Elevating the Guest Experience: The Impact of Art in Hospitality

For the modern traveler, a standard hotel experience is no longer enough. Legacy hotel brands have historically built reputations on predictable guest experiences, relying on uniform interiors, generic artwork, and identical layouts. Now, the integration of local artwork and cultural programming is redefining the hospitality industry as travelers are seeking more bespoke experiences.

The Shift Toward Experiential Travel

This trend in hospitality is unfolding alongside a broader shift in the way people travel. Rather than planning vacations solely based on location, travelers are designing their journeys around unique, immersive experiences. This trend, known as experiential travel, marks a distinct change in how people prioritize their travel spending (Forbes, 2025). A one-of-a-kind hotel, a local cooking class, or a memorable concert may now shape the entire itinerary. Forbes 2025 Travel Trends uncovered that:

• 74% of travelers say experience has a moderate to heavy influence over their trip planning.
• 79% of millennial and Gen Z travelers prioritize quality of experience over cost.

The desire to invest in memorable experiences isn’t a trend unique to the travel industry. Consumers across numerous industries are willing to invest in high-quality experiences, with 68% of people willing to pay a premium (JLL, 2025). According to JLL’s 2025 Experience Matters Survey, the two leading factors influencing return visits to a cultural space are (1) a fun and exciting atmosphere and (2) a unique experience. These insights suggest that services and spaces providing meaningful and unique experiences can drive significant economic returns in consumer-based industries.

Impact on Brand Value: The Halo Effect & Artification

Staying at a hotel often leaves a strong lasting impression – for better or worse. The quality of a traveler’s stay influences their likelihood of rebooking or recommending it to a friend. As consumer expectations shift toward valuing high-quality experiences over accommodations, such as complimentary breakfast or ease of check-in, hospitality brands must consider how to enrich the memories visitors leave with.

‘Artification’ – the process of turning non-art into art – is an increasingly popular strategy for brands to gain legitimacy and capture consumer attention (Addis et. al., 2024). For example, luxury branding will sometimes emulate the fine art world to signify prestige and elegance. Within the hospitality industry, art has emerged as a resource for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage as it:

• Boosts brand recognition by building a unique identity that separates brands from competitors
• Visually enriches the environment to create more memorable customer experiences. This ultimately promotes increased customer loyalty and endorsements
• Elevates perceived brand value by communicating sophistication and expertise (Addis et. al., 2024)

The halo effect is the subconscious cognitive bias in which people form an opinion about one attribute of a product or service, and then subconsciously apply that impression – positive or negative – to another attribute (Nicolau et al., 2020). For example, travelers may develop a positive perception of a hotel with beautifully curated art and a well-designed interior, and then subconsciously assume that the amenities and services are premium as well. A hotel with an exceptionally designed lobby doesn’t necessarily offer better service, yet the brain often extends that positive first impression to the entire experience. A 2026 study about the effect of visual marketing in hotels on brand image found that:

• A positive visual experience had a significant positive impact on the hotel’s brand image
• A positive brand image had a significant positive effect on word-of-mouth recommendations (Peter, 2026)

A hotel’s visual appeal mediates its brand image and therefore impacts customers’ likelihood to recommend their stay to others (Peter, 2026). The artification of hotels is the natural pathway to an engaging visual experience, a unique brand image, and a successful hospitality experience overall.

How Art Shapes Guest Attitudes and Behavior

Art elicits various responses, including emotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes (Godovykh, 2024). Within the hospitality and tourism industry, there is a complex relationship between guests, art, and the hotel itself. Understanding this underlying psychology is especially important given that a range of hospitality business outcomes are associated with behavioral intentions, such as willingness to book, recommend via word of mouth, or share on social media. To explore these guest attitudes, researchers broke down these characteristics into a conceptual framework and used it to explore how art impacts the overall guest experience. The findings indicate that visual art can capture guests’ attention, evoke emotional responses, shape attitudes and perceptions, enhance satisfaction levels, influence behavioral intentions, and contribute to the overall guest experience (Godovykh, 2024).

Additionally, a 2022 survey on the artification of hotels found that:

• 70% recognized the opening of contemporary art collections to a wider audience as the main strength of an art hotel
• 57% recognize the integration of the collection within the hotel as the main strengths
• 63% consider the structure, design, and aesthetics of an art hotel to be a strength (Addis et. al., 2024)

Collectively, these findings highlight not only the measurable value of art in hotels but also the strong interest among potential guests, particularly younger travelers.

Redefining the Space: Adaptive Reuse and Art Hotels 

As travelers broaden their horizons and redefine what travel means to them, destination spaces are undergoing a similar transformation in identity and purpose. Adaptive reuse is the process of repurposing historic or heritage buildings, such as old warehouses or former railways, into modern, multi-use properties (Vafaie et. al., 2023). This trend extends to hotels, where historic buildings are being adapted into unique accommodations full of character, history, and storytelling.

Some modern hotels are going beyond simply displaying artwork and instead are defining their entire brand around the concept of an “art hotel.” The 21c Museum Hotels are a series of contemporary art museums that double as vibrant places to stay, with seven locations across the Midwest and Southeast. These multipurpose spaces create cultural hubs in each location, featuring permanent installations, rotating exhibitions, and local art deeply embedded in every room (Hyperallergic, 2025). In Toronto, a family-owned boutique hotel called Ode celebrates the local community through art and design. The co-founder was frustrated with beige, drab art in chain hotels and wanted to create a hospitality business infused with the creative spirit of the surrounding neighborhood. She says that half of their guests book specifically for the art, and for the rest, it’s an exciting revelation (Forbes, 2025).

Implication for Hospitality Leaders 

In today's landscape, hospitality leaders are catering to experience-seeking guests who want a stay that feels specific to its place and reflective of the local culture. A thoughtful art program is a successful, scalable strategy to meet these expectations, as 75% of young travelers — the demographic most drawn to experiential travel — express interest in art hotels (Addis et. al., 2024). Consumers are not overly satisfied with their current hotel experiences: 87% of travelers report being content with their stay, but were not ‘wowed’ (Gensler, 2023). The missing factor could be tied to location, as 70% of travelers feel that their stay should be integrated with their surroundings and have a more genuine sense of place (Gensler, 2023).

Consumer demand for bespoke hotel experiences is evident, and properties that integrate experiential design and a distinct brand identity are well-positioned to build something guests remember and return to.

How TurningArt Can Help

At TurningArt, we partner with hospitality leaders at every stage of the process, from initial concept through installation, to build art programs that are rooted in place, aligned with brand, and designed to leave a lasting impression on guests. Whether developing a new property or refreshing an existing one, TurningArt handles the strategy, sourcing, and curation to deliver a memorable and unique guest experience.

Connect with an Art Advisor below to learn more!