Lokal Hotel is launching on April 1, but I got a chance to peek inside before then! Ethan (from Lokal) set up a morning shoot for me and Khoi. In between getting style shots for Khoi, I also snuck in a few photos for myself. I couldn’t help it; the interior by Jersey Ice Cream Co was too beautiful!
When I last visited, the stairwell was still in the works. I kinda like it bare. I like the industrial vibe. (Like in this photo from their Instagram.) I mean, for artistic purposes. I completely fell in love with the chicken wire factory window partition by Provenance. Especially with that soft morning glow shining through and around it. #moodygram
Lokal is a boutique hotel. This is the first time I’ve heard of a boutique hotel, but I was telling Kat (my roomie) about it, and she was like, “Oh so it’s like a boutique hotel?” and I was like omg how did you know. So yeah, boutique hotels are a thing.
And another thing I’ve never heard of before is invisible service. Lokal doesn’t have a front desk; each room is equipped with an iPad, from which you can do a bunch of fancy stuff. It’s a truly immersive experience and located right smack in Old City! I love the apartment style, and it would be a total dream if I could really make one of those rooms my apartment! I’m ready to move into Old City.
Also can I just pause to say that Lokal’s marketing team is doing an amazing job? It was so clever of them to open their space for shoots–free publicity, exposure to a wide range of audiences, and all before the place is even done! When I visited, only two of six rooms were completed, but that’s more than enough space for a shoot, and an efficient use of time for the Lokal team. I’m not getting paid for any of this (something that blog readers may be wary of), but I’m just so in love with this space, in love with this city, and in love with all the creative minds that teamed up to make this thing happen. I really do feel a personal connection, and I’m sure that everyone who has experienced this space and/or met the team feels the same, so it’s not like I’m anything special, but I feel it all the same. (This could also just be wishful thinking LOL.) Anywho, Lokal Hotel knows that they have a good thing going on and they’re sharing the beauty and I love all this light (both figuratively and literally–god the natural lighting is beautiful).
It was really nice to do the whole shoot indoors and not have to deal with the biting cold outside. This was my second time shooting with Khoi so I was a little less nervous this time because I had experience shooting with Khoi (just two days prior!) and I didn’t have the jitters about meeting someone new, but I did feel anxious about not being able to capture the beauty I saw with my eyes with my camera. If I were shooting in a public space, I wouldn’t have been so stressed about it, because if the pictures didn’t turn out well, I could always go back to revisit the space and get what I wanted, but I wouldn’t be able to do that with Lokal, especially once they launch and their business starts booming!
But anyways, I think the space stands for itself, and you can see that even with bad photography (although I hope that that’s not what this is, bad photography that is). Is it just me, or do pictures always look yellow-er when you look back on them afterwards during post-processing?? On a happier note, Khoi helped me realise that I have a knack for art directing. I didn’t realise that that was what I was doing until he mentioned it. But it meant so much to me when he did.
If you’ve been keeping up with my photoshoots this year, you might have noticed that one thing I worry about during shoots is that I’m wasting the model’s time. I put this pressure on myself. Before this year, I’ve never gone out to take pictures with the sole goal to take pictures. When I take pictures, it’s usually because I’m going somewhere or doing something. My favourite shots are the candid ones I take when my friends aren’t ready for it. But there’s nothing candid about a photoshoot, although some photography is about posing to make something look candid, which is certainly the kind of thing that I like to do, though lately I’ve been interested in exploring stuff more posed as well. I know that it’s not easy being in front of the camera, so I want to give the model direction, but also give them enough space to find what they’re most comfortable with. With this on my mind, I think it’s natural that I grew into art directing. There’s definitely more for me to work on, but I got all of this from one week of shooting with style blogger models, so I’m excited for what’s to come!
When I saw the United by Blue products, my heart swelled a little. I love seeing Philly businesses collaborate! Also spied some stuff from Art in the Age (which was the place with the letter boards I was making weird faces in front of in my spring break vlog). Also the photos of the hangers was shared on Lokal’s Instagram and I feel like I’ve made it.
I’m excited for the launch party this weekend even though parties and social things in general aren’t scenes I’m usually involved with so I’m a fair bit nervous, but I’m excited to see Lokal all done up, and wouldn’t it be cool to attend a launch party?
139 N 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(267) 702-4345