SLEEPING BEAUTIES
Area hotels collect and display swoon-worthy works of art
THIS summer, if you’re looking for a weekend escape that doesn’t skimp on culture, consider these six hotels. They’re easy to get to — but more to the point, they’re all within reach of worldclass art and hang it proudly on their walls.
Tourists
North Adams, Mass. (from $199)
Modernized motels are all the rage right now, and one of the newest is Tourists, a 48-room Berkshires retreat near the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA). In addition to airy, white-and-wood interiors, Dornbracht bathroom fixtures and a saltwater pool, the hotel has an Arts & Adventure coordinator who oversees cultural packages. Catch Solid Sound, Wilco’s biennial festival at MASS MoCA, at the end of June; the band’s bassist, John Stirratt, is a partner of Tourists.
Ocean House
Watch Hill, RI (from $775)
Channel your inner aristocrat — or your inner Taylor Swift, who owns a $17 million mansion nearby — at Ocean House. The Relais & Châteaux hotel reopened in 2010 after a $140 million renovation that added a restaurant (with an epic Sunday jazz brunch) and a 12,000-square-foot spa. There’s also a 250-piece art collection with work by Ludwig Bemelmans that includes his original illustrations from the famous “Madeline” children’s books.
Delamar Southport
Southport, Conn. (from $229)
Get your fix of New England d charm in this s picturesque picturesq getaway 90 minutes from Grand Gran Central. Located within walking distance station, of the Metro-North Delamar has local art (available for fo purchase) scattered throughout its public spaces and guest rooms. Additionally, the hotel’s Connecticut Art Trail Package includes passes to the Fairfield University Art Museum, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and other area spots.
Hamilton Princess
Bermuda (from $629)
Hop a 2-hour-ish flight, breeze through customs, and soon you’ll saunter into the soaring Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club under the watchful eye of Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol — just two of the contemporary artists in the owners’ staggering collection. As the newly renovated, Fairmont-managed “Pink Palace” gears up for its 135th anniversary next year, it has also unveiled an Exhale spa and a Marcus Samuelsson restaurant.
The Wauwinet
Nantucket, Mass. (from $225)
The Wauwinet, a historic Nantucket Island Resorts inn, reopened in April after a multimillion-dollar renovation that refreshed the lobby, library and 32 guest rooms (including a threebedroom cottage bedecked with Serena & Lily textiles and furniture). The owners’ art is arranged by theme (nautical, nature, landscapes) throughout the public spaces. In the lobby, a trompe l’oeil work by Massachusettsbased artist Sue Connell fools the eye into thinking you’re standing on a rug — in fact, it’s a piece of fine art that’s been hand-painted on the floor.
Fitler Club
Philadelphia, Pa. (from $400)
If Soho House, WeWork, Neue-House and Equinox Hotels birthed a child, it might look something like Fitler Club, a private members’ club with a 14-room hotel. In addition to food by acclaimed Philly chef Marc Vetri, a 25,000square-foot gym and spa, and a communal workspace — which guests can access — there are artists’ residencies (in exchange for work displayed throughout the property), pieces from Damien Hirst and Charles Gaines, and a miniature on-site gallery.