Interview series "5 questions for..."
Simon Lovermann, Diana Poole and the team from Der Greif Studio show how art can permanently change the perception of hotel spaces. It's not just about decoration, but about the emotional and cultural depth that photography creates as a narrative medium. With an international community of young artists, Der Greif Studio develops concepts that bring rooms to life and strengthen brand identities. In this interview, Simon Lovermann gives us an insight into how they work and explains why art can be more than just wall decoration. An exciting perspective for anyone who wants to design hotels with added cultural value and unique experiences.
Simon Lovermann, founder of The Griffin Studio
Brandcraft: Are hotels the new art galleries? In your opinion, what does it take for a hotel today to do more than just use art as decoration?
Simon Lovermann: Hotels really can become new galleries - if they see art not as mere decoration, but as an extension of the promise of experience in terms of content. Our work shows time and again how strongly images influence the perception of a room. It's not just about aesthetics, but also about atmosphere, context and identification. The selection of artworks - as well as the stories behind the works and the artists involved - offers great potential to emotionally deepen the stay, regardless of whether the travelers are on a private or professional trip. It is crucial that art is not used arbitrarily. In order to avoid interchangeability, it is worth involving experts at an early stage who have both artistic quality and the curatorial fit in mind. Especially in the planning phase of a hotel, art is often considered too late or only superficially - yet it is precisely in an integrated artistic approach that the opportunity lies to turn the hotel into a place with character and depth. The power of images is often underestimated: they can shape memories, trigger conversations and create an emotional bond. If you use this effect in a targeted way, you create an experience that lasts - and in the best case scenario, is passed on and visually shared by the visitors themselves. In this way, art becomes an expression of the brand identity - and the hotel becomes a cultural place with charisma.
Brandcraft: How does art change the way people perceive a luxury hotel—both guests and employees?
Simon Lovermann: Art not only changes rooms, but also their perception - and both hotel guests and the team feel this. Photography as an accessible artistic medium has the potential to touch, positively irritate or stimulate thought without prior knowledge. Used correctly - i.e. in combination with space, light, materials and atmosphere - it creates a visual narrative that goes beyond mere decoration. Even without knowledge of art history, it is often possible to recognize when a work is more than mere wall decoration. This effect has now also been scientifically proven: Studies such as the "Hospitality Art Experience Model" show that art can trigger emotional reactions such as amazement, joy or thoughtfulness. Such impressions strengthen the connection to the location and promote recognition. At the same time, art also has an inward effect - on the atmosphere within the team. A working environment that is characterized by care, creativity and high visual standards can motivate, inspire and convey appreciation. At the Hotel Castell in Zuoz, art is not just on display - it is an integral part of the overall experience. The collection of contemporary works is lively, site-specific and closely linked to the architecture and atmosphere of the hotel. Installations such as Pipilotti Rist's "Rote Bar" or Nicolas Party's work "Landscape", painted directly onto the walls, transform rooms into sensual worlds of experience. Sculptural elements inspired by the surrounding landscape also characterize areas such as the Belvair dining room. The creation of the works is also special at the Castell: They are created in close collaboration with the artists - the creative process becomes part of the hotel's identity. Every week, the hotel invites guests on a guided art tour - an invitation not only to view art, but also to enter into a dialog with it.
The Greif Studio x Max Brown Missori (Milan)
"Art becomes tangible, accessible and dialogical. For the brand, this means lasting visibility and brand awareness. Because those who enable encounters are remembered."
Brandcraft: What advice do you give hotels when selecting art and individual pieces? Does art always have to be expensive—or does it come down more to relevance, surprise, and fostering a sense of identity?
Simon Lovermann: Art doesn't have to be expensive to have an impact - it has to be well curated. Of course, in certain spaces or for certain target groups, it can make sense to work with established or well-known works, for example to make a statement or visually underline the promise of luxury. However, it is often lesser-known positions that surprise, are memorable and tell an authentic story. Experience shows that collaboration with artists from the region can be particularly effective - not only in terms of identification and cultural anchoring, but also as an expression of attitude and solidarity with the location. The decisive question should therefore be less: "How much does the work cost?" and more: "What does it say, why is it here and how does it fit into the narrative of the building?" This is precisely the difference between mere decoration and a well thought-out curatorial concept. Those who take this step turn the hotel into a place where art not only decorates the walls, but actively contributes to the identity and continues to write the history of the place.
The Greif Studio x Max Brown Missori (Milan)
Brandcraft: More and more venues are hosting artist residencies, studio talks, or exhibitions—where do you see the greatest potential for these types of events in terms of brand loyalty and community building?
Simon Lovermann: Formats such as artist residencies, studio talks or curated exhibitions transform a hotel into a lively place of exchange. They not only create visibility for artistic positions, but also open up spaces for encounters in which visitors, employees, artists and the local community come together. This creates an emotional depth that goes far beyond the design of spaces. Art becomes tangible, accessible and a starting point for dialog. For the brand, this means sustainable visibility and increased brand presence. Because those who enable real encounters are remembered. At the same time, access to a new audience is created - far beyond the traditional guest structure. The result is a cultural platform with potential for local and international appeal. Such formats invite participation, promote identification and allow brands to grow credibly in the long term - together with a community that not only consumes, but actively participates.
Brandcraft: Photography is a flexible medium—adaptable in terms of scope and range of expression. What does that mean for Der Greif Studio when working with a global community of artists for hotels?
Simon Lovermann: Photography is particularly well suited to designing spaces individually and atmospherically due to its complexity in terms of content and form. For Der Greif Studio, this means that, with our international community of young artists, we can respond very specifically to different spatial contexts, curatorial concepts or brand identities. Whether poetic, documentary, conceptual or abstract - we see photography not as a decorative accessory, but as a narrative and emotional medium. The wide range allows us to work with reduced single images as well as with expansive series or temporary installations - depending on the spatial situation and objective. At the same time, photography offers low-threshold access: it speaks directly, tells stories without linguistic or intellectual barriers and thus also enables people who rarely come into contact with art to make an intuitive connection to the location. By weaving international perspectives into local contexts - or, conversely, making local positions globally visible - we create a form of cultural localization that becomes a credible, multi-layered and sustainable part of a building's identity and actively shapes it.
Der Greif Studio x Hotel Bayerischer Hof (Munich)