As guests increasingly seek authentic experiences linked with their destination of choice, it has become more important for hotels to embrace their local communities. This often means spotlighting the best the area has to offer, be it wine, coffee, or architecture. More commonly, hotels are also highlighting local art as a means to drawn in guests and community members alike.
An artist-in-residence program at the Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, Mo., infuses the city’s art scene into the property. The hotel offers local artists an in-house studio where they work on art pieces to be featured in the hotel. Megan Lou Gallant is the latest featured artist on the property, with her work displayed throughout the hotel and its restaurant, 12 Baltimore. Guests can stop by her studio for a visit, or participate in workshops for further engagement. “One of the beautiful things the hotel has done through this program is link itself to the happenings of the community,” Gallant says. “There is a sense of family and a real sense of community inside the hotel. For the hotel to create that kind of environment for their guests, it nurtures that kind of local community feeling.”
Programs like this create an original way to engage with guests and offer experiences and exchanges that they would not be able to find elsewhere. One of Gallant’s favorite aspects of her role is being able to share the culture of Kansas City with travelers from all over the country. She recently received a visit from a mother and young daughter who were both highly entranced by Gallant’s work during their stay. Since returning home, they have continued to follow Gallant’s work. “People I meet inside the hotel are really stricken by the idea that the hotel is literally supporting their creative community,” she says. The program helps build long-term customer relationships and entices guests to revisit the property to view new art in the future.
The trend of featuring local art within the hotel space extends far beyond artist-in-residence programs, with 21c Museum Hotels, New York Edition, Park Hyatt New York, and many others doubling as art galleries, allowing guests to get cultured without ever stepping outside.
Sims Patrick Studio designed Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia with this exact idea in mind. The hotel embraces and creates art throughout the newly redesigned and art-inspired hotel by partnering with the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. Philadelphia has a thriving art community and with the in-house art gallery located in the lobby, guests may see paintings by local artists to compliment Philadelphia’s rich cultural history. The paintings are available for purchase and the gallery rotates every 6 months.