The Culture of Music and Hotels Legends, Lore, and Infamy
Welcome to Part One of our four-part series exploring the deep, ever-evolving relationship between music and hospitality. At Giant Step, we've spent over 25 years shaping how brands use music to craft identity, create experiences, and connect meaningfully with audiences. This series blends our unique perspective and experience with exclusive insights from leading voices across hospitality, music, and design—offering both a historical lens and a forward-looking view. It’s not a report; it’s a conversation we’re proud to start. We’ll be sharing one installment each week, and we invite you to read, reflect, and pass it along to colleagues and fellow culture-shapers. Feedback, thoughts, and fresh ideas are always welcome.
Our Contributors
in Alphabetical Order
Dan Agne
Founder/President of Sound Investment, an audio-visual design company specializing in hospitality and nightlife.
Serge Becker
Creative director/nightlife impresario, known for shaping cultural hotspots like La Esquina, Miss Lilly’s, The Box, Area, and Joe's Pub.
Ally Berkowitz
President, Lifestyle at PURPLE PR
Eduardo Castillo
Co-Founder Habitas / WNDRFL
Pablo Henderson
President + CMO, Spherical, an agency for inspired hospitality experiences.
Michaelangelo L'Acqua Global Entertainment Director Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Liz Lambert
Partner at Lambert McGuire Design, partner at MML Hospitality, and founder of Bunkhouse Group
Ben Pundole
Founder of the travel platform A Hotel Life, Ben has been VP of Brand Experience at EDITION Hotels and Executive VP at PUBLIC Hotels, as well as for launching the Stay Plastic Free sustainability initiative.
Frank Roberts
Vice President of Brand Experience, EDITION & W Hotels
Mark Ronson
Multi Grammy and Oscar-winning producer, musician and DJ, has worked with artists like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, and Bruno Mars.
Tommy Saleh
Co-Founder, Curated Saga, Cultural Programming Agency; formerly VP GrandLife Hotels.
Ian Schrager
Founder of Ian Schrager Company, is renowned for Studio 54 and pioneering the boutique hotel design with iconic projects like Morgans Hotel Group, the EDITION Hotels and PUBLIC.
Ryan Scott Smith
VP of Brand at MML Hospitality
Stephane Vacher
Global Head of Experience & Environment Curation, The Lifestyle Group, Hyatt
Andrew Wintner
Founder & CEO, Cassette (a sensory branding agency that combines music expertise).
The role of music in the hospitality industry has been inextricably intertwined for centuries – from traveling minstrels at medieval European inns to the legendary performances hosted in the grand ballrooms of iconic hotels. This relationship continues to evolve alongside the music and hotel industries themselves.
Today, music continues to infuse the guest experience, and few do it better than our favorite hotels. From orchestras at luxury hotels to the carefully curated soundtracks of boutique properties, music plays a pivotal role in reinforcing brand identity and even drives revenue. As hotels continue to innovate, music unlocks unique experiences, transforming spaces and evoking emotions that linger far beyond checkout.
We spoke with giants of both the music and hotel industries to explore the rich history, evolution, and modern-day impact of music on the hotel experience.
A hotel should be more than just a place to sleep; it’s a canvas for culture, a muse for creativity, a gathering space, a source of inspiration.
Stephane Vacher
Throughout history, there were the hotels that were able to transcend their role as mere accommodations, becoming legendary cultural hubs where music, art, and rebellion intertwined. These establishments were more than just places to rest; they were incubators of creativity, playgrounds for mischief, and sometimes the scenes of infamous tales that became part of music history. Over time, they became vessels for cultural movements to take root and make their way into popular culture, a canvas for music, art, and community to bring to life.
At The Chelsea Hotel, the likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Dee Dee Ramone all drew artistic fuel from its rooms, and the hotel was also a temporary home for legends like Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Iggy Pop. The Chelsea operated less like a hotel and more like a charged cultural engine; here writers, musicians, and misfits collided in bursts of inspiration and volatility. It stood as a crucible of creative friction, a place where brilliance and breakdown often shared the same floor.
The Early Years
Hospitality was clearly defined by functionality and formality by the 19th and early 20th centuries. Boston’s Tremont House (1829) and the Statler and Hilton chains' pioneering innovations in service and standardization lay the groundwork for modern and scalable hotel operations. These early empires, particularly Hilton (founded in 1919) reflected the rise of corporate luxury, but truly refined indulgence would not emerge until The Waldorf Astoria hosted jazz luminaries, embedding itself into the cultural fabric of New York. Its uptown cousin, The Carlyle, quietly built a legacy of its own, transforming its Café Carlyle into a sophisticated sanctuary for cabaret and jazz, famously featuring Woody Allen’s regular clarinet performances. These venues hinted at music’s potential power in hospitality, not as entertainment, but as identity – a tool for culture and branding that had been largely overlooked.
Perhaps the most storied example of this intersection is The Chelsea Hotel in New York. Built in 1884 as a utopian cooperative, it would become a haven for creatives following the second World War, when New York overtook Paris as the epicenter of modern art and literature. The postwar economic downturn made the Chelsea’s relatively affordable rooms attractive to struggling artists - the Beats in the ’50s, folk musicians in the ’60s, and punk rockers in the ’70s, becoming a natural home for the city’s growing bohemian culture.
The Chelsea became most known as an icon of the countercultural movements of the time, rejecting mainstream values as a bastion for communal living amongst artists, writers, and musicians. Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen found inspiration within its walls, while Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen’s tragic story cemented its reputation for rock-and-roll excess.
When I was growing up, I fetishised New York City. It was the land of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, it was where Leonard Cohen wrote 'Chelsea Hotel', it was CBGBs and all the punk rock clubs. Artists and musicians lived there, and
it was cheap and dangerous.
Moby
A living, breathing, creative ecosystem where artists exchanged ideas, wrote songs, and sometimes, burned out in spectacular fashion. The Chelsea wasn’t just a hotel, it was a melting pot of talent and rebellion and a microcosm of radical expression that embraced feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-establishment activism, rejecting the status quo, conventional culture, and the Vietnam War.
Across the Atlantic, John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous "Bed-In for Peace" in 1969 turning the Amsterdam Hilton into a similar symbol of rebellion and the hotel from a mere backdrop into an active participant in the cultural conversation.
The hotel's primary role is to provide a platform and cultivate community. What happens as a byproduct is merely the benefit of partnering with the right people at the right time.
Pablo Henderson
In Los Angeles, the Sunset Marquis emerged as the rock star retreat. Frequented by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, and U2, its bungalows and hidden recording studio provided artists with a place to create, unwind, and, in some cases, descend into legendary debauchery. The hotel became synonymous with the excesses of rock and roll, and also with the creation of some of the most iconic albums of the era while just to the east, The Hyatt House, aka “The Riot House” (as it came to be known), had Keith Moon, of The Who, riding motorcycles through the lobby and jettisoning trays of food from windows onto cop cars below.
While iconic properties like The Chelsea, Hilton Amsterdam, and The Sunset Marquis served as magnetic outliers and spaces where counterculture could temporarily thrive, these were the exceptions, not the norm. For most traveling artists, bands, and creatives, hotel life was far more utilitarian. Tour stops often meant generic stays in Holiday Inns or similarly sterile chain hotels, where uniformity and predictability replaced personality. These spaces lacked intention, cultural context, or any real sense of place. They were functional but uninspiring, serving basic needs without feeding creative ones. Outside of a few pockets of rebellious glamour, the hotel industry remained largely untouched by the cultural shifts unfolding in music, art, and identity.
The Hyatt House aka “The Riot House,” as it came to be known, had Keith Moon of The Who driving motorcycles through the lobby and trays of food jettisoned from windows onto cop cars below.
But this was about to change. As the 1980s arrived, a new kind of hospitality emerged—one that prioritized individuality, emotion, and atmosphere. This landscape set the scene for the boutique hotel; it wasn’t just a response to stale design or poor service; it was a response to a world hungry for experiences that felt real, rooted, and resonant.
1980’s
The rise of the boutique hotel
The rise of boutique hotels would disrupt the dominance of large, uniform chains. While the first boutique hotel is debated—some cite Anoushka Hempel’s Blakes in London (1978), while others point to Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell’s properties in New York, or Bill Kimpton’s in San Francisco—the movement as a whole introduced individuality, personalized service, and a strong sense of place. Travelers increasingly sought unique, immersive experiences over predictable accommodations, leading boutique hotels to emphasize bold design, local culture, and exclusivity, reflecting broader consumer trends of the decade.
In the 1960s and ’70s, hotel music was largely background noise: soft jazz, easy listening, or intentionally bland for a broad audience. Boutique hotels, however, embraced music as a defining element of their identity. Schrager and Rubell drew from their Studio 54 legacy, curating soundscapes that transformed lobbies and lounges into dynamic social spaces, blending emerging electronic music, new wave, and underground club sounds. Elsewhere, boutique properties tapped into local scenes, featuring live performances or playlists that reflected their cultural surroundings. Boutique hotels redefine hospitality through these authentic, intimate atmospheres that would foster deeper guest engagement and community integration. Their success pushed major hotel chains to adopt lifestyle brands, such as Marriott’s Autograph Collection, to capture the boutique ethos while maintaining corporate scale.
1990’s
sound as brand identity
As the boutique hotel movement gained momentum in the late 20th century, properties like the Delano in Miami, Hotel Costes in Paris, and W Hotels would revolutionize the role of music in hospitality and redefine luxury. A notable example of this transformation was Tommy Saleh’s The Grand Life platform, originally launched under Grand Hospitality (for The Soho and Tribeca Grand Hotels in New York), which seamlessly wove emerging music, fashion, and downtown culture into the fabric of these hotels.
The creatives loved the space and the design, and SoHo Grand attracted all the right crowds, from Alexander McQueen to Kate Moss and crew, Justice, Peaches, LCD SoundSystem, 2 Many DJS (Soulwax), Erol Alkan from London, Miss Kitten and Felix Da House Cat.
Tommy Saleh
Ian Schrager, the visionary behind the Delano in South Beach, understood that a hotel’s allure extended beyond aesthetics—he knew it was about creating an experience. Partnering with designer Philippe Starck, he infused the hotel with an air of exclusivity and artistic provocation where music wasn’t just a backdrop but a defining element of its identity. This fusion of design and sound turned the hotel into a cultural hub and a magnet for celebrities like Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lenny Kravitz, and the avant-garde, setting a new benchmark for immersive, music-driven atmospheres.
Music has been a huge inspiration for the hotels I’ve worked on in the past 30 years. It brings people together, democratizes the audience, and elevates spirits.
Ben Pundole
Hotel Costes took this concept even further, pioneering the idea of a signature hotel sound characterized by a blend of warm, soothing voices, funk, jazzy, and pop-laced grooves, often mixing electronic sounds. Its carefully curated, lounge-inspired compilations transcended the physical space, transforming music into an extension of the hotel’s brand. The effect was profound: guests didn’t just remember their stay—they felt it, carried it with them, re-living it through their signature sound.
What began as an experiment in boutique properties soon became an industry-wide paradigm shift. Signature hotel sounds quickly went from niche indulgence to fundamental branding tools that would reinforce identity and shape guest perception.
Music, which moves and inspires us all so much, is an incredibly important part of the brand and is just as much a part of creating a hotel as design and every other aspect of branding
Ian Schrager
2000’s
from passive backdrops
to active participants
As the 21st century dawned, the relationship between music and hotels deepened, evolving from curated soundtracks into immersive, experience-driven hospitality. Streaming technology and shifting guest expectations would continue to redefine the relationship between music and hospitality, pushing hotels to craft ever more sophisticated sonic identities—ones that don’t just accompany a stay but define it. Boutique hotels drew more than musicians, appealing to a creative sensibility that sought more than just a place to stay.
The San Jose was meant to be a musician’s hotel in my mind from the start. All of my projects kind of center around music and musicians. It’s a huge part of my life and my community, sitting around the fire while friends pass the guitar.
Liz Lambert
Liz Lambert’s Hotel San José in Austin embodied this shift. Originally a 1930s motor court, the property fell into a state of disrepair by the 1990s. In 1994, Lambert, a former prosecutor, purchased the motel and transformed it into a bohemian retreat where live music, art, and community thrived. Situated in the heart of a city synonymous with live music, the hotel cultivated an atmosphere where artists felt at home, hosting intimate performances and fostering connections between guests and local musicians.
Music is key to guest experience . It’s harmonious with concept & space, music seals the deal. Sort of a certificate of authenticity.
Ryan Scott Smith
At the same time, The Standard Hotels were redefining nightlife within hospitality, particularly with the opening of Le Bain at The Standard, High Line in New York. This rooftop club, with its dance floor and plunge pool, became an epicenter for DJ culture and electronic music, bridging the worlds of hospitality and nightlife. Le Bain's irreverent, authentic, and progressive approach to music highlighted cutting-edge DJs like Tony Humphries, Dmitri From Paris, Gilles Peterson, and Louie Vega. These artists all chose to perform at Le Bain over more traditional dance clubs. This reinforced the notion that hotels could be as much about a real cultural experience as it was about luxury or convenience.
Meanwhile, Ace Hotels grew into a powerhouse of indie-cool, turning each of its properties into a reflection of its surrounding creative community. With locations in music-rich cities like Seattle, Portland, and later New York, London, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, Ace fostered a DIY ethos that welcomed musicians, artists, and performers. The hotel lobbies functioned as social spaces, often featuring live sets, record collections, and collaborations with local venues. The brand’s integration of music wasn’t just aesthetic—it was fundamental to its identity, creating a sense of place where guests and locals could engage with the city’s creative pulse.
This era saw hotels continue their transition from passive backdrops to active participants in the music scene, blurring the lines between hospitality, nightlife, and artistic expression. Whether through intimate courtyard performances at Hotel San José, all-night sets from world-class DJs at Le Bain, or the indie-rock energy coursing through Ace Hotels, music became an essential thread in the fabric of these spaces. The early 2000s cemented the idea that hotels were no longer just places to rest but destinations where culture was created, experienced, and celebrated.
21ST Century
Amplifying The Sound
As the 21st century progressed, new brands like EDITION Hotels, spearheaded by Ian Schrager in collaboration with Marriott, epitomized the seamless blend of luxury with a highly curated music scene. The Times Square EDITION's launch featured performances by Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, Questlove, Charli XCX, Sofi Tukker, Seth Troxler and Francis and the Lights. Similarly, the West Hollywood EDITION launch featured Janelle Monáe and Chaka Khan, Tampa EDITION went all in with Lenny Kravitz, Slick Rick, Mark Ronson, D-Nice & Q-Tip. Giant Step curated and produced these landmark events, showcasing the brand's commitment to integrating music deeply into the guest experience.
In 2019 we opened the Times Square EDITION. I will never forget the feeling in the room, wall to wall of New York’s who’s who , notables and celebrities, all colors, ages, persuasions going crazy. I looked across the room and Ian (Schrager) was also standing on a banquet when we caught each other's eye. We knew it was a special moment in Music and hotel history!
Ben Pundole
Moxy Hotels redefined the budget-conscious boutique space by infusing it with high-energy social programming and music-driven events. Their lobbies doubled as performance spaces, hosting events like the Bar Moxy DJ Series in Chicago , Live Vibes DJ Series in Washington, DC , and Moxy Art Jam in Amsterdam . These events fostered a vibrant, communal spirit, highlighting a broader shift where hotels no longer just curated playlists, but created spaces fostering connection.
The Hoxton brand built on this philosophy, integrating music deeply into its identity by collaborating with local artists, hosting listening sessions, and curating dynamic social spaces that reflected the creative pulse of each city it inhabited. In many ways, The Hoxton mirrored the ethos of a vinyl record store—offering guests an insider’s perspective on the local music scene while encouraging a sense of discovery. This approach reinforced the idea that a hotel’s connection to music served as a bridge between guests and the cultural heartbeat of a destination.
PUBLIC, another Schrager concept, took the convergence of hospitality and music a step further, building its brand around high-energy, immersive nightlife experiences. With its ever-changing lineup of live performances, cutting-edge DJ sets, and a commitment to attracting trendsetters, PUBLIC blurred the line between hotel and entertainment venue. Spaces like PUBLIC’s rooftop and their ArtSpace basement club became destinations in themselves, proving that the modern hotel was no longer just a backdrop for music—it was the stage.
The music signaled a future where these hotels weren’t just passive hosts to culture. Hospitality brands had become active participants by shaping and amplifying the soundscape of the 21st century.
Download our Key Take Aways from Part I
Citations
Part 1
The Culture of Music and Hotels: Legends, Lore, and Infamy:
Service95. (n.d.). The Chelsea Hotel: A Desperate Haven for New York’s Creatives. https://www.service95.com/the-chelsea-hotel-a-desperate-haven-for-new-yorks-creatives
Skift. (n.d.). A Brief History of Boutique Hotels. https://skift.com/history-of-boutique-hotels/
InsideHook. (n.d.). How Ian Schrager Became the King of NYC. https://www.insidehook.com/culture-newyork/how-ian-schrager-became-the-king-of-nyc
Business of Fashion. (n.d.). Hotels Are Fashion’s Most In-Demand Partner. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/marketing-pr/hotels-fashion-most-in-demand-partner/
Vanity Fair. (2013). Chelsea Hotel Oral History. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/chelsea-hotel-oral-history
Sunset Marquis. (n.d.). Hotel History. https://sunsetmarquis.com/about-west-hollywood-hotel/history/
Rolling Stone. (n.d.). Sunset Marquis at 50. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50th-anniversary-of-the-sunset-marquis-12045/bob-marley-10-229463/
Carlyle Hotel. (n.d.). Press Kit: History of The Carlyle.
Always at The Carlyle. (2018). [Film].
Waldorf Astoria. (n.d.). History. https://www.waldorftowers.nyc/en/history/
Waldorf Astoria. (n.d.). Hotel Story. https://www.waldorfastorianewyork.com/hotel-story/
IEEE Xplore. (n.d.). 7 Things You Never Knew About the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6536347
Wonderlust. (n.d.). Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel New York. https://wonderlusttravel.com/ian-schrager-public-hotel-new-york
Waldorf Stories. (n.d.). The Hiltons. https://www.waldorfstories.com/stories/the-hiltons
Ian Schrager Company. (n.d.). About Us. https://www.ianschragercompany.com/company
A Hotel Life. (n.d.). Ian Schrager Profile. https://www.ahotellife.com/ian-schrager/
Giant Step interview with Stephane Vacher, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Pablo Henderson, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Tommy Saleh, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Ben Pundole, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Ian Schrager, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Liz Lambert, March, 2025
Giant Step interview with Ryan Scott Smith, March, 2025
21st century (beyond 2000)
Giant Step. (n.d.). Edition Hotels – Giant Step history archive. Retrieved April 14, 2025, from https://www.giantstep.net/history/photo-archive/gallery/edition-93azl
Skift. (2017). Interview: Ian Schrager on the Next Generation of Boutique Hotels. https://skift.com/2017/06/12/interview-ian-schrager-on-the-next-generation-of-boutique-hotels/
"Renaissance Hotels' Signature Global Music Experience Kicks Off Its Sixth Year." PR Newswire, 22 Apr. 2015, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renaissance-hotels-signature-global-music-experience-kicks-off-its-sixth-year-300063806.html.
Bunkhouse Hotels. (n.d.). History of Hotel San José. https://www.bunkhousehotels.com/hotel-san-jose/hotel/historyTexas Standard+3Bunkhouse Group+3Bunkhouse Group+3
Le Bain. (n.d.). About. https://www.lebainnewyork.com/lebainnewyork.com+1Time Out Worldwide+1
Texas Standard. (2021, March 16). Liz Lambert’s Hotel Helped Gentrify Austin’s South Congress. In A New Documentary, She Looks Back. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/liz-lamberts-hotel-helped-gentrify-austins-south-congress-in-a-new-documentary-she-looks-back/​:contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}
Time Out New York. (2018, November 28). Le Bain. https://www.timeout.com/newyork/bars/le-bain​:contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}
Kinfolk. (n.d.). Hotel San José. https://www.kinfolk.com/stories/hotel-san-jose/​:contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}
Giant Step Marketing. "EDITION Hotels." https://www.giantstep.net/history/photo-archive/gallery/edition-93azlGIANT STEP MARKETING
Moxy Hotels. "Bar Moxy DJ Series." https://moxy-hotels.marriott.com/events/bar-moxy-dj-series/Moxy Hotels+1Moxy Hotels+1
Moxy Hotels. "Live Vibes DJ Series." https://moxy-hotels.marriott.com/events/live-vibes-dj-series/Moxy Hotels
Moxy Hotels. "Moxy Art Jam Featuring Live DJ Beats." https://moxy-hotels.marriott.com/events/moxy-art-jam-featuring-live-dj-beats/Moxy Hotels+1Moxy Hotels+1