Not a Hotel to Sleep in - But to Dream in
Before Hôtel Magique, whenever I would step into a hotel, well, not all hotels, but the hotels that I would call magique, I noticed I would experience an overwhelming sense of curiosity. A childlike curiosity about guests and doorman stories, the interiors hidden behind closed doors, what it would feel like to spend time there daily, and even imaginary hotel souvenirs I wished existed.
Looking back, I realize the places that stayed with me were never just beautiful places. They were the places that unlocked a feeling of curiosity I wanted to tap into every day.
When I originally created that painting that read Hôtel Magique – Open Crazy Late as a way to enter this magique state of mind, I would have never imagined (not even in my wildest dreams, and I’m known for my wild dreams) that this imaginary hotel - a place that didn’t exist, but could - living rent free in my head would eventually travel across the world and into your homes through art, products, collaborations, and so much more.
Overtime, Hôtel Magique became a way to approach hospitality through a different lens: not as a luxury service, but as a form of emotional transport. A way to focus on emotion first, product second.
With our first physical project, Batik Boy Ruko in Bali, Indonesia, that same fascination with hospitality as the art of making people feel something found its way into a real space for the very first time.
— Milou Neelen, Founder of Hôtel Magique
