Thompson Hotels Unveils Immersive Experiences Curated by Emerging Creatives Through New ‘Culture Lives Here’ Campaign

Thompson Hotels
Published: November 10th, 2021

November 10, 2021 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO - Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today introduces Culture Lives Here, the Thompson Hotels brand’s new campaign that celebrates the brand’s passion for elevating noteworthy and emerging creatives, dubbed ‘culture shifters.’ Taking place at 13 Thompson Hotels via creative local collaborations in tandem with the brand’s 20th anniversary, this campaign recognizes the abundance of creativity that influences today’s cultural landscape by curating cultural experiences that connect hotel guests and neighbors with rising talent in music, art, fashion, design and culinary.

“Culture Lives Here is a true celebration of the deeply important creative voices that flourish in and around each Thompson Hotel,” said vice president and global brand leader of Hyatt’s lifestyle & luxury brands, Crystal Vinisse Thomas. “We’re honoring our heritage as arbiters of culture and providing a platform for both established and up and coming creatives to connect our guests with the most relevant and authentic expression of culture in each destination.”

The Thompson Hotels brand is proud to announce three ambassadors for the Culture Lives Here campaign, who each, through their lives and their work, impact culture in meaningful and original ways:

• Sustainable designer, architect and artist, Arielle Assouline-Lichten, founder of Slash Objects
• Celebrity-favorite fashion designer Charles Harbison, founder and creative director of HARBISON
• One of Los Angeles’ most admired - and oft imitated - graffiti artists, Defer 

The three brand culture shifters’ activations are on display to experience at Thompson Hollywood for a limited time. Assouline-Lichten's installation features a large free-form mirror rooted in an onyx cube, an extension of her previous works in which mirrors are central, interactive objects in a space; Harbison’s textile installation presents 7-foot-tall steel frames with suspended textiles inspired by the hanging paintings of Tadao Cern, the masterful colorworks of Sam Gillam and the graphic shapes of midcentury design, in addition to childhood memories of watching his mother get dressed; and Defer’s graffiti will result from a live, on-property painting experience upon a raised 10-foot-tall canvas in which he channels inspiration from the people, surroundings and energy on-site in real time.

“It’s a true honor and pleasure to join the Thompson Hotels brand’s prestigious team of culture shifters,” says Charles Harbison. “As someone who loves hotels, I’ve always admired how Thompson Hotels have creatively fostered local culture, and I am excited to help celebrate the brand’s anniversary with the next generation of diverse creative talent. The visibility and platform each Thompson Hotel is providing to creatives, while prioritizing inclusivity, shows their commitment to cultivating culture and their important place within it.”

Starting this month and through early 2022, 13 Thompson Hotels across the U.S. and Mexico are launching local Culture Lives Here collaborations with culture shifters who have conceived immersive activations for both guests and locals alike. From a series of live performances from singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander at Thompson Dallas, to unique wellness offerings from Mills Miller’s whole-plant hemp brand MINERAL at Thompson Austin, to a community-focused art exhibit by Susan Laney of Laney Contemporary at Thompson Savannah, each local culture shifter will offer guests an original contribution in the form of an exhibition or experience. In addition, each culture shifter will curate a local list of five “hot spots” to help guide guests to the latest across art, music, fashion, design, and culinary in the hotel’s neighborhood.

Local culture shifter collaborations live or beginning in November 2021 include:

• Gild Hall, A Thompson Hotel x The Haiku Guys & Gals - Gild Hall, A Thompson Hotel (New York) teamed up with The Haiku Guys & Gals, a Brooklyn-based group of poets who craft personalized haikus on typewriters for coveted events, and now Gild Hall guests. Like a photo booth for the soul, this new weekly residency in the hotel’s lobby gives guests the opportunity to go home with a personal travel keepsake in less than 2 minutes.
• The Cape, A Thompson Hotel x The Shamans - The Cape, A Thompson Hotel (Cabo San Lucas, 
  Mexico) is making music the local way with The Shamans, a cool, San Jose del Cabo-based band whose members love music as much as they do the surf and are ready to celebrate the cultural pillars of the region through monthly live performances.
• Thompson Hollywood x Wade Cresent - Thompson Hollywood teamed up with London-born DJ Wade Crescent to specially curate the music at its chic rooftop lounge, Bar Lis. For those guests looking to keep the party going, a guide of Cresent’s favorite music hot spots around town is available via complimentary QR in guestrooms.
• Thompson Nashville x Raja Ratan - Thompson Nashville (Tenn.) is proving it’s not all cowboy boots when it comes to fashion in the Music City through its collaboration with designer Raja Ratan and his dual concept store Q Clothier/Rye 51, soon to open on the hotel’s first floor. Together the property and luxury menswear retailer created a custom Thompson Nashville experience exclusively for hotel guests including 50% off of a custom-made belt and shirt.
• Thompson San Antonio - Riverwalk x Kevin Elkins - Thompson San Antonio - Riverwalk is awakening guests’ senses with its evolving collaboration with Kevin Elkins of luxury fragrance brand Soular Therapy. In addition to creating unique, emotion-inducing scents specifically curated for each of the property’s different spaces, Thompson San Antonio - Riverwalk is hosting monthly retail pop-up shops where Soular Therapy’s fragrances - including their limited-time custom holiday scent “Santa” inspired by the property at-large - are available.
• Thompson Savannah x Susan Laney - Thompson Savannah (Ga.) is exciting art lovers through a creative collaboration with local gallerist, Susan Laney. As the owner of Laney Contemporary, Susan is curating a visual display in the lobby that showcases the best of the city's art community, and features the work of Benjamin Jones, which reflects the connections between past iconography and renewed energy.
• Thompson Seattle x Lolli Morlock - Thompson Seattle is implementing a tattoo artist in residency program through their collaboration with creative, colorful, and edgy Seattle-based tattoo artist, Lolli Morlock. Seeking to highlight Seattle’s tattoo culture as an art of its own, this will be taking place in the form of a pop-up in the lobby featuring live tattoos, tattoo design consultations, and a shopping experience with merchandise including signature hotel-inspired temporary tattoos for those not ready to commit to something permanently.
• Thompson Zihuatanejo x Oscar Torres - Thompson Zihuantanejo (Mexico) is taking an important mural to new heights by commissioning Mexican visual artist and illustrator Oscar Torres to create a piece that conveys the daily life and culture of Zihuatanejo. Torres’ mural at the entrance of Thompson Zihuatanejo’s HAO restaurant will unveil to exude the local culture of this beautiful and magical fishing village as well as provide a photo-worthy destination for guests to snap imagery and share their experiences.

Local culture shifter collaborations to come in December 2021 and beyond, include:

• Thompson Austin x Mills Miller - Wellness is on the menu at Thompson Austin (Texas) thanks to the new hotel’s collaboration with Mills Miller and his Austin-based, whole-plant hemp brand MINERAL to offer mindful guests and locals' access to natural wellness products. Aiding in normalizing the use of hemp for wellness and self-care, Thompson Austin will feature MINERAL’s “SLEEP” sublingual at nighttime and “BALANCE” during the day, within several hotel touchpoints including: a complimentary turndown cart; for sale at a pop-up in the hotel lobby and within guest room honor bars; and more.
• Thompson Buckhead x Huelani Mei Foglemen - Thompson Buckhead (Atlanta, Ga.) is collaborating with local artist Huelani Mei Foglemen of Hue Designs to create a pop-up sculpture exhibition, inspired by its signature Italian American restaurant, Dirty Rascal. Led by James Beard-nominated chef Todd Ginsberg, Dirty Rascal’s symbol - a trouble-making spirit of a fox - is the inspiration for the eight different sculptures that will debut throughout the hotel.
• Thompson Dallas x Abraham Alexander - Thompson Dallas is teaming up with Greece-born, Nigerian singer/songwriter Abraham Alexander, to select three promising musical talents for a live music series at its buzzy rooftop lounge, Catbird. An opportunity to curate the best of Dallas’ local music scene and provide them with exposure to guests and locals, Alexander is giving a platform to local musicians Remy Reilly, Brandon Marcel and Joseph M respectively.
• Thompson Denver x Scott Hagen - Thompson Denver is getting in the groove with Scott Hagen, CEO of iconic record player company Victrola, to curate a bespoke vinyl selection throughout the new hotel’s 15 suites and the Victrola Listening Lounge in Reynard Social. Hagen will also create a "music pairing menu," complete with songs as courses and desserts, for special events in the first-floor restaurant, Chez Maggy by James Beard and Michelin Guide recognized chef, Ludo Lefebvre.
• Thompson Washington D.C. x Aaron Crist - Thompson Washington D.C. is spotlighting Aaron Crist of Hyde Closet, a tech-savvy player in the city’s fashion retail space that links customers with remote stylists to provide highly personalized shopping experiences using rentable inventory from local designers and retailers. The collaboration will launch with a special holiday pop-up complete with a model showcase, stylist appointments, and curated ready-to-wear looks. Through this collaboration, hotel guests will be able to receive personalized styling and complete outfits on demand via a simple add-on at check-in or by scanning an in-room QR code.

SOURCE Thompson Hotels