It is Queen Elizabeth, but not as we understand her. Oblivious to the world, she sits blissed-out and eyes shut under her crown at a giant picture, a bit of artwork from Britain’s cutting edge Saatchi Collection.
But she is not on show at a museum or an art gallery. This tranche of Britain’s greatest contemporary collection is set out in London’s Churchill Hotel, and there aren’t any lines to get in or entry fees. The Churchill is among an increasing number of properties placing themselves up as replacements for the planet’s top art galleries. And art is not the only selling point of the hotel. Much like most of the best hotels in Hobart Tasmania, it is equipped with stellar customer service, great interiors, and charming hotel rooms.
Blame it on Vegas, where Impressionist paintings have been brought from the Bellagio from 1998 to set it apart as the poshest location on the Strip, a repository of civilization in addition to gambling rings and showgirls. The resort is presently revealing Monet in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the type of series that would entice long lines from the treasure houses of the world’s capital cities.
London and Las Vegas (in which the Venetian opened using its own branch of the Guggenheim) aren’t alone. New York’s Gramercy sports Warhols and Picassos, La Colombe d’Or on the French Riviera is bedecked with Picassos and works by Matisse and Calder, although the Rome Cavalieri includes a Tiepolo, among the greatest of Old Masters. Then there is the Ritz-Carlton Millenia in Singapore, trying to trump everyone by investing in 4,200 modern artworks, and also the Saxon at Johannesburg, asserting that the world’s biggest collection of African American art.
Back in Britain, the Broomhill Art Hotel at Devon abuts a four-hectare sculpture park, while at Copenhagen the fashionable Hotel Fox wows guests with Manga animations. And Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels are currently running artwork excursions for guests as only another aspect of upper-crust hospitality.
Why Art?
But why are resorts so obsessed with artwork? Do travelers actually choose hotels for the art hanged inside frames on the walls? One frequent traveler had expressed that he would be more bothered by the hotel itself and the standard of the hotel rooms. This same traveler, however, also admitted that should he find himself staying at a hotel with great art, he would stop by and usually be impressed by the hotel. He would not choose a hotel based on the artwork being displayed, but those with great art pieces have their own special place in his heart. This is especially true of today’s generation. As more people are expecting more on hotels than simply as a place to stay for the night, an art exhibition or an unusual hotel concept such as this storytelling hotel is more than welcomed.
From the client’s perspective, the appeal is becoming a cultural lift on a company trip, that might not permit time to get a museum or gallery outing. The artwork isn’t simply on the assumptions but is normally free to see; you are unlikely to need to stand in line and you will find armchairs to flop inside.
However, what’s inside for resorts — besides the possible investment value — if they might be putting their cash into larger rooms, better meals or fresh amenities such as a pool or a spa having a more immediate prospect of earnings?
An art concierge at a particular hotel has said that some guests come to the hotel just to see the artwork and listen to what she has to talk about the artworks. This particular hotel has a collection of over 300 pieces of constantly changing photos and paintings on its exhibition walls, which is advertised to the guests by using an online newsletter. This way, the guests could be kept informed of the latest exhibits and art events.
The resort appointed an art masterpiece since the designer, who oversaw its transformation from grande dame into cutting edge resort, ordered it, given the resort’s mission statement to be committed to culture and art.
People Are Talking
There is also the talking-point variable, mentioned by the Churchill Hotel as a fantastic reason for cooperating with the Saatchi Collection, that can be bolder with its own purchases compared to grand associations such as London’s Tate Modern. The spokesman of the hotel has admitted that not everyone will like the art pieces on display. Although some will not like the artworks, it will get people talking about the hotel and the artwork.
She points out that since 2008, the resort has partnered with London’s cutting edge Frieze Art Fair, and they are eager to continue the partnership with a world-famous modern art.
From the side of the art gallery, the spokesperson for the Saatchi Collection has stated that the function of any exhibition showcase is to bring artwork to as many people as possible. She admitted that a prestigious resort like the Churchill Hotel would bring a continuous stream of people coming from all over the world. Such a place has the ability to publicly allow people to reflect and admire the art as they go about their regular lives.
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