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Seven of The Best Art & Design Hotels


High-design boutique hotels are fast becoming cultural hotspots and galleries in their own right.  

We travel for inspiration. No wonder we spend significantly more time taking in art while away from home. 

Fancy a gorgeous getaway with great art and design on the side? Porter & Sail’s mobile app can help you seek out and book the most inspiring hotels from a fantastic curated collection you can access at the touch of a button. What’s more, the app uncovers the stories and style secrets behind each stay, giving you exciting ideas for making the most of your trip.

Here we round up 7 design and art hotel tips with the help from Porter & Sail, from a style-savvy retreat in Kraków to a trad-modern masterpiece in Bali. Happy travels! 

PURO, Kraków, POLAND 

A design-minded gem where each piece of art was hand-selected to tell the story of Kraków, home to a historic old town and Poland’s grandest market square. UK studio Blacksheep wanted this contemporary, light-filled, 138-room hotel to be a functional work of art: Cue interiors blending photos of local architecture and landscapes with graphic murals and quirky accessories. 

21c Museum Hotel, Bentonville, Arkansas, US 


A cultural Mecca at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville is a melting pot for powerful contemporary art and design. Alongside 104 custom-furnished rooms, there’s an actual modern art museum inside featuring the likes of Kehinde Wiley. Add in The Hive restaurant (touting its own permanent installation), it’s perfect for art lovers. It’s also a short walk from the famous Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

XVA Art Hotel, Dubai, UAE 


Middle Eastern art abounds in chic and unexpected ways throughout the three shady courtyards of Dubai’s XVA Art Hotel. A former home in the historic Al Fahidi neighbourhood, the hotel’s 14 individually styled rooms showcase regional architecture and motifs. There’s an art gallery, a lifestyle concept store with a curated collection of jewelry, an indoor-outdoor vegetarian café--and even a resident artist! 

11 Howard, New York, US 


Sustainable design, playful lighting and hand-picked art define 11 Howard, made in partnership with local businesses and non-profits for a consciously-curated space that is elegantly evergreen. Space Copenhagen created a Scandi vibe at the 207-room SoHo stay, bringing Danish minimalism to New York realism. Dine at top rated destination restaurant Le Coucou, to enjoy refined French cuisine amid Roman and Williams’ seductive décor. 

The Qvest, Cologne, GERMANY 


Marrying neo-Gothic 19th-century architecture with contemporary art, photography and mid-century furniture, stylish hideaway The Qvest near Cologne’s old town was once the city archive. The 34-room hotel has an entirely personal look, displaying many items from interior designer Michael Kaune’s own collection. The Salon Suite even flaunts a hand-painted 14th-century medieval wooden ceiling. It’s quiet, yet handy for bars, restaurants and nightlife.  

Château de la Resle, Montigny-la-Resle, FRANCE 


In the famous Burgundy winemaking region, this romantic ivy-wrapped French manor house is hosted by a Dutch duo. Six elegant rooms feature contemporary art and design, including the two-floor farmhouse-set Fontenay suite, which boasts a spiral staircase tailor-made in Venice. Even the manicured gardens, orchards and glasshouses are artistically designed. A heated pool, hammam, sauna and massages add spa pampering. 

Katamama, Bali, INDONESIA  


Harnessing indigenous craft, contemporary art and design, Katamama itself is a work of art—the brainchild of Indonesian architect Andra Matin, Katamama. Drawing on traditional local materials, the 57-suite boutique hotel in Bali’s Seminyak makes striking use of handmade tiles, multi-tonal brick, terrazzo and teak. Interiors by Singapore’s Takenouchi Webb combine vintage mid-century furniture and lighting with Indo textiles and ceramics. A restaurant, cocktail bar, pool and world-famous beach club up the ante. 

For more information go to www.porterandsail.com