ART and ARTIFACTS at Hotels Around the World

To maximize traveler's time and money, hotels are creating on-property exhibits that are dedicated to entertaining and educating guests from a U.S. historic corridor in Chicago to a local Wild West culture display in Texas. Check out this roundup of some of the exciting hotel displays in the United States and around the world that are making opportunities to view fine art and fascinating artifacts available for their guests.

-U.S. History: The historic Hilton Chicago has hosted every president from Harry Truman to George W. Bush, and housed the US army during WWII. The property features private tours through the recently debuted historic corridor by the resident "Artifacts Associate," telling tales of past presidents and artifacts from WWII. The hotel also features a dedicated lounge with seating from the Normandie - a ship used by the U.S. Army.

-Pop Art & Graffiti: The Hotel Indigo Lower East Side features a rotating series of noteworthy sculptures and artworks from local galleries, including the commissioned work of Lee Quinones (aka LEE), the single most influential artist to emerge from the subway movement, whose paintings are in the collections of four world-class museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art. Mr. Brainwash has also partnered with Hotel Indigo Lower East Side with exclusive art pieces for the property, including two sculptures on loan from his 'Life if Beautiful' pop-up gallery.

-Taxidermy: Designed and dressed entirely by local artisans, the 1920s-inspired The Spectator Hotel in Charleston showcases vintage taxidermy created by native Charlestonian and taxidermist, Becca Barnett. With a captivating ambiance that marries both Art Deco style with an air of Southern Charm, guests can find a large white peacock and domed white doves adorning the dark Speakeasy-style bar.

-English: Brimming with ties to early American literature, The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens features a set of nine buildings repurposed from historic homes dating back to 1790. Bibliophiles can book a stay in the William Dean Howells guest house, named after the author, poet and editor who often hosted renowned American novelists Mark Twain and Sinclair Lewis on the property in the 1900s. With complimentary historic property tours offered three times a week, guests can explore the grounds that were a refuge for Twain and Lewis, taking in artifacts on display from the Dow Collection of art and antiques.

-British Art: The art collection at NOLA's Windsor Court has an estimated value of more than $8 million and includes original works by Reynolds, Gainsborough and Huysman. With an emphasis on works that depict the Windsor Castle and the life of British royalty, majority of the artwork throughout the hotel is British origin. The collection can be explored with a complementary audio tour, now available for download through the hotel's app, which takes guests through three floors of royalty-inspired paintings, sculpture and tapestries.

-Polynesian Promenade: With a focus on cultural immersion, Hawaii Island's Hilton Waikoloa Village provides guests with in-depth insight into Polynesian art and features a mile-long Museum Walkway where guests can either book a tour or individually wander through the resort's 1,800-pieces that inspired the culture of Hawaii.

-Mayan Jungle History: Located in an area brimming with rich culture and history, guests at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort have the opportunity to learn about Mayan legends, ancient ruins and deep-rooted Mexican culture through the property's Xcalacoco Experience. Celebrating the history and heritage of the region, the program includes over 40 eco-tours and activities every day of the week while honoring different elements, exposing adventures to the local environment and cultural history.

-The Supernatural: Offering a rotating set of collections and cultural programming, the 21c Museum Hotel Lexington, an 88-room boutique hotel and contemporary art museum in Lexington, Kentucky is currently showing an exhibit titled "Hybridity: The Supernatural," examining the evolution of species and spaces in 21st Century art. Influenced by romanticism and surrealism, science and commerce, the display showcases the environmental, economic and technological conditions shaping the earth and its inhabitant today.

-Wild West Culture: Experience the old west at The Stockyards Hotel in Fort Worth, TX. Opened in 1907 in the National Historic Stockyards District, the property dates back to the turn of the century and authentically reflects the character of cowboy culture and an elegant Old West ambience. Cowboys and cattle barons, kings and queens of country music, even an outlaw or two have found refuge and romance at the Stockyards Hotel. You can even stay in a room once occupied by Bonnie and Clyde!

-Latin American History: A colonial hacienda set on a 30-acre coffee plantation, Costa Rica Marriott San Jose features authentic artifacts including 250,000 two-hundred-year-old roofing tiles from Nicaragua, a dining table made from a 350-year-old door from a Guatemalan church, lobby tables that were once beds used by nuns in Guatemalan convents, stones in the courtyard that originally covered the streets of Cartago in 1910, and more for a Costa Rican immersion.

-Music: Offering guests a museum of melodies, Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo in Monaco appointed an in-house Sound Designer, French composer Béatrice Ardisson, to specially curate the music played throughout the restaurants and lounge area. As guests move through the different spaces of the luxury hotel, they'll enjoy Béatrice's original soundtracks with a mix of melodies from popular artists (the Beatles to Adele) that fit the mood for each individual space.

-Modern Art: W South Beach features a newly launched art tour program exclusive to guests interested in getting up-close-and-personal with the $40 million art collection found throughout the hotel and curated by famed art tycoon Aby Rosen. Guests can catch extravagant pieces from legendary artists including Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Mike Kelley and Julian Schnabel, among others.

Photo Credit: Windsor Court