Inside four one-of-a-kind hotel suites dreamt up by designers and artists

American artist George Condo has called Le Bristol Paris his Parisian home-away-from-home since 2004, often working late into the night fuelled by his go-to room service order—truffle scrambled eggs and champagne, nice—and loud music. Now, he's designed his very own suite.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, Le Bristol Paris tapped Condo to give its sprawling Suite Impériale a facelift—now known as the Condo Suite.

Alongside designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, Condo infused the 3,475 sq ft space with his signature “artificial realism”, even designing a custom gold door handle shaped like his famed character Uncle Joe.

The suite is a literal gallery, featuring 11 of Condo’s works, including The Dark Lady in Red and Multicolor Figure Composition. You’ll also find eight Alberto Giacometti drawings in the hallway and pieces by Marc Chagall and Jean Cocteau. The best part? There’s a dedicated in-suite studio with an easel and supplies, so you can channel your inner master if inspiration strikes. If it doesn’t, just call room service.

It's the collaboration no one saw coming. French artist JR’s L’Observatoire carriage on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a clever and unexpected fusion of street art and old-world luxury. The pseudonymous JR, famous for his giant black-and-white photo installations that blur the line between art and activism, has turned this vintage ride into his personal canvas, expressing a side of him that even some of his most diehard fans haven’t seen. 

JR’s studio supplied the designs—hidden eyes peeking from his building murals, nods to his Women Are Heroes train project in Africa, and moon motifs from Brazil—which are layered like a treasure hunt that unfolds as you move through the space. But we must talk about the craftsmanship. The walls come alive with intricate wood marquetry, crafted by French artisans at Atelier Philippe Allemand, using rare woods selected for how light dances across their grains. 

In the bedroom, a hand-painted stained-glass piece behind the tub steals the spotlight, inspired by JR’s treehouse installations—as the train moves, it filters sunlight to create dreamy, shifting patterns. Sourced from a 500-year-old German firm, this glowing centrepiece adds ethereal magic without overshadowing the train’s art deco bones.

Suite X at Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver is named after Canadian artist and author Douglas Coupland’s breakthrough novel, Generation X. Compared to the rest of the hotel’s contemporary cabin-esque decor, with its dark wood tones and plaid curtains, Suite X is an explosion of colour—Coupland’s artworks are even plastered on the ceilings—that draws on his signature pop-art aesthetic.

It’s pure curated chaos. Alongside original works—which include a collaboration with Italian fashion label Fiorucci and the artist’s take on Andy Warhol’s portraits of Marilyn Monroe—guests will find a collection of bric-a-brac like a yellow Pepsi-Cola cooler and children’s alphabet blocks that spell out philosophical musings in the form of a totem pole (how very Canadian).  

The suite is set within a reimagined Fairmont Gold Corner Suite, with windows that look out to panoramic views of the harbour and North Shore mountains. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a book. Forgotten yours? No worries: there’s a library of titles hand-picked from Coupland’s personal collection, including Taschen tomes on the likes of Virgil Abloh, Stanley Kubrick and Depeche Mode. 

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