The Ameswell Hotel, which opened in July 2021 in Mountain View, California, is a luxury hotel and modern art museum combo. The hotel houses a collection of 20 world-class art pieces curated by Philip Maritz, who is on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Nancy Sweeney of Sweeny Co. Art Advisors. All the art displayed at the Amswell Hotel focus on the themes of nature, air, and space to reflect the surroundings of the property (the NASA Ames Research Center is the hotel’s neighbor).
Of course, the Ameswell Hotel is a splendid hotel in its own right with modern amenities like a Lululemon mirror gym and a fleet of Peloton bikes, 255 beautifully decorated rooms filled with organic toiletries, and even an Airstream bar by the pool. But it’s the art that makes it unique and takes this luxury hotel up one notch on the scale of extravagance and opulence.
The Amswell Hotel’s emphasis on modern art is clear from the get-go. Outside, near the entrance, is a 10-foot-tall steel sculpture by Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu that was inspired by a NASA mission. When you step inside the hotel, you’re faced with “Three Circles” by artist Chul Hyun Ahn, a hypnotizing piece made of mirrors and colorful LED lights.
Photo: Jessica Sample/The Ameswell Hotel
Elsewhere in the Ameswell Hotel, you’ll find a polyptych piece by Ala Ebtekar using negatives from the Hubble telescope and a photographic printing process called cyanotype; two black and white paintings representing lined-up figures in various positions, not unlike hieroglyphics, by James Ulmer; and plenty of other eye-catching artworks.
Photo: Jessica Sample/The Ameswell Hotel
Photo: Jessica Sample and Douglas Lyle Thompson/The Ameswell Hotel
And if you’re not an art connoisseur and need a little more explanations when it comes to modern art, the Ameswell Hotel has installed QR codes for each pieces, so guests can learn about the works displayed and have a museum experience at their own pace — whether that’s before the on-site spa treatment or after the beer garden. 