Culture Lives Here. How Thompson Hotels Bring Top Creatives Directly To Guests.

While there is still plenty demand for budget hotels offering the lowest rates in town, Millennials and Gen Z show a significant penchant for local immersion and authenticity in travel that has led many hotel brands to thoughtful redesigns not just of physical space, but also of cultural programming and amenities. Last month, Thompson Hotels launched the Culture Lives Here campaign, bringing “culture shifters” to some of its North American properties to offer curated dips into neighborhood vibes through music, art, fashion, design and cuisine. “Launched in tandem with the brand’s 20th anniversary and sustained growth, this campaign honors Thompson Hotels’ cultural roots and elevates them even further by supporting creators we believe align with what the brand has always been, an epicenter of culture,” says Crystal Vinisse Thomas, vice president and global brand leader of lifestyle and luxury brands for Hyatt. Thomas says Culture Lives Here experiences vary dramatically across the portfolio, including activations ranging from a pop-up tattoo shop in a hotel lobby (more on this below!) to a music pairing menu at a hotel restaurant, with each property having identified its own local creator to amplify the cultural zeitgeist in, on or around its hotel walls. To inspire your future travels and, perhaps, your own creativity, here are four awesome examples of the Culture Lives Here campaign unveiling across the United States and Mexico and remaining accessible through the new year.

Thompson Zihuatanejo

Mexican artist and illustrator Oscar Torres recently unveiled his vibrant new mural outside HAO restaurant at Thompson Zihuatanejo. Tasked with creating a work that conveys the daily life and culture of the dreamy Mexican fishing village, Torres highlights the people, wildlife and economy of Zihuatanejo in deceptively simple style that reveals increasing story the longer one looks (even if that will most likely occur through the many snaps taken of this Insta-worthy new backdrop!).

Thompson Hollywood

Los Angeles creative Wade Crescent teamed up with Thompson Hollywood as music curator at Southern-France-meets-Southern-California rooftop lounge, Bar Lis, including both DJ and live music sets four nights per week. Special for hotel guests, the experience continues with the Bar Lis playlist and guide to Crescent’s fav music hot spots in town, accessed through a complimentary QR code found in the guestrooms. Additionally, a mirror and onyx installation from Culture Lives Here campaign ambassador Arielle Assouline-Lichten will remain on display in the lobby of Thompson Hollywood, where the program’s chic launch party was held in early November, into early 2022.

Thompson Seattle

Colorful tattoo artist Lolli Morlock takes up residency at Thompson Seattle on select weekends through January. Her lobby pop-up shop offers a variety of services from tattoo consultations to live tattooing, plus merch that includes hotel-inspired temporary tattoos for less permanent fun with her vibrant, signature style, as Thompson pays homage to the city’s distinct tattoo culture, which it considers an art form all its own.

Gild Hall, A Thompson Hotel

New York City’s Gild Hall is the newest home to the Haiku Guys & Gals, a group of typewriter-wielding poets who conceive and produce personal haikus for guests on-the-spot. The original creations are banged out in about 2 minutes and are inspired by whatever random tidbit the guest chooses to share. Once per week through the end of January, the whimsical wordsmiths offer their services in Gild Hall’s lobby, introducing guests to the abundance of creative quirk that fills NYC.