Creative Debuts is redefining how art (and artists) exist in contemporary spaces – and the hotel scene is next. By treating every surface as a canvas, the organisation shapes atmosphere, identity, and experiences that guests remember long after check-out…
Walk into any hotel and the surfaces register first. The walls that frame the initial impression. The lobby that sets the tone. The hotel corridors that lead guests to their rooms. Too often, these spaces are treated as purely functional backdrops. At Creative Debuts, they’re seen differently. Every surface is an opportunity. Every surface is a canvas.
Hospitality is about feeling. It’s about memory, atmosphere, and storytelling. Art has the power to pull all of this together in a way nothing else can. That’s why the role of art in hotels extends far beyond hanging framed prints. Through collaboration with Creative Debuts, surfaces are transformed at every level – from statement murals and bespoke commissions to rotating collections and unexpected creative details that stay with guests long after check-out.
BOSS x Tabitha Millett | Image credit: Creative Debuts
Murals that shape the space
One of the most impactful ways hotels are transformed is through commissioned murals. Hotels are living, breathing environments, and murals allow art to become part of the architecture itself. Whether painted directly onto permanent walls or introduced as temporary interventions ahead of opening, murals have the ability to instantly define a space.
Artists are commissioned whose style, voice, and story align with the brand’s identity, ensuring the work feels intentional rather than decorative. From bold, expressive pieces in arrival spaces to subtle, atmospheric works that guide guests through corridors and communal areas, murals establish a visual language that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Faces of the Community mural | Image credit: Creative Debuts
Bespoke art as a signature
Beyond walls, bespoke artworks are commissioned specifically for lobbies and key statement areas. These moments often become the most photographed, shared, and discussed spaces within a hotel. A sculptural installation behind reception. A large-scale canvas anchoring a lounge. A one-off piece that becomes inseparable from the hotel’s identity.
By commissioning directly from emerging artists, hotels invest in originality while supporting creative careers and embedding genuine cultural value into their spaces. The focus extends beyond the guests arriving through the doors to the wider question of how hotels support and contribute to local creative communities.
Keeping spaces dynamic through rotating art
Hotels are inherently dynamic. They evolve, refresh, and adapt over time. Rotating rental artwork plays a key role in supporting this movement. Through Creative Debuts’ artwork rental programme, surfaces remain in flux, introducing new artists, new perspectives, and new stories without the permanence of purchase.
This approach keeps spaces feeling alive and relevant while providing artists with vital exposure in high-footfall, design-led environments. For guests, it creates an ongoing sense of discovery. For hotels, it offers a way to remain visually fresh and culturally engaged.
When particular works resonate, support is provided throughout the acquisition process. Collections are built to feel cohesive yet characterful, allowing artworks to grow with the space over time. Every acquisition remains artist-first and client-led, ensuring it feels meaningful rather than transactional.
Image credit: Creative Debuts
Art beyond the walls
Art in hospitality shouldn’t stop at walls. When every surface is treated as a canvas, creativity extends into textiles in guest rooms, custom wallpapers, toiletries, and printed materials encountered throughout a stay. Artists are integrated into fabric design, in-room details, and branded literature, creating a layered experience where creativity runs through every touchpoint.
The result is an environment where art is not only seen, but felt.
Creating hotels with soul
Integrating art and artists into the hotel experience brings credibility, authenticity, and depth. Guests are increasingly drawn to spaces with soul—places that feel rooted in local culture rather than replicated from a template. Working with real artists and real stories creates a sense of place that cannot be manufactured.
Creative Debuts bridges the gap between hospitality and the emerging art world, making it seamless for hotels to work directly with artists through commissioning, rental, and long-term acquisition. The result is spaces that stand out, feel genuinely unique, and leave a lasting impression.
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- Portraits by Gank Pansuay (left) and Robert Hewer (right) | Image credits: Creative Debuts
In a competitive hospitality landscape, art is no longer an add-on. It’s a differentiator. It transforms surfaces, elevates experiences, and gives hotels a voice. When every surface is treated as a canvas, hotels stop being places people stay and become places they remember.
Creative Debuts is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Main image credit: Creative Debuts
