Art Series Hotels

The Art Series Hotel Group offers a unique guest experience at each of their 6 boutique hotels across Australia. Inspired by and dedicated to Australian contemporary artists, each Art Series hotel takes design inspiration from their namesake artist – such as The Cullen (Adam Cullen), The Schaller Studio (Mark Schaller) and The Larwill Studio (David Larwill).

We work closely with the crew at Art Series Hotel Group to create bespoke uniform styling that dovetails with the signature look of each hotel.

The Larwill Studio crew (pictured) are dressed in a bright and contemporary uniform to complement the artwork of artist David Larwill. Madeline and Michael from The Larwill wear our Bailey Denim shirt and Henry Bib Apron in Charcoal.

How did art and design become core components of the Art Series experience?

Our parent company had always had a long standing relationship with each of the artists and had wanted to collaborate with them when they first wanted to build boutique hotels. Each location was assigned an artist based off their body of work, personality and fit within the community the hotel would be residing in. It has been a great privilege to work closely with some of Australia’s most celebrated artists to bring the project to life and see guests experience art in such an immersive way.

Is it important that each Art Series Hotel has its own narrative?

Each of our six hotels are completely unique as they are inspired by and dedicated to Australia’s most contemporary artists. They each have their own brand essence – from the colour palette, to the wording on the ‘do not disturb’ sign to how the staff are dressed. As our four hotels in Melbourne are all in close proximity we needed to make sure they have their own identities. No cookie cutter approaches were taken.

Art Series Hotels are a feast for the eyes. What impact does the abundance of art and design have on guests?

Staying at one of the Art Series Hotels is often a welcome change for our guests. They are completely immersed in the namesake artist’s work and are given the opportunity to get up close and personal with them – from a personal tour with our art curator, to a dedicated in room art channel, to even purchasing one of the artists prints (or originals as we have in each room at The Schaller Studio) A lot of guests check in thinking they are just there for ‘bed and breakfast’ and end up discovering a real Australian icon.

Through which other sensory experiences does Art Series reveal its brand values?

We try to infuse the personality of the artist throughout the hotel – we have quotes on the pillowcases at The Larwill Studio, mirrored bunnies peeping around corridor corners at The Blackman, and street art in the car park at The Cullen. At our Studio hotels – The Larwill Studio and The Schaller Studio – we encourage guests to embrace their creative side by providing them with art utensils in the communal areas to paint a canvas or sketch away in a book. We also have 35 Smart cars wrapped in the artists work between the 6 hotels which guests can hire for the hour or day and head out to discover all that Melbourne has to offer.

How does staff presentation (uniforms) play a role in telling the Art Series story?

Last year we introduced our Studio brand which has a completely different feel to our original set of hotels which are more of a finished product – a gallery. We wanted to have a more rustic, casual atmosphere in the Studios and this is when we first approached Cargo Crew – we loved their denim aprons which almost felt like an artist smock. Whilst our 5 star properties have a more sleek corporate look, we love the Chambray shirts at our Studios which really represents the atmosphere we’re going for. The casual looks also really suits the staff we employ and they love wearing them. We also use the gingham shirts in our restaurant Spoonbill at The Olsen Hotel which focuses on farm to plate seasonal dining.