Even the bathrooms are artful at British Columbia’s Versante Hotel.
When you think of the best destinations for art, what places come to mind first? Paris? London? Tokyo? New York?
What about Canada?
Hotels across Canada are drawing travelers with their art-filled rooms, on-site art galleries, and creative style. If you love art, check out these Canadian art hotels.
Here’s the scoop:
There’s nothing beige about the Versante lobby.
Versante Hotel, Richmond, British Columbia
Art greets you as soon as you enter the lobby at Versante, a boutique hotel that’s convenient to Vancouver International Airport. A charcoal art piece behind the reception counter is a stylized map of Richmond, the Vancouver suburb where the hotel is based. There’s an artist-designed rug in the central seating area nearby, and another artwork tucked in the far corner of the lobby.
And that’s before you get to the rainbow wall at the entrance to Bruno, the hotel’s signature restaurant, or head up to the vibrantly decorated guest rooms.
Read our full review of Versante Hotel here.
Artwork at Ontario’s Drake Devonshire Inn
Drake Devonshire Inn, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Run by the same team that brought art and style to Toronto when they opened that city’s Drake Hotel, the Drake Devonshire Inn channels a similar artistic vibe in Prince Edward County, a weekend destination east of the city, known for its excellent restaurants, local wineries, and sandy Lake Ontario beaches.
There’s art in the lobby and a wall of art in the games room, and the property periodically installs new works. You can check out the Drake’s large permanent art collection online before or after your stay, too.
Read our full review of the Drake Devonshire Inn here.
The Muir Hotel on the Halifax waterfront
The Muir Hotel, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Set on the waterfront in downtown Halifax, the deluxe Muir Hotel draws many of its design elements from Nova Scotia’s seafaring heritage, and you’ll find plenty of artworks throughout the property.
But the Muir has its own onsite art gallery, too. The True Colours Art Gallery exhibits a changing selection of works by artists from around the region, and you need to be a hotel guest (or attend a private function) to visit.
Read our full review of the Muir Hotel here.
There’s art throughout this artist-owned suite on BC’s Sunshine Coast
Want more art-filled accommodation ideas in Canada?
- Stay in an artist’s home on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast or in an artist-owned B&B in BC’s Okanagan wine country. Or seek out quirky art-filled lodgings like the Retro Suites Hotel in southwestern Ontario.
- Explore one of Western Canada’s largest hotel art collections at Vancouver’s deluxe Rosewood Hotel Georgia or stay in a “museum room” at Vancouver’s Listel Hotel, furnished in partnership with the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
- The oceanfront Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino BC is filled with works by First Nations carvers, who often work nearby in the carving shed on the beach.
- Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton has more than 400 works on display throughout the property.
- Look for hotels that offer art-focused experiences, like the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, where hotel guides organize tours of the Indigenous-run Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre.
- Check out more Canadian hotels with their own art galleries, including the Ritz-Carlton Montreal, LHotel Montreal, or Gladstone House in Toronto.
Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller.
