Art hotels are popping up all over the world and have become a trend in the travel industry. The New York Times published an article this past August highlighting some of the most original Art Hotels in the world, featuring yours truly!

Below is sourced from the New York Times. Written by by Charu Suri.

Procuring and exhibiting art in all forms has been synonymous with the hotel experience for several decades now, with both luxury and midlevel brands highlighting local artwork and museum-quality pieces rather than predictable poster reprints.

Guests like it: In a 2018 survey conducted by the nonprofit organization, Americans for the Arts, 72 percent of respondents said they enjoyed the arts in “non-arts” venues including hotels.

Art-centric hotels are popping up in many cities, including the ART in Denver and the upcoming Hall Arts Hotel in Dallas, hoping to attract a new breed of clients who want to be surrounded by sculptures, video installations, paintings and mixed media.

But of late, some properties have begun to push the boundaries of what it means to be a hotel with great art.

After the film and video artist Christina Zeidler took over the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, Canada, the 37-room boutique hotel began holding rotating exhibits annually as well as live events. Artists also helped with the interior design of the rooms.

“Artists are given free rein to think about the design of the furniture, window coverings, wallpaper or wall treatment,’ said the Exhibitions Director Lee Petrie, who explains that apart from the permanent room art, the hotel shies away from commissioning anything. They believe continuously changing exhibits are draws for repeat visits.”

Read The Full New York Times Article

The West End Phoenix Newspaper launched in October of 2017 as monthly broadsheet dedicated to telling the stories of Toronto’s West End.  Back then, the Gladstone excitedly announced a new partnership—an artist residency in our Studio 202 with the community-based storytelling powerhouse—knowing it would lead to exciting things.  The new newspaper was the ideal group to work in our second floor flex studios. At the time we wrote: “Our love of print, coupled with our desire to connect with our community, make this exciting venture a perfect fit for the Gladstone. We can’t wait to see what’s in store [for the West End Phoenix]”!

While we were right to be excited then—what’s been in store has been a consistent flow of community-engagement, exciting journalism, and fun-filled events at the Hotel—we definitely couldn’t have predicted all the places this partnership has lead us so far.

Case and point, the Prime Minister’s visit to the Gladstone Gallery on January 15!  The Phoenix has been such a well done publication that it caught the eye of Justin Trudeau and his team, who paid the Hotel a visit to chat about the importance of free press, local journalism and creative spaces. Prime Minister Trudeau met with a team from the Phoenix that included the paper’s editors and writers.

It made for an excitement filled day at the Gladstone, with lunch guests in the Cafe being just a bit surprised by the high-profile visitor as the Prime Minister made his way up to the second floor gallery. The whole meeting (which ran about 30 minutes) was well documented by the West End Phoenix’s team. Their amazing photo editor Jalani Morgan got some fun shots of the occasion, all as a way to encourage people to subscribe to a newspaper that’s all about free press, local journalism, community-engagement and creative spaces! Follow the West End Phoenix on Instagram for more highlights!

Want to know what else the West End Phoenix is all about? Check out this great feature on Ontario Place as just one example of the awesome work the paper has been doing, and make sure to subscribe for more monthly news right from our neighbourhood!

The West End Phoenix has a studio, and so could you! If you’re looking for creative space in the West End, the Gladstone has you covered. From our co-working space in the Melody Bar (until 5pm daily), to our 2nd floor studios, the Hotel has options to help you get creative! Check out our event venues to learn more.