1 Hotel Copenhagen — Press Stay
1 Hotel invited me to a press stay at their Copenhagen property, through Compendia. From time to time I collaborate with hotels on press stays — a light-touch way of experiencing a property firsthand and offering promotion across Compendia, the travel and lifestyle media platform I run. A relatively new property from a brand I've long admired, so it was a joy to finally see it in person.
The work
1 Hotel is a sustainability-led brand, and Copenhagen is one of its newer properties — biophilic interiors, natural materials, a quiet kind of luxury. The press-stay brief was a light one: experience the hotel, give feedback, and shoot some mobile-first content — iPhone video clips and a few moments along the way — that the team could use across socials, web, and newsletters.
I was inspired to shoot a few stills as well. The frames here are a handful caught along the stay, available light, no kit — the things that made the place feel like itself: the rooms, the food, the textures, the light, the smaller details.
A note for context: a press stay is a different thing from a commissioned shoot. For a full hotel commission I arrive with tripod, lighting, and flash, equipped for any room or lighting environment. These are a few light-touch frames from a single night — a taste of the place rather than a full library.
About the photographer
Sam Harrons is an interdisciplinary creative based between Norfolk and London, working internationally across photography, filmmaking, art direction, and brand-building since 2012. Selected clients include 1 Hotel, The Hoxton, Inhabit, 25hours, Naturalmat, Aesop, Lavenham, Bellroy, Plumo, Fujifilm UK, ARMEDANGELS, and 3daysofdesign. He founded Compendia, a design-led editorial platform and content studio.
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Yes. Hotel groups, independent properties, boutique and lifestyle hotels, and sustainability-led hospitality brands are a primary area of work. Past clients include 1 Hotel, The Hoxton (Ennismore), Inhabit, Locke and 25hours — across Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, and across Europe.
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Sam Harrons is a UK-based hotel and hospitality photographer working internationally on interiors, food, and editorial commissions through Compendia Studio. Recent hospitality work spans Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, and across the UK and Europe.
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Yes. Much hotel work is exactly this — a library of evergreen interiors, rooms, food, detail, and atmosphere shots a property can draw on across socials, website, newsletters, and press all year, rather than a single dated campaign.
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Based between Norfolk and London, working internationally. Most commissions are across the UK and Europe. Happy to discuss work anywhere worth getting on a plane for.
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Head to the contact page and fill in the form with the details of your project. The first conversation is free and no commitment.
