Though he admits: “When I do find myself staying somewhere with a thought-provoking painting or inst

Patriotic, but is it profitable? hotels phoenix arizona It's Queen Elizabeth, but not as we know her. Oblivious to the world, she sits blissed-out and eyes closed beneath her crown in a giant photograph, a piece of art from Britain's cutting-edge Saatchi Collection.
Blame it on Las Vegas, where Impressionist paintings were brought in by the Bellagio in 1998 to set it apart as the poshest place on the Strip, a repository of culture as well as gambling and showgirls.
New York's Gramercy hotels phoenix arizona sports Warhols and Picassos, hotels phoenix arizona La Colombe d'Or on the French Riviera is bedecked with Picassos and works by Matisse and Calder, while the Rome Cavalieri has a Tiepolo, one of the greatest of all Old Masters.
Then there's the Ritz-Carlton hotels phoenix arizona Millenia in Singapore, attempting to trump everyone by investing in 4,200 contemporary artworks, and the Saxon in Johannesburg, claiming the world's largest collection of African art.
Though he admits: "When I do find myself staying somewhere with a thought-provoking painting or installation, it stops me in my tracks. I wouldn't hotels phoenix arizona choose a hotel for the art, but I would certainly remember my stay if the art was amazing."
But what's in it for hotels -- besides the potential investment value -- when they could be putting their money into bigger rooms, better food or new amenities like a pool or a spa with a more immediate chance of revenue?
The hotel appointed an art concierge hotels phoenix arizona because designer Philippe Starck, who oversaw its transformation from grande dame into cutting-edge hotel, dictated it, given the hotel's mission statement to be dedicated to art and culture.
There's also the talking-point factor, cited by the Churchill Hotel as a good reason for collaborating with the Saatchi Collection, which is bolder with its purchases than grand institutions like London's Tate Modern.
From the gallery side, Bianca Gidwani, spokesperson for the Saatchi Collection, says: "The gallery's role is to bring art to as wide an audience as possible. Where better than a prestigious hotel with a constant stream of visitors from all over the world?
Don't expect the world's biggest names, though the exhibitors are all up and comers who have shown internationally, but do expect to have your socks knocked off by eye-popping paintings, sculptures, digital art and installations.
Since opening in 1998 to house the personal collection of "Mr. Las Vegas" Steve Wynn, the original owner of the hotel, the Bellagio has exhibited everything from priceless Van Goghs and Warhols to Fabergé eggs from the Kremlin.
A large gallery -- new owners MGM relocated it to a larger space on the pool promenade -- means no lines, and there's hotels phoenix arizona no charge for the photography on show next to the paid exhibits. Or for the light show put on by the dazzling colored fountains as you exit.