Galleries > Interiors

Interior Hotel Photography

HOTEL: Drury Inn and Suites

LOCATION: Flagstaff, Arizona

SUBJECT: Newly Opened Lobby

These are the tough ones - shooting busy lobbies or public areas in hotels in the middle of the afternoon. This beautiful interior - a mix of western comfort and modern convenience - was best photographed in the daytime. To do this, our biggest challenge was to politely wait for, cajole, beg, and bribe the guests that had checked into the Drury Inn and Suites in Flagstaff.

These are touchy matters. Paying customers should not be herded like cattle, but time is money. It was up to me to "nudge" the guests to places other than the real estate covered by my lens. I waited for five minutes for three groups to check in. After that, a sweet lady took a seat front and center in front of my camera. I asked her if she was aware that the Manager's Reception had just started on the second level - Drury's enormously popular version of happy hour. She smiled at me and was on her way! Another man sat in the back corner near the small window, and promptly opened a USA Today. When I approached, a picture on the front page made me aware the paper was yesterday's. I told him there were current papers on the second level - God bless the Manager's Reception.

The lobby was shot in zones, with multiple exposures and flash pops, as we worked around the guest in the busy lobby. Again, our lighting abilities allowed us to retain detail in the light cream walls, but brought out details in the darker wood grain floor.

Manager's Reception anyone?