Hotel Room Art
 

Many hotel rooms around the world have photographs or paintings hanging on the wall and — in rare cases — some of it is actually original artwork and not merely a printed reproduction.

Much of it can be banal, but sometimes I might look up from whatever I am doing and look at it.

Has there ever been any hotel room art that has caught your attention in any way? Please post here, and be sure to include sculptures, statuettes, stylish furniture, and any other items you would consider art in hotel rooms in which you have stayed. Even better, please include the hotel property and room number so that other FlyerTalk members may have the opportunity to experience it for themselves.

As a general rule, I prefer framed photographs of the area around the hotel taken in the past. I always find them interesting and will often try to find the spot that the photograph was taken from in my strolls around the surrounding streets.

Some hotel in Stockholm was giving free hotel nights to artists whose artwork was accepted for display in the hotel. It made for some interesting outcomes from what I heard, but not so interesting that I even recall the name of the hotel. :o

I was in a hotel room somewhere that had a Taj Mahal made out of Legos. Pop art can be attention-grabbing.

The Intercontinental New Orleans has framed Mardi Gras Krewe posters in their rooms, or were they invitations to Mardi Gras balls? Some date back 100+ years IIRC. Great way to bring a local touch to the decor.

The Marriott Midtown East in NY has Alfred Stieglitz photographs and Georgia O'Keeffe prints. They lived in the building.

The Gallery Inn in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, is owned and operated by artist Jan D’Esopo. Every room is decorated with her art and each is unique. It's a fascinating place.

I like this too. Photographs of landmarks in the city.

The Westin Grand Bohemian in downtown Orlando is full of original art works: from the hallways to the actual art gallery. The lounge features a unique grand piano.

The Royal Plaza hotel in Orlando used to have a Burt Reynolds Suite and a Barbara Mandrell suite. Not fine art, I know! Anyway, I saw the latter. It had album covers and photos and such. Too bad the suites now appear to be generic "executive" suites or some such.

Years ago, it was rumored that at least one of the motel chain's rooms were 'decorated' with "assembly line" (sort of a "Paint by the Numbers" approach) paintings from a studio in Hong Kong.

Looked true to me....

The Hotel Continental in Oslo has original art in the rooms, as well as in the public spaces:

http://www.hotelcontinental.no/Default.aspx?ID=255

(My room had one of the glass art pieces).

(The hotel has an association with Edvard Munch - "The Scream" hangs in the National Gallery about three blocks from the hotel).

I'm a huge fan also of having art/photos from the area the hotel is, its a bit of a shame when staying in a beautiful region and they have cheap prints of another city etc

The Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya has wonderful old photographs in the hallways of Ernest Hemingway, Teddy Roosevelt, Karen Blixen, Denis Finch Hatton, Beryl Markham and others of that era. It was a staging point for people setting out on safari.

My uncle once put a picture of me he took on his cell phone on a ledge in a hotel room, and I couldn't tell it didn't belong to the hotel. It's now hanging on my living room wall.

The imperial hotel in new Delhi has beautiful old pictures maps and prints of colonial India in all the hallways and rooms.