Marriott Bonvoy’s The Luxury Collection – fresh off the reopening of Madrid’s The Palace hotel – has revealed a quirky new collaboration with artist Michael McGregor. While it’s not the first time a luxury hotel has approached an artist to capture the essence of its properties through a creative lens (the partnership follows a 2024 collaboration with recent Wallpaper* guest editor Laila Gohar, who created cake-shaped candles inspired by the brand’s hotels; and Belmond, for example, has an ongoing series of books with photographers, including Coco Capitán, Letizia Le Fur, Rosie Marks, and Colin Dodgson), this project explores a niche medium.
Michael McGregor sketches his way through The Luxury Collection
Set of Michael McGregor postcards
Los Angeles-based McGregor was invited to illustrate his experience staying at three of The Luxury Collection’s properties: the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Perry Lane Hotel in Savannah, and Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis, using guest stationery. This is familiar territory for McGregor, whose book Room Service comprises snapshot-style drawings made on branded notepads and correspondence sets from hotels around the world, including Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles and the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.
‘Hotels are a major intersection of lives. You’re only there for a short time, but it opens a world of possibilities. Stories emerge in a different way when you are out of your home context – new curiosities, unfamiliarity and wonder invite you to be a new version of yourself during your stay. These really connect with me and guide my practice as an artist,’ McGregor tells Wallpaper*.
McGregor’s vibrant, gestural sketches capture both the mundane and the extraordinary through simplified forms and bold, bright colours. It is this playfulness and an evident irrepressible curiosity that make his work so easy to connect with. For the artist's collaboration with The Luxury Collection, his illustrations portray the kinds of daily moments a guest might experience at the featured properties, such as sipping a martini at Perry Lane Hotel’s Peregrin Rooftop Bar or arriving at Hotel Ivy and taking in the surrounding urban sprawl.
‘I keep my eyes open and my mind as loose as possible, hoping to let moments throughout my travels find me, whether it’s the curve of an art deco lamp or the unique architecture of a hotel’s décor,’ McGregor explains. ‘It’s about quietly observing everyday life, discovering what feels striking or playful in that particular hotel, and following that impulse on paper.’
A limited-edition postcard set featuring five of McGregor’s works will be available for purchase online and at select properties, while additional sketches will be incorporated into the guest experience, appearing on everything from welcome notes to amenity cards. To celebrate the launch, the three flagship hotels are introducing creative workshops. In San Francisco, a guided tour concludes with a sketching session led by a local artist, while in Savannah, guests can sip cocktails and sketch city views from the rooftop.
‘I always carry coloured pencils with me everywhere I go. They’re portable and easy to access and stash in a tote bag. I also make sure that hotel stationery and short sketchbooks are within immediate reach throughout my travels, so I can quickly capture an idea, a moment, or a thought when it strikes,’ the artist adds.
the-luxury-collection.marriott.com
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