InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is unveiling a new series of fully immersive experiences across Australia, Japan and Singapore as well as display, for the first time, a collection of one-of-a-kind NFTs (non-fungible tokens) as an extension of its trailblazing partnership with acclaimed British contemporary artist Claire Luxton.
Having first premiered in London in 2021, then Dubai and New York in 2022, the third phase of the successful global partnership will see Luxton’s custom artwork and exclusive NFTs on display in public and in-room installations across InterContinental Sydney, InterContinental Osaka, and InterContinental Singapore. Unique to each location, the digital artwork depicts native flora and fauna from destinations around the world where InterContinental hotels can be found. This includes Kangaroo Paw, endemic to Australia; Japan’s national butterfly, the Great Purple Emperor; and South East Asia’s Emerald Swallowtail Butterfly, presented in Singapore.
The partnership celebrates travel, wanderlust, and time, bringing to life the elegance of the InterContinental brand and its ethos as a pioneer in luxury travel. Furthermore, the NFTs usher in a new era of digital art, reflective of the brand’s commitment to innovate and evolve as new destinations and refurbishment projects create memorable travel experiences for guests around the world.
On the collaboration, Claire Luxton said, “it’s a joy to further navigate and explore my relationship with the InterContinental family. The brand’s ethos, history and magic, conjures a richly diverse palette from which to create and discover through a fine art lens.”
From March 2023, across all three regions, guests and visitors are invited to enjoy an array of immersive experiences curated in partnership with Claire Luxton.
At InterContinental Sydney, the newly renovated rooftop Aster Bar, set atop the highest floor of InterContinental Sydney, has completely transformed into an oasis of colourful floral and sensory installations, from translucent butterflies canopied above the bar, to life-size decals of Luxton’s artwork on the hotel’s iconic glass balcony. Soft furnishings, including custom-designed pillows to adorn lounge seating, encapsulate Luxton’s signature flora and fauna imagery of birds, butterflies, and botanicals with references to local natives. Aster Bar’s Head Mixologist has also designed a limited-edition cocktail featuring Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, red wine shrub and rhubarb liquor, taking inspiration from the colour and vibrancy of Luxton’s artwork.
The Claire Luxton experience continues at InterContinental Osaka with a limited-edition suite designed and curated by Luxton with an array of sensory experiences, from textural floral displays to cocktails perfumed with rose water. The suite has been skilfully transformed, from the lounge room to the master bedroom, bringing the InterContinental brand to life through Luxton’s artistic lens. Bespoke artwork inspired by Japan’s local fauna features throughout on custom pillows, a unique decorative headboard, and floral installations that canopy across the suite to create a fantasy luxury. A limited-edition Claire Luxton-inspired cocktail and mocktail, vivid in colour with edible flowers and popular Japanese strawberry, is also available for guests to experience across participating InterContinental Hotels in Japan from Tokyo to Beppu and beyond.
A whimsical pop-up in the InterContinental Singapore lobby will bring Claire Luxton’s South East Asia-inspired NFT to life. From 1 to 30 April 2023, guests are welcome to explore and learn more about the collaboration within a 2m-by-2m organza floral display designed in partnership with Luxton. The partnership is further celebrated in The Lobby Lounge, with bespoke creations – a Rosella Tart, The Secret Garden cocktail and Bloom and Blossom mocktail – created by the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Desmond Lee and Mixologist, Dora Amurao.
Created especially for the brand, the Claire Luxton NFTs, which are a joint first for InterContinental and Claire Luxton, will be on display exclusively at each hotel activation from March throughout the coming months. Each of the NFTs include:
- A rare utility, which is an inclusion that adds value to the NFT beyond the artwork itself
- Ownership of an NFT featuring a 1-of-10 custom artwork from Claire Luxton, whose physical works are valued between £3,000-£5,000 per print
- InterContinental Ambassador status, which provides exceptional benefits and elevated recognition with Platinum Elite status in the entirely redesigned IHG One Rewards program
- A one-night stay at the new InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, opening in 2023*
With 207 open InterContinental hotels and 90 in the pipeline globally, the brand is inspiring a new chapter of worldly destinations. Recent openings include Australia’s Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and Khao Yai in Thailand, as well as the upcoming openings of InterContinental Lifou Wadra Bay in New Caledonia and InterContinental Auckland, New Zealand, and new destinations in Rome, Italy and Bellevue, Washington.
