When you check in at the front desk of a hotel or resort property, art which is displayed there is likely to be the last thing on your mind — comfort, peace and quiet, cleanliness, a good night’s sleep, possibly dining, and the overall value would all have a prevalent priority over art…
Art in Hotel and Resort Properties
…especially as the art seems to be nondescript, more often than not. Take the example shown in the photograph above in the room above the two beds at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hinton hotel property, at which I stayed as a guest when I visited the Rocky Mountains in Canada four years ago. The likely sole purpose of the art is to simply fill a void on the wall and have the room seem more homey and comfortable — not to be analyzed or appreciated on its own volition. The composition is boring; the colors are muted, and it likely is not even a scene from somewhere local in the area, as none of the majestic mountains are shown.
Fortunately, not all hotel and resort properties treat art in the same mundane and banal manner.
Members of the management team at the Hilton Bogotá Corferias hotel property in Colombia fortunately do not follow that same policy, as the hotel property has an extensive collection of original art, which is difficult not to notice — such as in the lobby near the front desk as an example…
…simply look up and you will see busts, which are securely mounted on concrete pillars above you.
The various works of art can be found throughout the hotel property — whether they are located in the lobby…
…the swimming pool area…
…the restaurants and dining areas…
…near the bar adjacent to the main lobby, in the form of three dimensional abstract art…
…or in the spa.
Original artwork is even proudly displayed on the walls in guest rooms.
The artwork is not just in the form of paintings or photographs hanging on the wall — whether alone or as part of a series…
…but elements of art and design are incorporated into the walls…
…as well as in fixtures and other parts of the architecture of the hotel property.
Some of the artwork is quite huge to the point of being almost three stories tall…
…while other pieces of art are small enough to rest on a table…
…and still others simply hang from a ceiling.
Final Boarding Call
The Hilton Bogotá Corferias is one of the more unusual hotel properties whose staff takes pride in the original artwork that is on display throughout the premises — although sometimes less expensive lodging options might feature the works of a local artist.
However, art is subjective; and not everyone will like it or appreciate it. Hanging reprints of paintings and photography in hotel rooms is obviously significantly less expensive than acquiring original pieces of art and displaying them — especially when someone could accidentally damage the works of art.
This discussion — which was posted on FlyerTalk — has members opining about art work in hotel and resort properties as well as displaying photographs of some of that art work.
What was some of the most interesting art work you have noticed in a hotel or resort property — and specifically what about that art work appealed to you?
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
