World’s first Instagram hotel launches in Sydney

It seems that no holiday is complete these days without a live stream of sun-drenched, poolside photos popping up on social media to torment those of us left back at home.

Capitalising on this trend, the world’s first Instagram hotel has opened its doors in Sydney, Australia. The $140-per-night establishment is offering a free overnight stay to users of the image-sharing site who have over 10,000 followers.

The reception of 1888 Hotel, which is named after the first Kodak box and roll camera, features a ‘selfie’ area and a huge digital photo frame displaying a changing selection of guest’s pictures. The hotel has apparently been designed to offer the perfect angles for Instagram photos and provides iPads in every room, encouraging guests to take and upload pictures of the hotel at every opportunity.

This latest social media-based holiday experience follows hot on the heels of the world’s first Twitter-themed hotel, which was launched in Mallorca earlier this year.

Paul Fischman, CEO of the 8Hotels Group who own 1888 Hotel, explained:

“There has always been a strong, intrinsic link between travel and photography. But the advent of social media and Instagram has made photo-sharing an even bigger part of the traveller’s experience.

 “People not only want to visit and stay in beautiful places, they also want to capture and share it with their friends and networks as it happens.”