Art galleries you can spend the night in

While many hotels pride themselves on having enviable artwork on the walls, some are starting to take things a step further. Opening up private galleries and exhibition spaces for guests, these hotels are ideal if you’re an art lover who also loves a long lie-in.

21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, USA

The 21c Museum Hotel is easy to spot, thanks to the enlarged replica of Michelangelo’s David standing outside. The interior has an in-house gallery; a long, high-ceilinged exhibition space home to a rotating series of installations, photography exhibits and showcases of local and international artists. The gallery is free entry and open to the public although staying at the hotel guarantees first dibs on the packed roster of cultural events and opening parties.

Park Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam’s Park Hotel doesn’t have an art gallery, it has ‘The Gallery Zone’. Located next to the hotel’s communal area (the ‘Living Room’), this intimate space hosts collaborations between Amsterdam’s artists and local galleries. The work on display usually addresses an aspect of Amsterdam’s cultural history, giving guests a new insight into the city, and varies from portraiture to abstract art. A short walk from the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam’s museum district, the Park Hotel is also a great base for exploring the rest of the city’s art galleries.

El Fenn in Marrakech, Morocco

Vanessa Branson was a London art gallery owner in the 1980s and when she moved to Marrakech and opened El Fenn Riad, she took her art collection with her and made it the focus of her new venture. Today El Fenn is full of works by contemporary Moroccan artists like Batoul S’Himi and Western artists like Antony Gormley, Fred Pollock and David Shrigley. Branson’s interest in Arabic artwork inspired her to help found the Marrakech Biennale in 2005, an arts festival that attracts artists and enthusiasts from all over the world.

Hotel Éclat in Beijing, China

Hotel Éclat is one of Beijing’s newest design hotels but in a short amount of time it has already gathered an impressive art collection. Including over 100 sculptures and paintings from artists like Andy Warhol, Fan Xiaoyan, Gao Xiao, Zhang Guoliang and Dalí. While Hotel Éclat does not have an officially-dedicated space, the size and pedigree of their collection lends the entire building the feeling of an art gallery, enhanced by the building’s colossal, triangular, glass exterior, akin to a deconstructed Louvre Pyramid.

H10 Art Gallery in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona’s Eixample district is where you’ll find some of legendary Modernisme architect Antoni Gaudi’s most famous buildings, including the Sagrada Família and Casa Batlló. This impressive pedigree makes it the ideal location for the H10 Art Gallery, a luxury hotel with a mission to promote Spanish artists. The art gallery at H10 includes local and internationally-known artists and, after browsing the latest exhibition, guests can enjoy dinner in the Modern Art Restaurant, followed by a cocktail in the Pop Art Bar.

Ace Hotel in New York, USA

The Ace hotels have earned their reputation as some of the hospitality world’s most prestigious cultural, art, and design hotels. But New York’s Ace Hotel has decided to forego extra bedrooms and devote a large, beautifully-lit space to hosting the city’s best fine art, music, fashion and theatre. The Gallery offers respite from the bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan, while artist showcases are devoted to topics like the city’s urban sprawl, skateboarding subcultures, how we can find beauty in NYC’s polluted waters, and the importance of college radio to hip hop’s history.