Have yourself a merry selfie Christmastime
Winter pop-ups dress up for the Instagram age to lure social media-savvy Londoners
SELFIE-OBSESSED Londoners have made seasonal pop-ups in bars and restaurants more popular than ever, according to the man who runs one of the first to arrive in the capital.
Dirk Crokaert, general manager at the Montague on the Gardens, has run a festive ski lodge at the hotel in Bloomsbury for the past eight years.
Pippa Middleton is among the guests who have visited the lodge, while the X Factor team filmed pre-show interviews there.
The hotel has now installed a photobooth, designed to look like a miniwooden alpine lodge, on the Christmas terrace, which includes pine trees, snow and reindeer. Mr Crokaert said the booth, which features a ski-themed background, was intended to make the space “instagrammable”.
He said: “Photobooths are huge nowadays, and people love taking selfies and posting them to social media. It is an obsession. People posting how much fun they are having is really important for us for business. It’s what has kept the Lodge so popular after all these years.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests almost 90 per cent of British adults are now using social media.
Recent US data found 30 per cent of millennials said they would avoid going to a bar or restaurant if their social media presence was poor.
L a s t ye a r re s t a u ra n t D i r t y Bones launched “Instagram Kits”, which included a light and a charger to help visitors with posting images on social media.
The Montague Ski Lodge is open until January 13. It costs £38 per person for a 90-minute slot, including three drinks and a festive food platter.
⬤ Tickets can be booked at designmynight.com