A Letter from the Editor, Writer, Whatever…
Hola hola,
Or at least that’s how I’ve been greeting everyone I see in the small coastal town in Mexico that I’ve been calling home over the past six months.
This is the first of three launch letters for the Newsletter, a digital property that I’ve created in order to have a singular space to share the writing and other creative work that I’m making for multiple publications and with various artists and brands, to share opportunities such as grants and creative work with my readers, and to be less beholden to the pitching process.
The Feature for this first newsletter is an exclusive interview with Margaret of A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour, an aesthetic and travel-focused Instagram account that I personally can not wait to see become a hardcover TASCHEN book sooner or later.
Image Courtesy of: A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour
The focus of our chat was largely inspiration and space, which feels like great places to start.
*While this content is not dedicated or sponsored (terms commonly used in publishing to refer to advertisements in the forms of articles) some links may be tied to affiliates, meaning that I will make a small commission to sustain this work from associated purchases. Thank you.
An Interview w/ the Mind Behind A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour
Something that I find striking about A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour is how, through travel & image-making, you’re able to literally make life look the way you want it to. How did the idea come about, & was there an aesthetic you already had in mind, or do the places you travel to shape what the digital space becomes?
M: It’s funny that you say that because a lot of these places are pretty run down but I guess you could say my photography style tries to focus on the beauty! The travel has definitely shaped the digital space. I started on the journey to find love hotels & theme hotels, not really knowing what was out there, so as I go to more of them, I get a better & better idea of what Fantasy Suites are & what they’re capable of!
Would you say there’s a big difference between what we see as viewers & what you experience when creating visuals for A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour?
M: One of the reasons we do both the YouTube episodes & the Instagram page is they both show different aspects of these places. The photos are meant to capture more of the dreamy & the “fantasy”, & the episodes might show more of the run-down room & the funny experience these places can be. The photos definitely don’t reveal just how strange & hilarious an old theme hotel can be!
With travel restrictions & changes in the world/country at large, have your methods &/or motivations for creating changed?
M: We scaled down what we were hoping to cover this year pretty significantly so we could figure out a safer way to travel. We’re avoiding flying & we’re sticking to self-guided tours for now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to still go to some that seem on the safer side! I think the project was born out of a desire to explore the idea of a Fantasy [Suite], & now more than ever I want to dig into that. We all need some escape from reality…
How difficult was it to secure guided tours before? Were hotels welcoming of the idea? I know there's some animosity between creators in the travel space & the travel industry (remember the open letter to "travel bloggers"?)
M: Oh yes, it can be a tricky relationship. It can be very difficult to get a guided tour & totally depends on the place. Because a lot of these places are older, they might not even understand the benefit to being on social media at all. So sometimes they just didn't have any online presence & didn't understand why I wanted to give them "content". Other times people just didn't have interest in people doing a feature on the hotel. The lucky ones have been because of someone who worked at the place that's just kind & interested in helping people learn more!
Image Courtesy of: A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour
I’ve been traveling & reconsidering a move lately, but have felt a little guilt about those who, for whatever reasons... don’t have the option to choose differently. Is that something that concerns you when you do what you do for A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour?
M: I definitely feel that. Of course, it’s a huge privilege to travel at all & get to have the capacity to make this project, but one of my favorite aspects of it is that it offers a more accessible way to travel than say, going to Europe or a fancy resort. Another reason I wanted to start this project was I wanted to find places that felt like an exciting escape that I didn’t have to fly to. I love that these places are all over the country & are relatively cheap compared to fancy, 5-star hotels, so you might not have the means to travel out of the country for an anniversary or special celebration, but you might be able to save up for a night at a Fantasy [Suite] in your own state or city! My goal is to find these places in all 50 states so I can share a map of places anyone could get to in their area.
Do you have a background or interest in interiors & architecture that contribute to your appreciation of the spaces that you choose to feature?
M: I don’t have any background in interiors or architecture but I think my love for photography shaped the ways I look for new types of spaces. These places really inspired me in so many ways that now they’re having an impact on my own design taste! I’m doing my first design project right now for some friends in Palm Springs who wanted some help adding Fantasy to their rooms & it’s been a super fun way to try my hand at a new set of skills.
Can you tell me more about the Palm Springs project?
M: The Palm Springs house is coming along! I'm really just figuring out how to translate "fantasy" in an approachable way, and in a way that doesn't cost a fortune so we can stay within their budget. I think it's going to be a super fun way of showing people what they can do to transform their own space, but also an exciting place for people to stay when they visit Palm Springs! I have high hopes & am excited to see it continue coming together!
Who or what inspires you visually? (anyone or anything from other IG accounts, to travel mags, or even designers)?
M: There are a couple of fashion designers I’ve been incredibly inspired by lately. One is Selkie, everything she makes is an absolute dream & really fits into my Fantasy interests. Another one is Lirika Matoshi who makes pieces that are just works of art! I love seeing what she comes up with. Other than that I’m listening to a lot of Christine & the Queens, & Avril Lavigne so that’s where my brain is right now.
Are there any photographers whose styles inspired you in conceiving APCHT?
M: I love Juno Calypso & her work from Cove Haven is how I first found that place. I had loved those photos for a long time before I thought to look up if that place actually existed. Once I realized it did I booked our first trip out there!! Her approach is much more fantastical & mysterious but it's inspiring & beautiful.
Image Courtesy of: A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour
Do you consider what you do to be an artistic practice?
M: Absolutely. This is the biggest project I’ve ever taken on & while it’s been a ton of work it’s also stretched me in so many ways I’ll always be grateful for. These places really force you to see yourself in a new light & put you into a really specific mindset. Something about the mirrors & the lighting & decor invites you in to explore hidden parts of you. I love exploring these rooms but also love how they push me to explore myself.
Is there a particular reason you decided on Instagram as a medium as opposed to say, distributing your images as prints or postcards?
M: Instagram just makes sharing so easy, & because this isn’t my day job, I don’t have a ton of time to put these images into the format I might prefer. I’ve just started selling prints & I think I’ll continue to add to that library, but otherwise, I love the fact that on Instagram there’s not a whole lot of other work I have to do to share the project. I have a love-hate relationship with Instagram, just like a lot of other creatives I know, but I can’t deny the simplicity it brings to sharing.
Recommended:
Reading
These interviews with Cardi B (who was interviewed for the legendary Interview, by an equally legendary Mariah Carey) and Hunter Schafer (who produced the Jules episode in the latest installment of Euphoria) were on my personal reading list this week. Check them out if you want to know a little more about what’s on the mind of a couple of people working across the spectrum of creativity.
Viewing
In 1985, Dave Swindell got his start shooting nightlife portraits for i-D Magazine & almost instantly became the editor for Time Out, where he would remain until 2009. Sometime in between, he would travel to Ibiza to shoot the scene in clubs like Amnesia. These images have been collected in the newly published, Ibiza ‘89.
Read about it here, via i-D.
Work
While the Newsletter is still very much on its way to becoming what it will be, one thing is for sure, the inspiration it provides will be beyond the scope of text, interviews, or content… it’ll be actionable. One of the ways that the Newsletter will do this is through a dedicated job board with work from across the creative and arts worlds. There will be a preview in the first two of the launch week newsletters, and a full job board to go out as the last installment; for paid subscribers only.
For Letter 1, we have,