Panel A · 3 hotels
Three hotels shaped by the people who made, taught or collected the art inside them.
A1
Paris, France
Rue des Gobelins is a short, quiet street in the 13th arrondissement. It takes its name from the tapestry works nearby, which suits this small hotel well. Henriette is furnished like a collector's flat.
No two rooms match. Mid-century chairs sit next to flea-market finds, printed wallpapers and bold paint. The effect is personal rather than themed, and a small leafy courtyard gives guests somewhere to read outside.
A2
Porto, Portugal
Art school and hotel share one idea here. The Artist is run in association with the Escola Superior Artística do Porto, and work by its students and teachers hangs throughout the building.
Rooms are calm and pale, which lets the pictures do the talking. Downstairs, the bistro serves Portuguese cooking. The historic centre and the Ribeira riverfront are both within walking distance.
A3
Leipzig, Germany
Johann Sebastian Bach spent his last decades working at St Thomas Church. This hotel faces the same square. Its design takes his music as the starting point.
Look for notation and instrument motifs in the rooms and corridors. Many rooms come with a kitchenette, so it works for longer stays too. The old town, the Bach Museum and the Gewandhaus concert hall are close by.