A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks.

• SOURCES:
  • Melanie Kettring, director of studio design at Best Western Hotels.
  • Jessica Poundstone, visual artist. 
  • Gavi Wolf, founder and C.E.O. of Indiewalls.

• RESOURCES:
  • Indiewalls.
  • Best Western.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Used Hotel Soaps," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2023).
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," series by Freakonomics Radio (2021).