Thinking Outside the Frame

"One of the things we want to do is provoke people, to start them thinking and talking about art," Wilson said.

The guest rooms, all spacious, have an industrial-chic decor, with exposed-brick walls and high ceilings. Original paintings and photographs adorn the walls. The beds are comfortable, with 500-thread-count cotton sheets. Docking stations for iPods and 42-inch televisions enhance the modern look.

700 W. Main St., 877-217-6400, http://www.21cmuseumhotel.com. Doubles start at $129 a night.

* Gladstone Hotel, Toronto. After a year's renovation, this historic Georgian Romanesque property was reopened in late 2005 and quickly became a hot spot on Toronto's art scene.

The 37 guest rooms, all designed with aplomb by Toronto artists, range from zany to elegant. Some are small and come with a shared bath. Think downtown funky rather than five-star luxury. The Teen Queen room is one of the most popular. Created by artist Cecilia Berkovic, it features a pink crocheted bedspread and hot pink walls covered with teen idol posters.

Parkdale, the surrounding neighborhood, is an inviting enclave of galleries and artsy cafes. But travelers who want instant immersion in Toronto's art scene may never make it out the front door. With the paintings hanging everywhere, a constant run of art shows in the second-floor galleries, dance performances and movie showings, the place is a rich social scene. Even if nothing special is on, a lively crowd of locals gathers nearly every night at the bar.

1214 Queen St., 416-531-4635, http://www.gladstonehotel.com. Doubles start at $168.

* Lancaster Arts Hotel, Lancaster. Originally a 19th-century tobacco warehouse, this property, with 47 rooms and 16 suites, combines ultra-modern decor with original fixtures. Public spaces and guest rooms feature wood-beamed ceilings, and many of the walls are exposed brick. The guest rooms, all larger than average, have plush beds, plasma televisions, iPod docking stations, glassed-in showers and spacious granite bathrooms. Armoires, handmade by local craftsmen, are included in the rooms.

The mix of styles carries on to the 200 or so works of art on display. The ground-floor art gallery features monthly exhibitions of works by Lancaster County artists. In February, the gallery featured mostly oil and acrylic landscapes of the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside, while the works in the lobby and guest rooms were mostly contemporary abstract or figurative. Most of the artwork -- and wood furniture -- is for sale.

The hotel is a six-block walk from downtown and is closely linked to the city's arts scene. A directory of local museums and galleries is included in the guest rooms. On the first Friday of each month, when Lancaster art galleries hold open houses, the hotel hosts a reception.

300 Harrisburg Ave., 866-720-2787, http://www.lancasterartshotel.com. Doubles start at $149.

* Hotel Max, Seattle. An oversize painting of a nude woman with a man's head in her lap hangs near the front desk. The doors of all 163 guest rooms are covered with full-length black-and-white photographs. Step inside any one of the rooms and you'll find more art -- paintings, collages, mixed-media canvases -- all created for the hotel by artists from the region.