Auberge du Soleil
If a museum visit is always a must on your travel agenda, it’s time to plan your next adventure with art in mind. Whether it’s a weekend getaway to New York or San Francisco, or a relaxing sojourn on the sunny hills of Napa Valley, these three hotels offer exciting programs that aim to please the art connoisseur in all of us.
You can’t go wrong with a visit to Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Auberge du Soleil. With a Four-Star restaurant, a Four-Star spa and Provençal-style rooms that open to a sunny, private balcony, Auberge du Soleil embodies its motto, “Pleasure is healing.” If your pleasure happens to be art, don’t miss the Napa Valley property’s series of custom-curated experiences. The Life as Art program, for instance, offers the chance to embark on a private tour led by local artist Gordon Huether. The tour includes a peek inside Huether’s downtown studio and afternoon visits to other public installations, followed by a stop at the Hay Barn Gallery, where you can admire Huether’s work among a revolving slate of other artists’ pieces, followed by wine and hors d’oeuvres. The Camera in Hand adventure allows you to explore Auberge du Soleil’s 33-acre grounds as a photographic canvas (especially its outdoor gallery of sculptures), complete with a tutorial by one of Art & Clarity’s master photographers. An Art and Wine experience lets you taste five wines paired with five paintings by nationally recognized artist Ann Rea. Curated by Auberge’s sommelier and wine director, Kris Margerum, the evening includes face time with the artist and sommelier and learning about the thought process behind each pairing. Other packages, such as the Art, Architecture, Food & Wine Tour, brings you to wineries such as Opus One Winery or Hess Collection Winery, where you can enjoy wine and food while admiring art and architecture.
Eric Zener’s Work At The Quin
Art is woven into the very fabric of The Quin, one of New York’s newest luxury boutique hotels. Located in Midtown Manhattan in close proximity to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, The Quin is steps away from world’s finest arts institutions, a reason why several leading artists — among them Marc Chagall and Georgia O’Keeffe — used it as a pied-à-terre and source of inspiration. It’s this rich history that drives the interactive Quin Arts program, which encompasses a curated permanent exhibit (located in the public spaces and private guest rooms); a 15-foot, changing video art wall in the lobby; and artists-in-residence. Each quarter, The Quin hosts an artist within the hotel, giving guests exclusive access to these individuals via Artist Salons and public exhibits. During the period in residence, the artist also creates works to contribute to the hotel’s permanent collection.
The latest artist-in-residence is photorealist painter Eric Zener, and past residents have included violinist Rosemarie Siemens and British street artist Nick Walker. This summer, The Quin has also partnered with The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park to provide reserved seating for hotel guests. To take advantage of this dynamic duo, book The Quin’s Shakespeare in New York package, with rates starting at $1,000 per evening for a three-night stay in a premier suite.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
Situated in the heart of the city’s Yerba Buena Arts District, Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco is an ideal choice for an arts aficionado. You are within walking distance of countless galleries and just one block away from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (though the famed museum is closed for reconstruction until 2016). The cool thing about this particular Four Seasons, though, is that you won’t even have to leave its doors to enrich your day with art. The sleek hotel comes complete with its own in-house collection, which includes more than 100 pieces of curated art in the public spaces and private rooms. Learn about the artwork by downloading an audio tour, available as an iTunes podcast, or via a borrowed iPod from the concierge. You can also book the Arts Insider package for a curated tour of the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor to get a glimpse of works that are not open to the public.
Photos Courtesy of Auberge du Soleil and The Quin-Hudson PR
