Luxury Hotel Bans Mobile Photography Amid Influencer Surge

The renowned Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a storied Riviera resort that has hosted luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and members of the Kennedy and Churchill families, has instituted a ban on mobile phone photography. This decision comes as the hotel has experienced an influx of influencers seeking to capture content for social media platforms.

Wannabe social media stars have been staging photo shoots across the hotel's grounds, restaurants, and pool areas. A particular trend on TikTok has involved influencers filming themselves attempting the hotel's historic rope swing and ladder assault course over the sea.

Sophie Volant, the hotel's manager, stated that the surge in photography was impacting the experience of regular guests. "We had to think about a solution," she told Travel Weekly. "We have a lot of loyal, repeat guests who don't see this hotel as a hotel, they see Hotel du Cap as their summer home."

Volant also noted that some individuals who were not hotel guests were arriving with multiple outfits for extended photo sessions. To address these issues and "preserve the peace and privacy of all our guests," the hotel's website now explicitly states that photo shoots are not permitted, with guests requiring photography arrangements directed to the concierge.

The hotel, where rooms can cost up to £28,000 per night, gained renewed attention from influencers after Sofia Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie, married Elliot Grainge there in 2023. The establishment has long been a symbol of glamour and exclusivity, frequented by notable figures throughout the 20th century.