A guest forms an impression of a hotel within moments of walking through the door. The light, the materials, the scale of the space and the art on the walls all contribute, and of these the art is often the element people remember and photograph. Yet it is frequently the last thing to be decided, chosen in a hurry once the budget has been spent elsewhere.
Treated properly, art can do a great deal for a hotel. It gives a property character and a sense of place, it distinguishes one brand from another, and it gives guests something to talk about. Treated as an afterthought, it becomes decoration that nobody notices. The difference usually lies in the planning, and one of the first decisions to make is whether the works will be bought outright, rented, or a combination of the two.
BUYING: WHEN OWNERSHIP MAKES SENSE
Buying gives a hotel complete control. The works become its property, to hang, move, lend or eventually sell as it wishes. For signature pieces that define a lobby, a restaurant or a principal suite, ownership is often the natural choice. These are the works most closely tied to the identity of the property, and they are expected to stay for many years.
Ownership also brings responsibilities. The works must be insured, and a valuable collection will usually need specialist fine art cover rather than reliance on the building policy. They must be maintained, cleaned and occasionally conserved. And their value, like that of any work of art, can rise or fall. A hotel buying art should do so because the works suit the property, not in the expectation of a financial return.
The capital cost matters too. A significant scheme for a large hotel can represent a substantial sum, committed at a stage of a project when budgets are often under the greatest pressure.
RENTING: WHEN FLEXIBILITY MATTERS MORE
Renting puts original work on the walls without that upfront commitment. The works remain the property of the owner, who typically insures them, and the hotel pays a regular fee for the term of the agreement.
Rental suits several situations particularly well. A new opening, where cash flow is tight and the operator wants to see how spaces are used before committing. A refurbishment programme carried out in phases, where works can move as each floor is completed. Restaurants, bars and event spaces that benefit from a change of mood from one season to the next. And properties where the brand or the market may change within a few years. Hotels commonly undertake a soft refurbishment of guest rooms every several years, and a rented scheme can be refreshed on the same cycle without disposing of works that no longer fit.
The terms of a rental agreement deserve close attention. The questions that matter are the length of the term, how the fee is calculated and when it is paid, and who insures the works and against what risks. It also matters whether works can be exchanged during the term, what happens at the end, and whether rental payments count towards buying a work if the hotel decides to keep it.
HOW RSAS RENTAL WORKS
Our own terms are straightforward. Works are rented to business clients for one, two or three years, at 10 per cent of each work's agreed sale price per year, paid quarterly in advance. Every rented work is insured by RSAS for the full term, works can be exchanged during the term by arrangement, and any work can be bought at any point, with all the rental already paid on it credited in full against the price.
To take a simple example, a work with an agreed sale price of £20,000 rents for £2,000 a year, or £500 a quarter. If the hotel decides after two years that it wants to keep the work, the £4,000 already paid is deducted from the price, leaving £16,000 to pay. If it decides instead to return the work and choose another, it can do so at the end of the term.
It is a straightforward hire of works. There is no investment element and no share in any future value.
COMBINING THE TWO
Many hotels find the best answer is a mixture. They buy the signature works for the public spaces, which they expect to keep, and rent the larger number of works needed for corridors, guest rooms and spaces that are likely to change. As the property settles, rented works that have proved their place can be bought, with the rental already paid counting towards the price.
This approach also helps with volume. A large hotel may need several hundred works for its guest rooms alone. Original works on paper and limited editions, consistently framed, can give every room individuality and quality without the cost of a unique painting on every wall, while the most important original works are reserved for the spaces every guest sees.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR ANY SCHEME
Whether a hotel buys or rents, the same practical issues apply.
Placement and conditions. Hotels are demanding environments for art. Direct sunlight fades pigments and paper, while humidity from bathrooms, spas and pools can damage canvas and works on paper. Heat from radiators, kitchens and fireplaces causes materials to move and crack. Museums commonly limit light on sensitive works on paper to around 50 lux and on oil paintings to around 200 lux. A hotel will not match those standards, but the principle should guide where the most vulnerable works are placed.
Security and safety. Works in public areas should be fixed with security hanging systems that cannot be removed without the right tools. Framing in guest rooms should be robust and, where appropriate, glazed with acrylic rather than glass. Works must not obstruct escape routes, fire signage or safety equipment, and materials should be considered as part of the building's fire risk assessment.
Cleaning and handling. Housekeeping teams should know how works are to be cleaned, if at all, and which chemicals to keep away from them. A short briefing can prevent a good deal of avoidable damage.
Copyright and marketing. Owning or renting a work of art does not give the hotel the right to reproduce it. Copyright normally stays with the artist, and in the UK it lasts for the artist's lifetime and 70 years after their death. Photographs of rooms and public spaces for websites, brochures and social media may therefore need the artist's permission, or a licence through a collecting society, where a work is a prominent feature. The law contains a limited exception for sculpture and works of artistic craftsmanship permanently displayed in premises open to the public, but it does not extend to paintings, prints or photographs. Permissions are best agreed at the outset.
Commissions. Site-specific works, made for a particular wall or space, need a clear written contract covering the brief, approvals, stage payments, delivery and installation. Artists in the UK also have moral rights, including the right to be identified as the author and to object to derogatory treatment of their work. These can be waived only in writing, so a contract for a commission should address what happens if the work later needs to be moved, altered or removed during a refurbishment.
Documentation. Every scheme should come with a full inventory, recording each work's location, condition, value and provenance, and short notes on the artists that staff can share with guests. Good records make insurance, audits, exchanges and future refurbishments far simpler.
PLANNING THE BUDGET AND THE PROGRAMME
The most successful schemes are planned early, ideally at concept stage alongside the architecture and interior design. Art can then be included in the FF&E schedule and the construction programme, with wall reinforcement, lighting and hanging systems designed in rather than added later. Late decisions tend to cost more and achieve less.
A realistic budget should allow for the works themselves, framing, delivery, installation, lighting adjustments and, for owned works, insurance and ongoing care. For a rented scheme, the annual cost is known in advance, which can make budgeting simpler. Accounting and tax treatment can differ between buying and renting, and a hotel's own accountant should advise on the right approach.
QUESTIONS TO ASK ANY ART SUPPLIER
■ Are the works original, editioned or reproductions, and is that stated clearly? ■ Who are the artists, and what is known about them and their markets? ■ Are your fees shown separately from the price of the works? ■ For rental, who insures the works, can they be exchanged, and does rental count towards purchase? ■ Who installs the works, and what insurance and safety procedures do they follow? ■ What documentation will we receive at handover?
HOW WE CAN HELP
RSAS works with hotel groups, operators, architects and interior designers from first concept to final hang. Every artist we propose has been researched, and clients can buy the works, rent them on terms of one, two or three years, or combine the two. Full details are on Corporate and Hospitality, and our rental terms are set out in Rental Terms.