Skip to content
Left arrow
FOUR Magazine logo
Search icon

Hotels for art lovers

Luxury Lifestyle
|
26 Jan 2018
|
4 min read

Distinctly luxurious hotels with serious collections. Featured exclusively in our last FOUR International magazine.

Gramercy Park Hotel, New York

Situated in the picturesque Gramercy Park enclave at East 21st Street, the Gramercy Park Hotel mixes fine art with rich and colourful design. The result? One of the most original and glamorous five-star hotels in New York.

The 185-room property features custom-designed furnishings and a rotating 56-piece collection of original 20th century artwork from iconic artists like Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Tom Wesselman, which can be viewed in all of the hotel’s public spaces.

Just a stone’s throw away are the Chelsea art galleries for more visual delights; Gramercy Park, the only private park in Manhattan and a tranquil haven set amid the hustle and bustle of New York’s buzzing metropolis; city hotspots like Union Square, the Meatpacking District, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita, East and West Villages, as well as the city’s pulsing nightlife, shopping and restaurants.

Inside, the hotel’s endless list of facilities and amenities make a trip out decidedly optional. Off the lobby are the Rose and Jade Bars – two of the city’s most coveted hotspots for cocktails – while the hotel’s signature restaurant, Maialino by Danny Myer is a neighbourhood Roman trattoria with a front bar that serves as a local coffee spot in the morning. Transformed into a lively wine bar serving plates throughout the day and into the night, it’s the perfect place to wind down after a few hours (if time permits) exploring the city.

Interestingly, the hotel was designed by Oscar-nominated director and artist Julian Schnabel and is steeped in the theme of art. As well as art and original photography, each guest room is individually designed in the hotel’s signature renaissance blue, jade green and rose colours, hues that Julian pulled from the Canigiani Holy Family painting by Raffaello “Raphael” Sanzio. Real art lovers wanting an insider’s perspective of the hotel’s collection can arrange tours with the hotel’s knowledgeable concierge who will happily share facts behind the artwork, artists and design inspiration at the hotel.

El Fenn, Morroco

When it comes to culture-filled excursions, Marrakech is a wonderful city to explore. Team that with a preference for art and proprietor Vanessa Branson’s boutique riad, El Fenn, which is tucked away in the Marrakech medina off the city’s main square, Djemaa el Fna, is the perfect choice for a luxury getaway guesthouse.

El Fenn is home to a magnificent contemporary art collection, put together by Branson herself. Considered to be one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Morocco, it features works by established and new European and African artists, including major works by William Kentridge, Terry Frost and Batoul S’Himi.

With Branson’s collection seen throughout the public spaces and bedrooms, you could find yourself dining under a stunning chandelier created by Francis Upritchard or sleeping besides a series of ink studies by Anthony Gormley.

Combining the indulgence of a hip hotel with the heritage of seven traditional Moroccan courtyard houses, El Fenn is unparalleled when it comes to its all-out luxury facilities. Highlights include a 7,000sq ft terrace overlooking the Koutoubia Mosque; three swimming pools; an onsite Hammam spa featuring Le Sens de Marrakech products; an in-house boutique; library and fine dining restaurant, which offers private cooking lessons with head chef, Hafid.

Guided tours through the city’s medina and labyrinthine souks can also be arranged through El Fenn’s helpful staff. As well as visits to the beautiful Ben Youssef Medersa – just one example of the city’s alluring architecture – guests can arrange chauffeured outings to Djemaa el Fna square which is at its most atmospheric at dusk when it fills with turbaned potion sellers and snake charmers, making your experience of Marrakech’s art and culture all the more memorable.

The Dolder Grand, Switzerland

Art at the five starDolder Grandhas always been a much talked about subject. And there’s no questioning why when you consider its collection of more that 100 artworks from the likes of world famous artists such as Anish Kapoor, Zaha Hadid and Salvador DaReopened in 2008 after four years of renovation, The Dolder Grand’s old structure (the hotel first opened in 1899), is now framed by two modern wings designed by Foster + Partners. Reflective of the hotel’s architecture, which blends old with new, The Dolder Grand’s art collection — put together by owner Urs Ernst Schwarzenbach — dates back to 1722 (Abraham Bisschop,A Mute Swan Preening itself in the Edge of a Pond) right up to the present day (Zaha Hadid, Belu, 2007).

Browse the hotel’s collection through a new, interactive iPad tour which the hotel launched just last year, featuring a map pinpointing the exact location you can find each of the prominent works within the Dolder’s decidedly dandy quarters.

Experiencing The Dolder Grand’s art collection need not require that much effort, however; even while you’re taking advantage of the rest of the hotel’s hard-to-beat features, which includes a separate Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Spa, a golf course, hairdressers, boutique, swimming pool, ice rink, nine-hole golf course and more, you’ll never be too far from a masterpiece. In the spa hangs Sol LeWitt’s Horizontal Brushstrokes, while diners can feast their eyes on Salvador Dalí’sFemmes Metamorphosesas they tuck into head chef Heiko Nieder’s two-Michelin-star rated cuisine in The Restaurant.

The Thief, Norway

When it comes to impeccable architecture, Oslo’s The Comb Over — the newly opened Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art — shines the brightest with its cutting edge design and swerving, high-sheen glass exterior.

Located directly next to the art gallery is The Thief, the only hotel from Design Hotels™ in Oslo, which houses borrowed pieces from Astrup Fearnley’s massive collection within its stunning public spaces, making it the perfect springboard for exploring the city’s art and design offerings.

If you’re strapped for time, though, you could easily fill your art-loving boots within the comfort of The Thief’s decadent walls. The hotel features a permanent collection of pieces selected by Sune Nordgren, the former director of Norway’s National Museum of Art, which don the walls of the hotels 118 lavish rooms.

So lavish, in fact, The Thief cost more per room to build than any other hotel in Scandinavia. Each room features down-duvet bedding, rainfall showers and Antonio Citterio armchairs. It’s the small details that make it super-special, though, with custom-designed wool slippers, bathrobes and blankets, verbena tea at turndown service and a handpicked collection in the minibar.

Whether sipping your morning coffee on the balcony of your room, taking a dip in the nearby Oslo Fjord, whiling away your time next door at the Astrup Fearnley Museum, where you’ll enjoy access to its riveting collection (think Koons, Hirst, Barney and more) — free of charge to all Thief guests, of course — or on a treasure hunt through the hotel to locate the most unique works by artists such as Sir Peter Blake and Richard Prince, Magne Furuholmen, Camilla Löw and Kjell Nupen, there’s everything you need to lose your sense of time in this art mecca.

World’s best winner 2014     |     World’s best luxury lifestyle media brand 2022

About

|

Editions

|

Contact

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

About

|

Contact

|

Editions

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

four-magazine.com use cookies to deliver an optimised experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all cookies used.
Cookie settingsaccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
__cfduid1 monthThe cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
_abck1 yearThis cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions.
bm_sz4 hoursThis cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
ts3 yearsThis cookie is provided by the PayPal. It is used to support payment service in a website.
ts_c3 yearsThis cookie is provided by PayPal when a website is in association with PayPal payment function. This cookie is used to make safe payment through PayPal.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
akavpau_ppsdsessionThis cookie is provided by Paypal. The cookie is used in context with transactions on the website.
nsidThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
tsrce3 daysThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
x-pp-ssessionThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to process payments from the site.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieDurationDescription
YSCsessionThis cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_120081375_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_83740222_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_mcid1 yearNo description
ak_bmsc2 hoursNo description
CONSENT16 years 9 months 2 days 6 hoursNo description
ec_store_chameleon_fontsessionThis cookie is provided by Ecwid and it is used to save the font utilised in the website's online store.
enforce_policy1 yearNo description
l7_az30 minutesNo description
LANG9 hoursNo description
x-cdnThis cookie is provided by Paypal and is used in context with shopping transactions on the website's store.