‘Art has become a fundamental, rather than ornamental, element of hotel design.’

Christopher Hogan has painted large scale murals in several 5* resorts around the world including One & Only Reethi Rah Maldives, Anantara Kihavah Villas Maldives, Angsana Velavaru Maldives, Anantara Hua Hin,Thailand and Angsana Laguna Phuket, Thailand.

'Triggerfish' by Christopher Hogan (photo courtesy Anantara Kihavah)

As we all know, Art works have been hung in hotels for decades.

I have read  the tales of down-on-their-luck residents at the Chelsea Hotel in New York offering up their work in exchange for rent.

In this century there is a growing number of ‘ArtHotels’ being built around the world, where not only public spaces but rooms and gardens are themed, painted or designed by artists, or that contain unique collections of not only paintings but sculpture and designer carpets and wall hangings.

Art can add a much-needed Organic Element to a resort or hotel.

Today, hoteliers are thinking even farther outside the square by installing art in the most unexpected of ways and challenging guests to think more deeply about their experience. At Anantara Kihavah Villas in the Maldives, my concept of designing artwork on buggies has come to fruition, but my  Christopher Hogan’s ‘Kihavah Fleet of Fishes’ Collection, with designs exclusive to the resort. Every buggy is an original Christopher Hogan from my Reef Series of paintings which depict the reefs and it’s fishes.

‘Christopher Hogan has affectionately known as the man who paints fish skins’

In recent years, hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas, the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando and the Sagamore in Miami Beach have all displayed extensive collections of art. And the Gramercy Park Hotel, whose total refurbishing by Mr. Schrager debuted in 2006, has so much high-caliber artwork that the Museum of Modern Art once took a tour group there.

“The art is a part of the identity of the hotel,” said Jason Pomeranc, a co-owner of the Thompson LES, “and it integrates into the architecture, design, concept and what we ethereally call the vibe, the intellectual soul of the hotel.”

“If you think about Minimalism and Conceptualism, those artists have been trying to get off the wall for 50 years,” said Glenn Schaeffer, the co-founder, president and chief executive of Fontainebleau Resorts, “and now we’ve got a space for them.”

The Pod Hotel  in New York also features frameless art. J. M. Rizzi painted city scenes and abstract shapes directly on the walls of the lobby, corridors and some rooms.  I have been doing this at resorts in Thailand and the Maldives over the past year, here are a few examples of Christopher Hogan’s original wall murals.

One&Only Reethi Rah Maldives - Original art work by Christopher Hogan

Angsana Laguna Phuket Thailand wall mural designed by Christopher Hogan

The Henry Jones Art Hotel in Tasmania in my native country, Australia is an excellent example. From the hotel’s website, GM he said “we are truly privileged to be involved with the breathtaking transformation of a historically-sensitive site, such as this. In doing so we have created a luxurious and innovative way to engage with not only our cultural heritage but also connect with contemporary culture through modern Tasmanian works of art.