The Peninsula Hong Kong is known for its elaborate afternoon teas, drawing socialites and jet-setters to its lobby each afternoon to nibble on finger sandwiches, lemon meringue tarts and raisin scones with jam and clotted cream. But for two months a year from late March, the hotel hands itself over to the avant-garde scene as it transforms into a makeshift gallery.

Art is a natural bedfellow for luxury hotels, which have no lack of grand spaces or culture-savvy clientele. The Dolder Grand in Zurich boasts works by living legends Takashi Murakami and Anish Kapoor. Gramercy Park Hotel in New York flaunts the late greats of that city including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Beijing’s Hotel Éclat uses its guestrooms and public spaces to showcase contemporary Chinese artists including the internationally renowned Gao Xiaowu.