Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

The details: Housed inside the India Buildings dating back to the 19th century, old-meets-new was a driving factor in the hotel’s design by London-based Four-by-Two and the art, curated by VISTO. Restaurant Eve, for example, features three brightly colored murals. There’s Mary in Space, a reference to Mary Queen of Scots, and Space Glove, featuring images of local flowers and thistle, the national symbol of Scotland. The third, Capercaillie Woman, shows a woman wearing earrings in the shape of Tubular Bells, the first record produced by Virgin Edinburgh’s owner Richard Branson, and a peacock, featured on a scarf worn by Branson’s mother, Eve, who serves as the restaurant’s inspiration. “The artwork reflects the design of the hotel as it juxtaposes the preservation of the original features and aesthetic of the building along with a contemporary twist and element of surprise,” says Tamara Weil Rodgers, director at VISTO.

Eco Terreno Urban Tasting Room, San Francisco

The details: For his Sonoma winery’s outpost near the Embarcadero, viticulturist and Eco Terreno Wines founder Mark Lyon wanted to champion minority and LGBTQIA+ artists while paying homage to local history. Occupying a historic building once home to the city’s first lesbian bar, the location comprises subterranean supper club Lyon & Swan, a first-floor tasting room, and a members-only space upstairs. Alicia Cheung and Eva Bradley, principals of local firm Studio Heimat, welcomed the directive.“We wanted the art to help us evoke a soulful, welcoming, terroir-forward sensibility,” says Bradley. In the playful Lyon & Swan, a 3D piece by Elliott C Nathan and a triptych entitled Safe Space by Serge Gay Jr. frame a fireplace. The designers also collaborated with the Bob Mizer Foundation on a collection of 1950s-era photographs of the area and sourced Andy Warhol prints from his Wild Raspberries cookbook.

Photo by Frank Frances Studio

Bellagio Las Vegas

The details: The Gettys Group recently refreshed the main tower guestrooms at the iconic Bellagio Las Vegas. DAC Art Consulting devised an art program that reflects the hotel’s inspirations of Bellagio, Italy and the waters of Lake Como. “Highlighting the nuances of nature and light, the design schemes establish a blissful refuge that begins in a water drop-inspired corridor,” says DAC partner Cheryl Heisterberg. Homage to Bonheur by Heidi Lanino anchors the main hallway, with rhythmic lines giving a sense of movement. Hanging over a table in a premier king room The Pond by Bjørnar Aaslund nods to nature with abstract brushstrokes. “Strong and bold, yet soothing and calm, the remodel elevates Vegas’ sense of luxury hospitality,” Heisterberg adds.

Photo by Tory Kooyman

Kimpton Alma San Diego

The details: Drawing on seemingly disparate influences—San Diego’s connection to Mexican heritage, tattoo art, and the city’s affinity for comic books—Indidesign worked with Local Language on a fresh take on Southern California culture for the Kimpton Alma San Diego. Centering the narrative is the fictional Alma, featured in cartoon-style portraits in the lobby. “The walls are a focal point, intended to draw the eye with a variety of pieces,” says Beatrice Girelli, cofounder and design director of Indidesign. At the entrance of farm-to-table restaurant the Desmond, local artist Celeste Byers contributed a colorful mural featuring food and flowers, while inside handmade traditional Mexican fans purchased from an artisan are displayed as wall art. And on the fourth-floor pool deck, a floral mural by artist Jules Muck blooms, employing bold pastel colors from traditional glazed Mexican ceramics.

Photo by Will Pryce

Montage Big Sky, Montana

The details: Nestled within Montana’s bucolic landscape, Montage Big Sky melds the spirit of the American West with the nature and heritage of Big Sky. To complement the neutral color palette and timeless materials used by San Francisco-based firm BraytonHughes Design Studios throughout the public spaces and 150 guestrooms and 39 residences, Farmboy Fine Arts curated an art collection of more than 150 unique works. Sourced from a mixture of local, emerging, and preeminent international artists, the pieces span mediums. American sculptor Jessica Drenk’s Bibliophylum upcycles pages from old books into feather-like pieces, individually pinned in an elliptical shape above the reception desk. In the guestrooms, original black and white photography by Anouk Masson Krantz tells the story of the American West, while the pool area is enhanced by Carson Fox’s Big Sky Meditation, which comprises three circular installations of rock-like formations made from resin, diamond dust, Swarovski crystals, and steel pins. “[The hotel’s] art collection celebrates diverse artistic practices that tell a range of stories reflective of Big Sky’s precious natural surroundings and the important lifestyles, cultures, and histories of the local community, adding visceral new ways for guests to create more meaningful connections to Big Sky during their visit,” says Ariel Grue Lee, vice president of business development for Farmboy Fine Arts.

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport

The details: Dallas-based Waldrop + Nichols Studio tapped Riggs Art Consultants to imbue Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport with artistic cultural touchpoints. In the lobby, a collection of 29 black and white images by different photographers showcases a behind-the-scenes look at various stages of performance in Boston’s historic venues. Punctuating the space inside Mediterranean fusion restaurant Kestra, photographs by Neal Grundy (shown)feature swaths of colorful fabric captured using a freeze motion technique that makes them appear as if they were mid-dance. And in the open-concept lobby bar Crescendo, a golden wall offers a glimpse at sheet music from Beethoven’s Fifth, the first piece of music played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. “Many of the artworks support the fluidity of the building with its large open flowing spaces, while others provide a connection to the innovation of the Seaport district,” says Waldrop + Nichols Studio president Andrea Waldrop.

Viewline Snowmass, Aspen, Colorado

The details: Inspiration for the 254 guestroom and 20-suite Viewline Resort Snowmass, an Autograph Collection hotel tucked at the base of Snowmass Mountain in Aspen, came from the form, textures, and colors of the local topography. DAC Art Consulting partnered with Chicago design firm the Gettys Group to bring the serenity of nature inside, like in a guestroom where a black and white midcentury modern print references ski tracks on a white slope, but in an abstract way. “Working with the Gettys Group to cultivate a modern mountain Colorado resort with an authentic 1960s ethos, the elevated nature-inspired spaces remain approachable with a light and warm design focus,” says Cheryl Heisterberg, partner at DAC Art Consulting. To go “beyond the frame,” public spaces were used as canvases to create a sense of playfulness. Consider the reception area, where an installation of 250 pounds of layered sediment rocks sit inside a glass case, or the lobby where an abstract interpretation of icicles and snowflakes composed of MDF board are sprinkled across the walls. “Dimensional artwork in place of traditional framed pieces not only adds variety and depth to the art collection but can make for unique, memorable elements in the space,” adds Heisterberg.

Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel & Convention Center, Cherokee, North Carolina

The details: The massive Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel & Convention Center, which boasts an 83,000-squar- foot convention center, 725 guestrooms, and 74 suites, demands an art installation on a scale as large as itself. Working with Atlanta-based design firm BLUR Workshop, art consultant Faulkner+Locke tasked North Carolina sculptor Carl Peverall with creating a dynamic centerpiece. The result is a two-and-a-half-ton sculpture made of Tennessee Sandstone that was sourced by Peverall from a local quarry. “Part of the journey was finding the stones that would create the composition,” says BLUR interior designer Debbie Wong. Drawing inspiration from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians origin story, which tells of the formation of earth and its mountains, the sculpture transports guests to the nearby Smoky Mountains.

Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau, The Bahamas

The details: Designed in the style of a grand Bahamian residence by New York firm Wimberly Interiors, the Rosewood Baha Mar is outfitted with 800 original pieces of artwork. Featuring local artists was a priority for the team, led by Rosewood Baha Mar’s creative director John Cox, in partnership with Eaton Fine Art, which handled the painting in the library lounge, and Silver Hill Atelier, lending its expertise to the lobby mural inspired by the style of Bahamian artist John Hussey, who also assisted in curating the hotel’s art. “We wanted the art to transcend the decades,” says Cox.

Pendry Park City, Utah

The details: Tasked with putting a fresh spin on alpine accommodations for the Pendry Park City, Los Angeles- and New York-based KES Studio worked in tandem with DAC Art Consulting, which commissioned six artists for various works found throughout the hotel. “We love the idea of an alpine lodge, but with modern design and bold, engaging art,” says Michael Fuerstman, cofounder and creative director of Pendry Hotels. Take the pieces in the lobby by featured artist Simon Beck, who stamps intricate patterns into the landscape with his feet. The geometric theme continues in the 152 guestrooms, where minimalist triptychs with textured shapes hang over the beds. “Each piece was curated to emphasize the environment, location, culture, and lifestyle of Park City,” says DAC’s Darby Burgess.