PEOPLE, PLACE, PERSPECTIVE

With trend forecasters predicting that art will surpass dining as a draw for travellers, hotels are upping the ante with thought-provoking or even provocative exhibitions that inspire depth of connection between people and place

- Coco Marett

Hotels don't typically invite anything remotely controversial, serving instead as sanctuaries and safe havens where guests can forget the outside world. But a growing number of hotels-and hotel groups are speaking to the intelligence of their guests, and catering to their desire to deepen their understanding of the social, cultural and political nuances of the places they visit.

And many of them are opting to inspire those conversations through art.

"Great art captures you, animates you, questions you. It can be in a positive or negative way, but it moves you some way," says Lorenzo Fiaschi, director of Galleria Continua which represents a roster of avant-garde artists such as Ai Weiwei, Eva Jospin, Anish Kapoor and Cai Guo-Qiang. Last year, the gallery partnered with luxury hotel group Belmond to launch Mitico-the Italian word for "mythical" -a series of temporary sculpture installations displayed in select Belmond properties around the world.

Arnaud Champenois, senior vice-president of marketing and communication for Belmond, says: "I've always been inspired by sculpture parks, and Belmond is known for gardens of distinction," adding that he felt the hotel group shared a synergy with the gallery, which has a strong point of view about the world we live in".

Galleria Continua was founded in the small Italian town of San Gimignano in Tuscany in 1990, and has since expanded to locations in Rome, Beijing, São Paulo, Havana, Paris and Dubai. They've also made a point of leaving the confines of their gallery spaces to bring thought-provoking artworks to a wider audience.

"We started doing it in rural areas and in public spaces, and we have never stopped looking for new geographies and opportunities for art and the public to meet," says Fiaschi.