Hotel's New Fee: One Work of Art, Please

New York's Chelsea Hotel inspires Swedes to attract artists
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2012 1:42 PM CDT
Hotel Lets People Stay Overnight for Work of Art
Former long-time Chelsea Hotel manager Stanley Bard poses for a photo in the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, January 10, 2011.   (Getty Images)

Welcome to the hotel where artists can pay with their work—and anyone's art is accepted. The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm is letting guests stay overnight if they hand over a work of self-made art, The Local reports. “It all started with the fact that our general manager’s grandfather was an artist,” says marketing manager Tess Mattisson. The Clarion also drew inspiration from New York's (in)famous Chelsea Hotel, where artists stayed in return for art.

The grandfather of the Clarion's GM had work hanging at the Chelsea, says Mattisson: "And now that their hotel has closed down, the manager was so inspired that our hotel will continue the tradition." Any art is good enough—from squiggles to paintings to poetry—and the response has been overwhelming. "We want to build an atmosphere for artists to meet, and ... be the number one art choice for people who come to Stockholm—and even Sweden!” (More Chelsea Hotel stories.)

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