Testimonials

What people say about Michelle Chaplow and Hotel Essence Photography

Excellent in every respect, the team demonstrated exceptional communication skills, exhibited flexibility in planning, and delivered work of the highest quality that exceeded our expectations.

Nicholas Gaggero, Chief Executive Officer The Rock Hotel Gibraltar

2023

Many thanks Michelle, Absolutely stunning. I so appreciate your artistry! Well done.

Michelle Heston, Executive Regional Director of Public Relations, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

2023

Not only is Michelle Chaplow an expert Hotel photographer but her insights into the industry are evident if you’ve ever been in sessions she leads. I was fortunate to do so at my first conference of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide.

Greg Kavanagh Hospitality consultant

2023

Hi Michelle, The photos are absolutely stunning! Thank you again for all of your hard work

Courtney Hanaway, Marketing Manager, Fairmont San Francisco

2023

Thanks SO much for the images, you are not only a great photographer but super efficient, and generous.

Mary Gostelow, Gostelow Report Online - Sage on Luxury Hotels Worldwide

2023

Thank you and your wonderful team, Michelle. I knew from the very moment we first connected that you were the right choice for us and I am delighted with the final result especially considering how difficult it was to operate in the middle of the opening. The hard work and effort on all sides has paid off. Thank you again

Adriaan Bartels, General Manager, Cashel Palace Hotel,

2022

Thank you Michelle! We absolutely love the images. We are so proud to add them to the website and to now share your hard work, and this beautiful hotel, with the wider world. Please convey our appreciation and thanks to Chris, Allan and Marcos too.

Karen Fleming, Director of Sales, Cashel Palace Hotel

2022

Michelle and her Hotel Essence Photography team´s work is absolutely impeccable. Thank you for going above and beyond !!!

Antonio Bignone, Managing Director & Co-Founder Serras Collection

2021

You do a beautiful job capturing the spirit of a place!

Louise Meyer, Head of Strategic Accounts at Leonardo Worldwide Corporation

2021

We selected Hotel Essence Photography for our hotel photoshoot based on the quality pictures on her website and social media platforms. Michelle did not disappoint us. She came with her team this past summer for two weeks. We scheduled 21 spaces and food photography in the 10 days of the shoot. She and her team worked countless hours, sometimes well into the night, to complete the assignment and did it with grace. The result is amazing. We already received comments from our guests saying they choose our hotel because of the photography on our website. I could have not expected better results. Thank you Michelle for all your hard work. Hope to plan the rest of the hotel soon.

Marilyne Bouteiller, Director of Sales and Marketing, St James Hotel, Redwing, MN, USA

2020

Dear Michelle, The photographs you took of my new Azerai in Luang Prabang are more than beautiful. Thank you for investing your time and talent to make me proud. All the best.

Adrian Zecha, Founder of Aman and Azerai Hotels, Singapore.

2019

Michelle. You are the best. Thank you for making our hotel guest rooms and public areas jump off the page. We get more and more positive comments on our web site photos.

John Porter Proprietor Benbow Historic Inn California, United States.

2018

We did a photo shoot recently in PGA Catalunya Resort and chose Michelle and her team to shoot our new La Vida hotel because of her style and professionalism most of all. We were launching a new hotel concept and needed the photos to speak the simplicity and elegance of the hotel. Her style is impeccable and she finds the best opportunities and angles. She understands and grasps the clients desired outcome and concept immediately and works as part of the team for best solution. I very much liked how communicative and open they were during the whole photo shoot. Very much recommend working with Michelle.

Markus Laahanen Director of Operations PGA Catalunya Resort

2018

The pictures are great! We are really happy with them and are convinced they are going to be a great help in selling more rooms. Thanks again for all your team’s efforts, it has been very worthwhile.

Eilko Bruggers, GM and co-owner of Hotel Cortijo del Marques

2018

Over the last 20 years I have worked with Michelle on different hotel projects and have been delighted with the images that she and the team create. She captures the essence of spaces and discovers details that bring the hotel story to life. She leads a truly professional team who work hard to get the best possible results. Throughout the whole process from understanding your needs to producing the final photo Michelle and the team work together with you ensuring that you get the photos you dreamed of and that logistics and practical details run as smoothly as possible. Highly recommended!

Rosemary Trigg , Director of Marketing and Communication, Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I, Barcelona.

2018

Simply Stunning Hotel Photography.

Saurabh Rai, Executive Vice President at Preferred Hotels & Resorts, United States.

April 2017

Michelle is unique. She is an amazing photographer, a perfectionist and an incredibly intelligent and talented woman. Her dedication to quality and attention to detail make everything she touches a genuine work of art. I would most definitely recommend Michelle for any project that focusses on quality. You won’t be disappointed!

Brenda Padilla Ericksen, Cross-cultural Consultant at Cultural Intelligence Spain, Malaga, Spain.

October 2016

We loved the photos that Michelle and Hotel Essence produced. Her attention to detail and lighting created an exquisite image that takes the viewer beyond a picture of a bed and into a vacation state-of-mind. They are the perfect pieces to help us tell our story in our collateral and online endeavors. We wish we had more.

Sara Brooks, General Manager at the Napa River Inn, California, United States.

March 2015

Dear Michelle.  It was such a pleasure working with you at the Alvear Palace Hotel.  I really enjoyed our very long shooting days.  Your professionalism and cheerful attitude gave us a great result.  We are very happy with your work and our Marketing team and our guests, just love your pictures!

Marina Bares, Head of Marketing, Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

September 2014

Dear Michelle, I am speechless – this picture of Rajvillas is amazing, magical and even this does not fully describe how incredible it is. Thank you so, so….much.

Mr. Vikram Oberoi Chief Operating Officer and Joint Managing Director, The Oberoi Group

July 2014

My very dear Michelle, I can’t find the words to express to you my gratitude for RE-discovering my hotel, I fell in love with your pictures : quelle sensibilité !!!

Claudia Batthyany, Director of Communications, Public Relations, Fairmont Monte Carlo

January 2014

Thank you Michelle for all the mind blowing photos that you took of our hotels and the surrounding fauna and flora. It was an absolute pleasure meeting and work with you! I hope that we will be able to work together again soon, as your photography is simply among the best I have ever seen. I would definitely recommend your work to all my fellow marketing colleagues.

Joanne Du Plooy, Communications Manager, Fairmont Zimbali Lodge & Resort

September 2013

Thank you very much, Michelle for the beautiful pictures you took of our hotel facilities and even more importantly thank you for the wonderful shots of our colleagues in their work environment. I think you are tremendously talented. We all love the shots.

Matthias Al-Amiry, General Manager, Raffles Beijing Hotel

May 2013

Michelle, thank you so much for the amazing job that you have made of our photography. You and your team were outstanding throughout the process and worked with our hotel team to show The Wellesley in the very best light. Your attention to detail was fantastic and nothing was too much trouble – your team did what was needed in order to get the job done. Thanks again and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Anna Starkie, Director of Sales, The Wellesley Hotel, London

February 2013

Dear Michelle, I am in awe of all these night shot photos. They are all superb and so are the experience and the lifestyle shots. Thanks so much I am so happy.

Anshul Kaul G.M. Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India.

November 2012

Dear Michelle congratulations on your pictures. They are absolutely amazing! We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back in the near future

Olivier Thomas, Hotel Manager, Four Seasons Hotel, Prague.

October 2012

Dear Michelle, Thank you very very much for your wonderful photos of ME Madrid. I am really impressed with your beautiful work. The details are amazing!!! I really hope to welcome you sometime back to your home in Madrid and rest at your entire disposal for anything you may require

José Arenas, Aura Manager, ME Hotel Madrid, Spain.

September 2012

Initially I didn’t see photography as an investment, its seemed so intangible to me. One year on after opening, I realise that the photos created by Michelle Chaplow and her team have been published so many times, providing us with great media coverage. The photography has sold the hotel and helped us to create a strong brand image.

Darío Doblas, Proprietor, Hotel Palacio de Carvajal-Girón, Plasencia Spain.

March 2012

Michelle Chaplow captured beautifully memorable, detail-oriented images of The Fairmont San Francisco. It is evident in her photos that she has an outstanding ability to recognize what is unique and special about her surroundings. Staff throughout the hotel thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ms. Chaplow and were delighted to see the exquisite results of her efforts. She was an absolute pleasure to work with!

Melissa Farrar, Public Relations Manager, The Fairmont San Francisco.

June 2011

Our famous hotels all have a history. Our archives deal with this subject. But these hotels also have a present, and Michelle Chaplow captures it with an unfailing eye for detail. She has shot various images for different hotels from our collection, many of these shots have become famous for their special touch.

Andreas Augustin, President / The Most Famous Hotels in the World.

June 2011

Everyone is delighted with the pictures

José Lumbreras Fernández de Córdoba, Director de Marketing Finca Cortesin, Andalucia, Spain.

June 2011

It is a pleasure working with Michelle; a true professional with superb instincts for the perfect shot. Her skill in bringing alive imagery which fully conveys the sense of the space is inherent in her work. The team thoroughly enjoyed interacting with Michelle for the duration of the photoshoot.

Paul Jones, General Manager Mandarin Oriental Singapore.

October 2010

The unique property of Hotel Essence photography is that Michelle knows the hotel world and she can see our establishment form the point of view of both an artist and a client. There are millions of hotel images and in the hotel sector we are trying to promote a hotel night, something that is available world wide. Hotel Essence Photography concentrated on the Essence of our hotel and we have reaped the rewards.

Gonzalo del Rio y Gordon, Hotel proprietor Casa Numero 7 Seville, Spain

October 2010

Hotel Essence Photography made an immense difference to my hotel marketing, on the very day we launched our site with new images we received two hotel bookings.

Michael Whaley, Hotel Proprietor Hotel El Aguilon, Tarifa, Spain.

October 2010

Michelle is always a pleasure to deal with. I used her beautiful travel images of Andalusia while I was Travel Picture Editor at the Daily Telegraph for nearly a decade. Michelle’s pictures also made their way into our glossy mag – UltraTravel. Her luxury hotel pictures have a human element that is rare in PR shots. She has the kind of personal charm that makes all the difference…She doesn’t “take” photos, – she builds a rapport with her subjects and and creates photographic moments. You’ll enjoy getting to know Michelle.

Avril O'Reilly, Picture Editor for The Telegraph and the Sunday Times

June 2010

Michelle was my principal photographic contributor for the British Airways in-flight magazine Mediterranean Life for over 10 years. She successfully carried out editorial and travel assignments in various European Countries. Her photography is superb and has been the subject of coffee table books particularly of Spain. International five star hotels use her for their promotional photography. The US Library of Congress is a client. I would not hesitate to recommend her work.

Robert Palmer, Publisher

April 2009

Michelle is a highly experienced photographer who truly understands her subject in Spain. She is easy going, down to earth and really listens to the client, suggesting practical ideas to balance the more ephemeral creative process so that none of us get too carried away!

Deborah Adams, Interior designer

July 2010

The photos are fantastic.

Alexandra Plakhota, Sales and Marketing Director, Premier Palace Hotel Kiev

July 2009