Sleep in a Work of Art in Tokyo

The eponymous collective behind the BnA Hotel (standing for ‘Bed and Art’) set itself the mission to showcase contemporary Japanese art to its international clientele. In the little hotel in the arty Koenji district, the initiative’s primary location, visitors sleep in a room decorated entirely by a local artist who is paid per booking.

Meetings between travellers and artists

The space was designed to encourage conversation. When guests go down to the hotel bar, they’re likely to encounter local artists, for whom the hotel has become the place to be. ‘We’ve even had spontaneous painting sessions break out between local artists and hotel guests who happened to be artists themselves’, says one of the founders of BnA.

The start-up, which has gone on to open a 31-room hotel in Kyoto, also provides an Airbnb-like service with a five-bedroom apartment in which each room has a different source of inspiration, in the central district of Chiyoda. There, guests can enjoy the artwork in a calm environment, making it an interesting alternative to the Koenji hotel which has gained a reputation for its wild parties.

More information about BnA can be found on the hotel chain’s website.