Art is Life at These 8 Hotels from Preferred Hotels & Resorts

From institutions like the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre to global events like Fashion Week and the Tour de France, Paris is as much the City of Art and Culture as it is the City of Light. You’ll be within spitting distance of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées when you stay at the Hotel Napoleon, an elegant Art Deco escape that has lured cinema and literary stars from years past, including Errol Flynn and John Steinbeck, to the present. Today, artist residencies ensure the hotel’s link to the creative world is as strong as ever. Aside from more than 20 of their original works hanging throughout the hotel, featured artists host lectures and conceptualize an inspired menu with chef Olivier Legentil at the Le Bivouac restaurant.

At Honolulu’s 'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, you’ll have a front-row seat to the island's action, from the powdery beach to the museums downtown.  It begins as soon as you arrive: the lobby’s giant coral wall installation echoes the ocean just outside the doors, and key cards grant guests free access to the Honolulu Museum of Art. Throughout the year, the hotel hosts world-renowned chefs and famed mixologists to celebrate Hawaiian cuisine, while cultural events ensure those who stay here are involved in every local bash. Time your visit right to catch on-site celebrations like the POW WOW Arts Festival in February or live performances to honor Queen Liliuokalani’s birthday in September.

This Hollywood Boulevard icon, which opened in 1927 and hosted the first Academy Awards, is still a velvet rope playground. Historic features like the gurgling lobby fountain and Spanish-style steps remain, and a cool crowd and tasteful renovation have kept the vibe as glamorous as ever (not to mention celeb-spotting is still a favorite pastime; guest rooms feature live video feeds of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so you never miss out on the fun). There’s lots on the main strip to keep you busy, but it might prove all too easy to stay on property through the wee hours thanks to a 24-hour burger bar, see-and-be-seen parties by the Tropicana Pool, and cabaret and magic shows at the hidden onsite theater.

A Nob Hill legend, the Huntington has been a mainstay of San Francisco’s skyline since the ‘20s—just look to its giant rooftop sign and old-school cable car that still passes by the hotel’s front door every day. Guests can channel that bygone era by indulging in the finer things here, like cocktails by the piano, multicourse meals by the fire, and spa treatments complete with champagne and downtime by one of the city’s most stylish pools. Foodies especially look forward to the Big 4 restaurant’s quarterly wine and history dinners, when resident historian Ron Henggeler discusses Nob Hill’s past and the 19th-century photography and paintings hanging in the Central Pacific Room. Whether you’re in town for the SF Film Festival in the spring or August’s Outside Lands music fest held in Golden Gate Park, this is a perfect spot to base yourself.

Santa Barbara’s waterfront warehouse district known as the Funk Zone is home to some of the city’s best galleries, tasting rooms, and public art, and that’s exactly where you’ll be when you check into the Hotel Californian. Designer-to-the-stars Martyn Lawrence Bullard glammed up the hotel’s interiors with gold and velvet accents and there’s a rooftop pool with Pacific Ocean views, but what really keeps guests coming back are the in-house events that celebrate the Californian lifestyle. cuisine. Both artists and musicians make appearances throughout the year, and this March, the hotel will host tastings, classes, and dinners—paired with Napa wines, of course—for the inaugural Santa Barbara Culinary Experience celebrating former city resident Julia Child.

Some of Madrid’s oldest and most impressive museums—including the Prado, the Thyssen- Bornemisza, and the Reina Sofía Art Centre—surround this five-star hideaway in the city center, and there isn’t a chicer place to hang out after all that gallery-hopping. When you’re not chowing down on Basque haute cuisine or at the Michelin-starred sushi bar, hit the luxe Clarins spa, take a dip in the outdoor pool, or head to the rooftop urban garden, which supplies ingredients for the hotel’s restaurants.

Washington D.C. is like a living museum, where national monuments sit side by side with art and science institutions and cultural festivals and parades take over the streets on a monthly basis. You’ll be well-positioned to soak it all in when you stay in Foggy Bottom at ARC THE.HOTEL, a sleek 136-room sleep minutes away from the National Mall and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After dropping your bags in your spacious, tech-savvy digs—think keyless mobile entry, Netflix-streaming smart TVs, and virtual concierges—kick off your American history tour with a scenic stroll along the Potomac River, which leads directly to the Lincoln Memorial.

Hotel Du Pont, built during the height of America’s Gilded Age, has been the hotel of choice for both U.S. and international royalty ever since it opened in 1913. We can see why the hotel has staying power: its Italian mosaics, ornate chandeliers, and oil paintings could rival any luxury hotel in Europe—especially when you’re enjoying high tea or dinner beneath the Green Room’s oak-beamed ceiling. We wouldn’t blame you if you never feel the need to step outside Hotel Du Pont’s doors, but if you do, we suggest heading next door to the Playhouse on Rodney Square for a show or to the Delaware Art Museum, where 13 artworks by notable American painters like Andrew Wyeth and Edward Loper were gifted to the museum by the hotel.