A trip to Quirk Hotel in Virginia | A dream trip finally comes true!

Travel and photography are two of my absolute favorite things – I get to experience something new while helping a brand flourish + connect! I feel like there is so much more to a hotel or airbnb than just the way the rooms make us feel comfortable and safe; it’s the feeling and the opportunities you have while you’re there! Enjoy my trip to Quirk Hotel in Virginia!

Leading up to the trip!

For years I’ve dreamt of traveling to Quirk Hotel. When I was a wedding + engagement photographer, I had visions of photographing a couple in the lobby. The way the light pours into the space, the design concepts, the local art they have one display – it’s quite magical! As I pivoted and changed my focus to brand photography, the idea of bringing clients into that space or traveling to capture a business owner there kind of disappeared. Not because it wasn’t a beautiful space but more so that it doesn’t fit everyones brand. Over the past year, I’ve added lifestyle brand photography for airbnbs to my portfolio so I immediately thought of visiting Quirk Hotel in Charlottesville, VA! I’m excited to share with you my experience!

A little of my process …

When I plan for a content creation trip like this, I think of a few things! I research what the hotel or airbnb already has as far as imagery, I ask their marketing team what they’d like to see more of, and then I strategically plan how to make it all happen!

Quirk Hotel has two locations; one in Richmond and then this one in Charlottesville! The Richmond location is the original and then in 2020 they opened the Charlottesville location. With that, they are still building their reputation and learning how to connect with their ideal audience.

You’ll notice a furry friend in my photos and that is Shaylee, my sweet pup. One of the biggest perks of Quirk Hotel is that they are pet friendly and boy did she have a good time! I feel like she felt a little too comfortable, hehe!

A few goals of mine …

Aside from getting imagery of the overall space, I wanted to showcase the opportunities and amenities that the hotel has to provide! Inside the hotel, there is an art gallery, a boutique to shop all the local art as well as collaborations, a rooftop bar, Quirk Cafe, and so much more!

One of my biggest goals as a photographer is to show the difference between commercial and artistic photography. I feel like the immediate need is always to get professional commercial photos for the website but once you have those, I feel like putting a human touch is essential to connect with their future guests. Sometimes I bring in models to be in the imagery but for this trip, I stepped in and gave that human touch to these lifestyle brand photographs!

And to wrap things up, I want to do a little local feature!

On my final morning, I decided to venture to a coffee shop right around the corner called Lone Light Coffee Co! Lone Light is located on a side street off of the Pedestrian Mall – a historic outdoor local shop mall. When you visit, be sure to check out their beans and merchandise. It’s a cute and cozy space to get some work done too!

This was such a fun trip to Quirk Hotel in Virginia! As always, such a pleasure to take time away and travel to new & familiar places! If you like this blog post, be sure to share it with a friend! And if you’re an Airbnb or hotel that is looking for something like this, I’d love to talk more with you. I’d love to feature your welcoming space too!