New York City Hotels for Art Lovers

July 29, 2012— -- intro: If you're planning a trip to the Big Apple, there's a better-than-average chance you're planning on taking in at least a little art on your visit. After all, New York City is home to hundreds of museums, from the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art with its prestigious 1000 Fifth Avenue address to PS1 in the outer borough of Queens. New York City is a haven – and maybe heaven – for art enthusiasts.

But in your quest to see as much art as possible, don't miss what's hanging right in your hotel. There are several hotels around the city with impressive art collections of their own. Click through the next few pages to see our picks for the top hotels for art lovers in New York City.

quicklist: 1category: title: Gramercy Park Hotel url: text: When is an Oscar-nominated writer-director chosen to decorate a hotel? When he's Julian Schnabel, the Brooklyn-born artist who first drew attention in the 1980s for his "plate paintings," featuring images applied to broken ceramics. His whose work now appears in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Gramercy Park Hotel's art collection is impressive by any standard, but particularly in terms of hotels. Works by such artists as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Keith Haring, and of course, Julian Schnabel all hang in the lobby. media: 16871340

quicklist: 2category: title: The New York Palace url: text: This summer, The New York Palace Hotel courtyard debuted a large, hand-painted, multi-colored bronze sculpture by artist Dorit Levinstein entitled "Renoir's Dancers." The sculpture was inspired by Renoir's famous painting "Dance in the Country." Seven smaller sculptures, each inspired by a different masterpiece, are on display in the hotel lobby and are available for purchase. The hotel takes the theme one step further with its new cocktail, also called "Renoir's Dancers." This cocktail features multi-colored seeds that "dance" in the glass when stirred by its brightly patterned straw.

The installation was brought to The Palace through the hotel's neighbor, Eden Fine Art Gallery - a major international art representative that distributes art from select leading artists. media: 16871381

quicklist: 3category: title: The James New York url: text: Located at the corner of Grand and Thompson Streets, The James New York fits right in in SoHo, known not only for its great shopping, but also for arts and creativity. The James New York features a curated art collection specifically built for the hotel by artist/curator Matthew Jensen and houses works in the hotel's corridors from emerging New York City-based artists. Appropriately named the "Corridor Arts Program," all the artists selected for the permanent corridor collection also have an active studio practice space in New York City. media: 16871181

quicklist: 4category: title: The Surrey url: text:The Surrey's location alone – where Museum Mile meets Madison Avenue – would be enough to recommend it as a great hotel for art lovers. Many of the nation's top museums are a stone's throw away. But The Surrey also happens to be home to 31 original modern art works in its public and private spaces. The most dramatic greets guests in the lobby area – it's a giant Jacquard tapestry of Kate Moss (Kate 2007) by American artist Chuck Close.

Other notable pieces include a video installation (Untitled) by South African artist William Kentridge and a painting by Claus Oldenburg (Study for Sneaker Lace – White), known for creating large replicas of everyday objectsmedia: 16871271

quicklist: 5category: title: Chambers Hotel url: text: Smack in the middle of Midtown – 56th and 5th – the centrally located Chambers Hotel nonetheless exudes a bit of a downtown vibe, achieved in part through its art collection. The hotel houses 500 pieces of original art inspired by the cultural heritage of the city – fine art, literature, fashion, and film.

Each guest room corridor has a site-specific art piece or installation by such artists as John Newson, Katerina Grosse, Sheila Pepe, John Waters, Nina Bovasso, among others. Guestrooms are designed to invoke the feeling of artists' lofts. media: 16871105

quicklist: 6category: title: Dream Downtown Hotel url: text: For the nightlife of the Meatpacking district and days spent exploring the art galleries of Chelsea, the Dream Downtown Hotel is perfectly situated.

Prominent British sculptor Anish Kapoor's work hangs in the hotel entrance as well as in Marble Lane, the restaurant just off the lobby. The artwork is a variation on his 'Horizon' series and is guarded by two security guards who are roaming the lobby and restaurant's lounge area at all times.media: 16871142