“If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”
-Edward Hopper
Art for change.
Hotels are shifting from cookie-cutter and sterile to bold and artsy -filled with spaces that set them apart from the growing competition. Lobbies chock full of elaborate sculptures, dangling installations, and edgy paintings adorning walls are just the kind of eye candy hotels need to attract the insta-hungry crowds. But for many family-owned hotels, art is integral to their story and vital to connecting guests with the local community.
Some host art galleries; others offer artists-in-residence programs or integrate immersive local art tours in their neighborhoods. Below is a collection of 3 favorites who are passionate about showcasing local art in their spaces.
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Aristide Hotel
Syros, Greece
Run by a delightful mother-daughter team with a penchant for local art, this tastefully restored neoclassical mansion in the historical center of Ermoupoli exudes personality and ticks all the right boxes in creative design and sustainability.
Sustainability spotlight
Design & Build: All materials, textures, and colors used in the restoration were true to the original character.
Community-focused: Aristide has a dedicated art gallery to host exhibitions by local artists and offers residency programs for visual artists to stay and work.
Conservation-focused: Aristide initiated a tree-planting initiative to offset some of the carbon footprints generated by guests’ travel to the island.
Culinary sustainability: Sources locally.
Waste management: No single-use plastics are used; even the slippers provided are biodegradable and compostable.
Photos courtesy of: Aristide Hotel
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Gardens Havana
Havana, Cuba
A fusion of tropical chic and old-world elegance in the heart of Havana. True to its name, this stylish casa, nestled in Havana's back streets, is chock full of greenery, sky-high palms, and the comfiest of courtyard day-beds for chilling (something you'll pine for after walkabouts in Havana). And spaces are overflowing with unique artwork plucked straight out of the many local art studios nearby.
Sustainability spotlight
Design & Build: Visionaries Jamie McDonald, Phil Winser, and Yunior Riveron took great care to restore this old casa to its former glory, ever conscious of enlisting local artisans, carpenters, and ceramicists.
Community-focused: 100% committed to employing local Habaneros (preferably from the neighborhood) to manage the hotel.
Culinary Sustainability: All food is sourced locally.
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Stamba
Tbilisi, Georgia
A fusion of brutalist architecture, unadorned industrial minimalism, and outlandish design makes this hotel in Tbilisi’s old publishing house stand out. The transformation of this old Soviet printing press into the hippest of hip hotels is an urban sustainable development success story and a true reflection of this city’s renaissance.
Sustainability spotlight
Design & Build: Designed according to adaptive reuse principles, the hotel was sensitively restored, respecting the original features of the publishing house while seamlessly integrating traditional elements with modern touches.
Culinary Sustainability: At the Stampa Hotel, farm-to-table fare shines, featuring seasonal ingredients sourced in collaboration with the Georgian Farmers' Association. Rooms, under the parent company Adjara Group, partners with local farmers to supply ingredients for its restaurants. Additionally, Adjara Group has pioneered one of the first indoor vertical farms in the Caucasus region, known as Space Farms, situated within the lobby of the Stamba Hotel. Notably, the Space Farm utilizes 75% less water than conventional farming methods.
Conservation-focused: The Adjara Group also recently partnered with Plastic Watcher to address plastic waste and showcase products made out of recycled polyester bags in their hotels.
Waste, water, and energy management: Within all its properties, Adjara Group consistently implements energy-efficient solutions, demonstrating its commitment to reducing plastic usage and actively deploying a waste management system to monitor and control waste production. Adjara Group collaborates with a paper recycling company to responsibly recycle paper waste. Furthermore, the Stamba Hotel specifically relies solely on electricity for its heating systems, a deliberate step to minimize carbon emissions that would otherwise result from burning natural gas.