist Maria Ana Vasco Costa. The work pays homage to Lisbon’s azulejos (ceramic tiles),which the city is famous for. Newly opened this year, MACAM bills itself as the first hotel merged with a museum. Founded by Portuguese entrepreneur and collector Armando Martins, the location showcases his personal collection of over 600 modern and contemporary artworks. Set in a beautifully restored palace (the Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande), the incredible space is nestled between the city’s artistic districts of Alcântara and Belém.
The collection reflects Martins’s lifelong commitment to art and his mission to make his private collections accessible to the public. Standout works in the museum collection include intricate geometric paintings by Portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva and colorful narrative collages by Paula Rego, alongside Colour Spirals (2005), a work by Icelandic Danish artist Olafur Eliasson that consists of revolving swirls hanging from the ceiling, and tactile net sculptures by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto.
Inside, each room is individually designed with minimalist interiors. Here, guests will find clean lines, soft palettes, and a calming, contemporary aesthetic, with only smaller prints framed on the walls. Elsewhere in the museum complex, the Contemporary Food & Wine Restaurant also offers a taste of local Portuguese cuisine in similarly stylish surroundings.
The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago
What to know: Modern masters line the walls of this luxurious feat of architecture
A $100 million renovation has transformed The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago, into one of the city’s cultural centers, where art fills nearly every corner. In the presidential suites, which also include spiral staircases, full kitchens, jacuzzi bathtubs, and rain showers, guests are surrounded by renowned artworks by top-tier artists. For these elite guests, highlights include Tseng Kwong Chi’s Andy Warhol, New York (1986) and editioned versions of René Magritte’s Le Fils de l’Homme (The Son of Man) (2004), Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Art II (1996), and James Rosenquist’s Memory Continues but the Clock Disappears (2011).
For those wanting to stay close to the cultural centers of the city, the hotel is just minutes away from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The interiors, as you’d expect for this iconic brand’s hotel, are grand and opulent, featuring sweeping chandeliers, gold-hued lighting, and sleek geometric architecture that adds a modern edge to its glamorous atmosphere. The rest of its art collection, which can be found across the public areas and suites, was curated by NINE dot ARTS, which drew inspiration from Chicago’s rich architectural legacy, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School and the minimalist elegance of Mies van der Rohe’s Bauhaus lines.
Casa Malca, Tulum, Mexico
What to know: Basquiat at the beach club in Pablo Escobar’s former mansion
Tulum may be best known for its white sand beaches, but it’s fast becoming a destination for art and design lovers. Your choice for a suitably luxurious standout destination stay is Casa Malca, a 71-room luxury hotel that was formerly Pablo Escobar’s estate in the 1980s. New York–based Colombian art collector Lio Malca has now transformed the location into a stunning beachside hotel with a contemporary art twist. Major names on view across the hotel include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marina Abramović, and Keith Haring.
Inside, earth-toned walls provide a warm backdrop for bold contemporary artworks, such as Rafael Gomez Barros’s gigantic ants crawling up the lobby walls. Each suite is designed as its own private gallery, and more art occupies different spaces in the hotel. There’s a room filled with chandeliers, for example, and plenty of outdoor sculptures, such as Sui Jianguo’s large-scale Mao suit model, which stands on the beach sand, nestled within a jungled labyrinth and tropical palm sanctuary. Just beyond its once-bulletproof walls lies the Art Lodge, an artist residency space nestled in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, where invited artists—ranging from more established names like Kenny Scharf to emerging talents like Mai Blanco—create new works inspired by the Tulum landscape. Many of the artworks created here then debut at Casa Malca, meaning guests get an exclusive first look at art produced by today’s artistic voices.
The Silo Hotel, Cape Town
What to know: Crown jewel of Cape Town showcasing contemporary African art
Perched above the Zeitz MOCAA museum and designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick, the Silo Hotel is instantly recognizable. From the outside, its shimmering, glass-panelled façade reflects over the water by Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront neighborhood. In 2017, the hotel opened on the site of a 1924 grain silo, which served for nearly 80 years as a key trade point for international exports in Cape Town’s Table Bay harbor. Inside, Liz Biden, who cofounded Silo’s hotel group, the Royal Portfolio, has transformed the former grain silo’s raw concrete and industrial structure into a luxurious space spread across 11 floors and 28 art-filled suites.
The hotel’s spaces showcase a vast collection of contemporary African art. Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru’s sculptural, photographic self-portrait series “C-Stunners” is made from urban debris and is on view in the hotel’s hallways. Meanwhile in the hotel lobby, Mohau Modisakeng’s self-portraits explore postcolonial identity. The hotel also runs a private gallery called The Vault, which hosts rotating exhibitions that present both emerging and established African artists, including some of South African’s best-known talent, like Nandipha Mntambo, Jody Paulsen, and William Kentridge.
Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy
What to know: Glamour and aperitivo charm meets bold contemporary art statements
Positano is a beautiful town, perched on the cliffs of what is already one of the world’s most stunning destinations, the Amalfi coast. Once a humble fishing village, Positano became a glamorous escape for artists and celebrities alike. It’s been popular with everyone from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol to Gwyneth Paltrow and Coco Chanel, following John Steinbeck’s 1970s article about the seaside town in Harper’s Bazaar. Today, it still draws the rich, famous, and art-loving with its pastel houses, coastal views, and irresistible Italian charm. At its center is Le Sirenuse, a family-owned luxury hotel tucked away above the coastline with stunning views overlooking the sea. Run by Antonio Sersale, his wife Carla, and their sons, the hotel brings together elegance and contemporary flair.
In 2016, Sersale launched an artist program curated by Silka Rittson-Thomas, inviting contemporary artists to create site-specific works inspired by the hotel and its surroundings. As part of that initiative, British artist Martin Creed created DON’T WORRY (2016), a glowing neon piece that now lights up the hotel bar. The evolving art program now includes work by major artists such as Stanley Whitney and Rita Ackermann. A mural by Alex Israel and column installations by Matt Connors are each subtly woven into the hotel’s architecture. Meanwhile, in Franco’s Bar, guests can sip their aperitivo cocktails beside a dramatic yellow terra-cotta fountain by Giuseppe Ducrot, or next to mirrored poetry by Karl Holmqvist that plays with reflections and words. The newest addition to the hotel’s collection for 2025 is Swiss painter Caroline Bachmann’s series of 20 seascapes.
GACHOT Shinola Hotel, Detroit
What to know: Chic industrial infrastructure featuring local art legends
Elegantly modern with salon-style artworks climbing to its high ceilings, the Shinola Hotel is a clear nod to Detroit’s heritage. The hotel preserves the original architectural features of the historic buildings in which it is situated, including the 1915 T.B. Rayl & Co. department store and a former Singer sewing machine factory, renovating them with a contemporary sophistication. In the reception area, guests are greeted by a custom installation by local artist Margo Wolowiec which appears to be a digital tapestry depicting scenes from Detroit’s history, such as the 1963 civil rights march.
This is just a taste of the abundant art throughout the hotel, curated by GACHOT’s creative director, Daniel Caudill, and Detroit’s Library Street Collective to celebrate both the local art scene and international influences. Highlights include Nick Cave’s Tondo, a large-scale, disk-shaped wall sculpture made up of swirling colors crafted from beaded fabric, felted wool, and wood, as well as works by Detroit legends Charles McGee and Beverly Fishman. Dotted throughout the hallways and lounges, you’ll find Robert William Moreland’s sculptural canvases alongside portraits by Tyree Guyton, Cassi Namoda, and Willie Wayne Smith that tell individual stories about community and the history of Detroit.
El Fenn, Marrakech
What to know: Rooftop cocktails under pop art portraits and dramatic installations hidden behind the Medina walls
Marrakech has been booming on the international art scene recently. From the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (which was founded there), to the Marrakech Biennale, the city’s contemporary art scene is swiftly growing. And El Fenn is the place that every discerning art lover wants to stay.
True to its name, which translates to “house of art,” El Fenn blends Moorish architecture with meticulous craftsmanship. Here, you’ll find intricate cedar-wood ceilings, traditional Moroccan zellige tiles, and colorful, eclectic interiors. Art is everywhere. Expect to dine under a dramatic chandelier by London-based artist Francis Upritchard (who represented New Zealand in the Venice Biennale in 2009), and sip cocktails beside Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj’s kaleidoscopic tin-can installation on the rooftop bar. In the morning, you might pass by Moroccan artist Batoul S’Himi’s reimagined pressure cookers turned conceptual sculptures.
In the public spaces of the riad and 41 suites, expect to find artworks by African artists such as Yto Barrada, who has previously shown at the Tate Modern and MoMA, and Leila Alaoui, who is known for socially engaged photography works. There are also works by major international names, including a series of ink prints by Antony Gormley and brightly painted slogans by Bob and Roberta Smith. The hotel also offers plenty of comforts, including three pools, a curated boutique, a roof-terrace restaurant, a serene spa, and the residents-only Colonnade Café.
Rosewood, Hong Kong
What to know: World-class luxury meets artistic curation and afternoon teas, all with a breathtaking view
Overlooking the harbor in the heart of Hong Kong’s Victoria Dockside arts district, Rosewood Hong Kong has become one of the world’s most celebrated new hotels, ranked No. 3 globally in World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024. As well as its sumptuous suites and 11 restaurants including fine dining, afternoon tea lounges, and cocktail bars, this skyscraper hotel features an exceptional art collection that complements its sophisticated interiors (complete with bespoke wallcoverings by Hermès and Gracie Studio).
In the outdoor courtyard, guests are greeted by a bronze sculpture titled Sleeping Lady (2018)by British artist Thomas Houseago. Inside the lobby there’s another bronze sculpture, this time more geometric, titled Pair of Walking Figures–Jubilee (1977) by Lynn Chadwick. Elsewhere, Joe Bradley’s abstract canvases are hung in the elevator lobby. In the hotel’s Butterfly Room, an all-day lounge known for its glamorous afternoon tea service, Damien Hirst’s “Zodiac” paintings reflect life’s cyclical nature through color and symbolic butterflies.
Even the hotel’s restaurant and café spaces display art: Holt’s Café features an installation of curated vintage silver teaspoons that celebrates Hong Kong’s local cha chaan teng—tea restaurant—culture. Clarita Brinkerhoff’s crystal-encrusted peacocks overlook the room, and Nancy Lee’s vibrant photographs of local taxis adds a nod to a more local experience.
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