Mariette Williams
Last month, while checking into Bermuda's Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, I looked up to see Andy Warhol's silk-screen portraits from the "Reigning Queens" series staring back at me from behind the front desk.
The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, also known as the "Pink Palace" of Bermuda, has long been a sanctuary for the who's who, from Mark Twain to Ian Fleming. But while its flamingo-pink facade and harbor views are the initial draw, one of the hotel's best amenities is hanging on its walls.
In many luxury hotels, art is little more than background noise — muted beach landscapes or abstract prints designed to complement the furniture. But at the Hamilton Princess, art is meant to make a statement. The lobby is filled with sculptures, paintings and photography that guests would normally need to attend Art Basel to see. More than just a place to stay, the hotel is essentially a 380-room living museum, curated by the owners, Bermudians Andrew and Alexander Green.
During my stay, I spent a morning with lead docent Lisa Howie, touring the hotel's multimillion-dollar collection and discussing the Green family's vision for turning a historical resort into a living museum of modern art.
"As the curators of their own collection, purchasing and placing artwork around their hotel, we can see that the Greens believe that 'art is for everyone," she told me. "There are very few barriers in place, which allows us to have intimate, close-looking engagements with the collection."
• Related: An exhibit of mummified animals at Bellagio in Las Vegas
Over the next three days, navigating the hotel's corridors became a game of Spot the Famous Artwork. Out on the lawn, there's a towering, 18-foot wooden At This Time sculpture by Kaws. A few steps away, a "Banksy Girl With Balloon" stencil mural hangs near a staircase. On the second floor — unassuming, without a velvet rope in sight — is a Picasso lithograph, "Le Colombe Svec Deux Drapuex Tricolores."
"There are so many 'blue chip' artists that elevate the hotel collection to the museum level," Howie told me. "The luxuries of the hotel, from the spa and marina to the hotel's South Shore beach, reflect the same standard of luxury in the hotel's art collection."
As luxury hotels strive to offer more distinctive amenities, the Hamilton Princess proves that a curated experience is the ultimate amenity, offering something the finest thread-count sheets cannot: one-of-a-kind artwork.