Match the work to the room: large statement pieces for the lobby, calm work for guest suites, quiet series for corridors and spa areas, and one bold focal piece for the restaurant or bar. A lobby is read from across the room, so a large abstract or surrealist canvas sized to the main wall does the job. A suite is different, because a guest wakes up next to that painting for two or three nights, so soft abstracts, calm landscapes, and contemporary figurative work sit better there. Corridors and stairwells do well with a repeating series of medium pieces, which keeps a long hallway from feeling flat.
One rule saves most projects. If you are stuck between two sizes for a wall, take the larger one. The wrong style is a matter of taste, and people can disagree about it politely. The wrong size, especially a painting that looks lost above a lobby desk, simply looks like a mistake.
Most hotels buy art through the FF&E budget, either as a bulk contract package specified by the designer or as individually chosen pieces for key walls, and the two routes produce very different buildings. Contract packages are ordered by the hundred, framed to a spec sheet, and installed floor by floor. Individually sourced originals are chosen one wall at a time, usually for the public spaces where guests linger. We sit firmly on the second side of that split. Every piece we ship from Vancouver is a signed, one-of-a-kind painting, which makes us the wrong supplier for 200 identical guest-room frames and, we would argue, the right one for the twelve walls guests actually remember. Our free art advisory service exists partly for hotel buyers juggling exactly this decision.
What is the difference between original art and a contract art package?
A contract art package supplies volume, speed, and uniformity at a low price per piece, while original paintings supply singularity, texture, and an asset with its own paperwork, and an honest hotel program usually needs some of each.
Factor
Contract art package
Original paintings
What it is
Printed or reproduced work, framed to spec
Hand-painted, signed, one of a kind
Cost per piece
Low, priced for volume
Ours run from about $72 to several thousand
Lead time
Weeks to months for large runs
In-stock work ships in days
Guest impression
Neutral background
A talking point, often photographed
Asset value
Decor expense
Documented asset with a Certificate of Authenticity
Here is the plain version: if you need every guest room dressed by next quarter, use a contract supplier for the rooms. Then spend where it counts, on originals for the lobby, the bar, and the corridors guests photograph. We would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong thing.
Are original paintings durable enough for a hotel?
A varnished original painting handles decades of normal hotel life, but it is not indestructible, so placement should respect traffic. Acrylic and varnished oil surfaces shrug off dust, light cleaning, and years of ambient humidity swings. What they do not shrug off is a luggage cart. In service corridors and tight elevator lobbies, hang art above impact height or choose framed work behind glazing, and keep unglazed canvases for lobbies, lounges, and suites where the traffic is human rather than wheeled. Large pieces from our large statement paintings collection are usually destined for exactly those protected, high-visibility walls. Direct sun is the other quiet enemy: no painting, original or printed, belongs on a wall that takes full afternoon sun through glass.
Is hotel art insured in transit and on the wall?
Our shipping is fully insured door to door at no cost to you, and once installed the art is covered by the hotel's own contents policy like any other asset. Transit takes 3 to 7 business days within Canada and 5 to 10 to the USA. For the on-wall side, the invoice and Certificate of Authenticity we include with every painting give your insurer a documented value, which matters more for originals than for decor, because a destroyed one-of-a-kind piece cannot be reordered. Properties building a larger program often start with our luxury hotel art collection and keep the paperwork for every piece in one file. It is unglamorous advice, but the hotels that treat art as an asset class run better programs than the ones that treat it as decoration.
Frequently asked questions
Can we reserve a set of paintings while the design package goes through approval?
Ask us and we will hold a set for a short agreed window, but nothing on the site is reserved automatically. Every piece is one of a kind, so a hold means taking work out of reach of other buyers on trust, and we can only do that with a date attached. If approval takes months, buy the pieces and use the 14-day trial on site.
Can our team see the paintings in person before we commit?
Yes, your team can view the paintings in person by appointment in Vancouver. The work ships from our studio here, so a designer or owner can see the actual canvases in daylight before signing off. Scale and surface are the two things a screen gets wrong, and both matter more in a hotel than in a home. If travel is impractical, we will send close-up photos and video of specific works.
We refurbish wing by wing. Can we get more work from the same artist in two years?
We cannot promise it, and we will not pretend otherwise. Every piece is an original, so an artist's available work today may be sold by the time your next phase begins, and no two paintings will ever match exactly. Tell us the full plan at the start and we can space the buying and talk to artists early. Buying the programme up front is the only guarantee.
Who pays return shipping if a hotel sends a piece back?
We pay it, not the hotel. Inside the 14 days there is no restocking charge and no return shipping cost to you, on one painting or a group of them. We ask only that the work goes back in the packing it arrived in, because that packing is built by hand around each canvas. After 14 days the Lifetime Trade-Back still applies, returning store credit rather than money.
What do you warn hotels not to do with art in guest rooms?
Do not plan on the same painting in every room, because we cannot supply it. Every work here is one of a kind, so a floor of identical rooms will hold different paintings, and we think that is the point. What we do warn against is hanging an original above a kettle, beside a bathroom door, or over a radiator, where heat and steam reach the canvas.
Most of this collection is oil on canvas. Does that matter for a hotel?
It affects placement more than durability. Oil on canvas is a stable surface that lasts generations with ordinary care, and most pieces here are exactly that, in sizes up to about 102 by 120 cm. Keep them off walls that take hours of direct sun and away from steam. Every piece ships with a Certificate of Authenticity, which is the record your asset list needs.
What is the difference between a contract art package and original paintings?
A contract art package is bulk-produced printed or assembled decor, ordered by the hundred to a spec sheet, while original paintings are one-of-a-kind works by named artists. Packages are cheaper per room and identical across every property in the brand. Originals cost more, cannot be repeated, and give guests something to photograph and ask about at the desk.
How much should a hotel budget for art per guest room?
Budget roughly $150 to $600 per guest room for original art, depending on how many walls you dress and the room class. Standard rooms usually need one piece above the bed and one in the entry. Public areas need a separate, larger line item, because one lobby or restaurant wall can cost as much as ten guest rooms.
What size artwork goes above a hotel bed?
Above a queen bed, use art 120 to 150 cm (48 to 60 inches) wide, and above a king, 150 to 180 cm (60 to 71 inches), either as one piece or a matched pair. Keep the bottom edge 20 to 25 cm above the headboard so a guest sitting up does not knock it.
Can you work with our FF&E purchasing agent or procurement company?
Yes, we sell through purchasing agents and can bill the agent while shipping direct to site or to a receiving warehouse. Send us the room-by-room schedule with wall dimensions and the palette, and we will come back with a numbered list, sizes, prices, and lead times in the format your agent needs for the FF&E budget.
Are paintings insured while they ship to a hotel site?
Yes, every shipment travels fully insured at no extra cost, reaching Canada in 3 to 7 business days and the USA in 5 to 10. If a crate arrives damaged, photograph it before opening and we replace or refund the piece. For site deliveries, tell us the receiving hours and dock contact so nothing sits outside overnight.
What documentation does a hotel get for its art inventory?
Each painting comes with a Certificate of Authenticity listing artist, title, medium, dimensions, and year, and we supply a single spreadsheet keyed to your room numbers. That file is what your asset register, your insurer, and a future refurbishment team will want. If a piece is ever damaged beyond repair, that record is how the claim gets settled properly.
When should a hotel buy prints instead of originals?
Buy prints when you need the same image in 200 identical rooms, when the budget per room is under about $80, or when the property gets refurbished every three years and the art is treated as consumable. We would rather sell you originals for the public areas and the suites, and let printed work handle the standard floors.
Large-scale abstract and surrealist paintings define lobbies. Contemporary figurative works suit suites. Landscape or nature pieces work well in corridors and spa areas. The key is originality: no guest wants to see the same print in every room.
Do you offer volume purchasing for hotel groups?
Yes. We work with hotel procurement teams and interior design firms on multi-painting orders with coordinated curation across properties.
Can you match a hotel design palette?
Through our custom commission service, artists can work to a specific colour brief, ensuring the artwork complements your interior design scheme.
How durable are the paintings for high-traffic areas?
Original oil and acrylic paintings on canvas are durable. We recommend acrylic for high-traffic corridors. Avoid direct sunlight and extreme humidity.
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Mahi
Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
Large Wall Art
Surrealism
Luxury Living Room Art
