World’s First ‘Instagram Hotel’ Gives a Free Night’s Stay to Anyone with 10K+ Followers

1888hotel

If you’re an Instagram junkie who can’t go a day or even an hour without posting something to the massive photo network, and you’re planning on going to Australia sometime in the near future, then do we ever have the hotel for you.

The 1888 Hotel in Sydney has so embraced the Instagram culture that they’re even willing to give away free nights to Instagrammers who prove themselves worthy.

You’ll notice the Instagram integration as soon as you walk into the 1888 Hotel, and not just because they’ve taken great care making sure every inch of the hotel is… what’s the technical term… photogenic as crap.

1888hotel1

No, it’s not just the light-filled five-story atrium, or the recycled timber desks in the rooms, or even the beautifully restored wool store — which was built in (you guessed it) 1888 — that the hotel calls home that makes this the self-dubbed world’s first “Instagram Hotel.”

What does are the two screens in the reception area constantly updating with the newest photos posted with the hashtag #1888hotel, the “selfie-space” where guests can pose for photos behind a special frame and the Instagram photo walk maps (Insta-walk maps) available at the concierge.

And if that’s not enough, any Instagrammer with over 10,000 followers gets a free night’s stay, as does the guest who snapped the best Instagram photo during their stay that month.

1888hotel2

“So many people are on Instagram and so many people love taking photos and sharing them… so we thought we’d play on that a little bit with things like the ‘selfie space’ and the monthly competitions,” CEO Paul Fischmann tells CNN.

“What’s been fun is following the people who have started following us. There are actually a lot of people with a lot more than 10,000 followers — we had a guy here who had 650,000 followers, and he took a photo in the selfie space and had 35,000 likes. It’s amazing to think about the reach of it and it’s fun to watch.”

1888hotel3

But they’re not just doing it because it’s fun, it’s also working for them. Fischmann says people have “really embraced” the boutique hotel’s Instagram theme.

As to what’s next, he’s confident they can keep expanding on the idea, “Photography-based social media is something we can build on,” says Fischmann. “We had all sorts of ideas, such as having photo booths in the lobby and things like that, so there are definitely ways we can continue it on.”

To learn more or, for you prolific Instagrammers, book your free night’s stay, head over to the hotel’s website by clicking here.

Discussion