![]() The phrase "affordable chic" entered common parlance. He turned hotels into THE place to be seen, where people can easily be spotted in a stylish and sophisticated setting like the hotel’s lobby or the bar, even if they cannot possibly afford to stay in its suites. Martin’s Lane in London, most of them designed by Philippe Starck, Schrager changed the face of the hotel industry. With quick additions like Paramount and Hudson hotels in New York, Mondrian in Hollywood and St. After reports of drug-and-sex-fuelled celebrity parties in its VIP section, police raids, run-ins with the mafia and a bout in jail for tax evasion, Schrager got into the hotel business in the 1980s, kicking off the boutique hotel concept with New York’s Morgan Hotel. Schrager came to fame, and notoriety, in the 1970s after launching the definitive landmark nightclub that symbolised the excesses of the disco era-Studio 54. Ian Schrager is the powerhouse American entrepreneur credited with the whole ‘hotel as a lifestyle destination’ boom. ![]() An art hotel in Dehradun is also said to be on the anvil. Extending the concept, the Bajajs are presently working on a premium housing project themed on art in Mumbai. “People love the difference of the experience. “Art hotels make you connect with your soul,” said Vohra. “But I recover it by charging a higher price.” Adds Sandeep Reddy, general manager at Andhra Arts & Crafts Hotel: “By adding the art element, you get the extra push to your value, room rates.” It helps if the hotel has a space constraint-it is no coincidence that many of these art and design hotels are smaller properties. “The time it takes to make an art hotel is double that of a regular hotel, and my cost is 10 per cent more,” points out Bajaj. “ has to extend into every element, right down to the food,” said Bajaj. Justa’s property in Sajjangarh, Rajasthan, was recently described as ‘the most art-heavy hotel in the world’. Lake Nahargarh Palace, a luxury art-themed resort in Rajasthan, hosts artists both domestic and international on a regular basis trips to nearby Bandi village, known for its art and architecture, is encouraged. Similarly, those at Andhra Art & Crafts Hotel receive an original work of art based on the theme of their rooms when leaving. At Le Sutra Mumbai, every guest receives a work of art as a gift on checking out, like a yog dhand or a rudraksh. This new breed of art and design hotels takes it across the whole gamut. “Otherwise, you can buy art from the market and put it there and call it an art hotel. “An art hotel has to have art as the medium of story telling,” explains Bajaj. Of course, an art hotel is not just a hotel with paintings or sculptures strewn across like most iconic hotels in India. As Radha Bajaj puts it, any art hotel concept has to be relatable to even the tech-savvy 25-year-old. Interestingly, the artists who worked on the project-from award-winning local crafts consultant Karthik Krupanand to students from the Andhra University’s art department-did not directly re-create the traditional forms, but gave it a modern interpretation. ![]() But it has one unique proposition-it was conceptualised and launched as the ‘world’s first arts and handicrafts hotel’.Īndhra Arts & Crafts Hotel, Visakhapatnam On the face of it, it is a boutique, sea-facing luxury hotel and an extension to the established Palm Beach Hotel nearby. Take for instance the Andhra Arts & Crafts Hotel in Visakhapatnam, launched in February. Art becomes the fulcrum of how we differentiate our product,” said Vohra. The rooms are called Ati (Kolam rice art), Maya (Tanjore), Rooh (Madurai Meenakshi temple-inspired) and Nunya (south Indian contemporary).“There is no xeroxing or cookie-cutter format in any of our hotels. At Justa’s Design Hotel in Chennai’s Phoenix Marketcity, rooms are designed on the styles of four distinct south Indian art or architectural styles. “Art is an all-consuming experience,” said Ashish Vohra, founder and CEO of Justa group of hotels, which uses art and design elements in all its properties across India. As more people travel these days, many believe out-of-the-box innovations like these help a hotel stand out amongst the clutter. Hotels themed on arts, crafts and design seem to be the next logical step in the boutique hotel boom in India. It is the Ravana room that is most sought after, be it by corporate types travelling on work or the increasing tribe of the art-curious in India. Not the Krishna room, nor the Dushyant-Shakuntala one not even the Sattvic rooms themed after the Buddha. No wonder the room commands the highest tariff among all the art concept rooms at Le Sutra. Otherwise, you can buy art from the market and put it there and call it an art hotel. An art hotel has to have art as the medium of story telling.
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