Travel Photographer
Michelle Chaplow, Travel Photographer

The Oriental, Bangkok, Michelle Chaplow Photography

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The Oriental, Bangkok

The Oriental lobby with its magnificent handcrafted wind chimes is lavish yet cosy.

The Oriental, Bangkok,  Michelle Chaplow Photography

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The Oriental, Bangkok

Tropical flowers adorn the entrance to the Oriental Spa. To arrive at the spa you cross the Chao Phraya River in the hotel’s private, elegant, Thai-style teak boat.

My favourite hotels in the world

As a travel photographer, hotels are a fundamental part of the journeying experience. Michelle averages 100 plus hotel nights per year and this section has been created to share a selection of her personal recommendations for hotels around the world. Whilst on assignment, a hotel provides a travel photographer with a base from which to explore the country and a secure storage space for equipment. It’s the mobile office, the refuelling zone, the meeting point and if you’re really lucky, there may even be time to indulge in the pool or the Spa. The reality of following the light and photographic deadlines however, often means this isn’t the case. A good hotel can be the primary inspiration for a photographer as they embark on their project, the place from which ideas evolve for imagery. A travel photographer’s hotel is essentially the gateway to photographically documenting a destination.