Around the world, hotels are putting art and design at the forefront. In Uruguay, the seaside Playa Vik José Ignacio (doubles from $900), by Montevideo-born architect Carlos Ott (best known for Paris’s Opéra Bastille), is filled with works by James Turrell, Anselm Kiefer, and contemporary homegrown talent.
Milan-based Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has transformed a Wyndham property on Vieques, Puerto Rico, into the colorful W Retreat & Spa (doubles from $599), with locally inspired art, multihued woven loungers, patterned walls, and steel bathtubs.
In London, the Connaught (doubles from $390) has a new wing with prints by Josef Albers and an Asian-inflected moon garden.
