Stand in any vaguely photogenic spot these days on holiday and the chances are you will come across people posing with raised phones and even ring lights. Some may be influencers with huge audiences on social media, others just overkeen Instagram users. With hotels and beauty spots now so overrun, however, bans on photography are coming into place.
The five-star Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, known for its glamorous clientele, views of the Côte d’Azur and a stunning infinity pool, has brought in rules against photoshoots: no longer allowed without prior permission. According to reports, this has been prompted by people booking lunch reservations and bringing bags of clothing and jewellery. Instead of sitting down to eat, they have used their time at the hotel for photoshoots of themselves in different outfits, creating images to post to their social media accounts.
Less glamorous spots are also clamping down. The Hollies, a Cheshire farm shop which has become a popular content stop thanks to the Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague posting images from there, has banned photography and filming between 10am and 4pm. Meanwhile Jeremy King, the London restaurateur behind places such as Simpson’s in the Strand and the Park, wrote an article in the Evening Standard earlier this year titled: “I’m fed up with influencers over-running my restaurant – enough is enough.” In the US, a shop on Nantucket, an island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, went viral earlier this year for a sign reading “no influencers”, while the town of Pomfret in Vermont has banned influencers taking pictures in front of foliage in autumn.
In Fujikawaguchiko in Japan, a screen has been put up near a convenience store to stop people taking pictures there in front of Mount Fuji. Part of the argument from venues is that these photoshoots jeopardise privacy and discretion, especially as expected at expensive hotels. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc’s manager, Sophie Volant, told Travel Weekly: “As much as [guests] appreciate having people in the restaurants and in the bars, they also want their summer home to remain private.
We had to think about a solution.” Anna Fedou, the chief marketing officer at the Beaumier hotel group, says it sometimes works with influencers to capture content to promote its luxury hotels, which include Les Roches Rouges near Marseille, loved for its photogenic pool. The group does not have specific rules around photography, Fedou says, but stays mindful of its primary purpose. It’s our responsibility to protect that.” Rules around photography at hotels and restaurants mirror a trend away from capturing the moment and towards being in it.
Alex Goat, the founder of the youth culture agency Livity, compares these rules to clubs asking visitors to put stickers over their phones’ cameras. There’s something potentially similar [here],” she says. Sometimes, as with Beaumier hotels, influencers will produce posts in exchange for a free room, but the idea is that brands will want to make deals with influencers due to their association with glamorous locations.
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