Never having been a direct employee of the Starwood brand, it might seem odd that I am blogging about their #StarwoodProud initiative as the brand bids goodbye after having been bought over by Marriott. But my association with the brand as a photographer and / blogger was so strong that at one point – and even now – I consider myself a brand advocate for Starwood.
I was lucky enough to have been hired to photograph some of their most awesome gigs in India – some of the work I did for them is part of that elusive “Wish I’d photographed that!” holy grail for photographers. The brands and the assignments were always prestigious and they always gave me creative freedom. I was told, “You do what you do best. That’s the brief.” and even now I have goosebumps thinking about those words.
From photographing the brand launch of St. Regis in India to the opening of some of the most spectacular hotel properties under the Le Meridien and Aloft brands, to experiencing the Jaipur Literature Festival and the India Art Fair, Starwood sure added a massive chunk of great gigs to my photography portfolio. ( You can see everything I ever did for the brand here : #Starwood ).
A brand inspires only as much loyalty as the people that represent it and for me, the shining example of this is Anjali Mehra. She embodied the brand as well as it could possibly have been in a difficult market like India. I have never felt so well taken care of, trusted as a professional and encouraged with my craft of photography. Thank you Anjali.
I feel proud to have produced some of my best work for Starwood and they remain unsurpassed as a client. I hope to continue to produce more work for the brand in its new avatar and can’t wait to get started! ( A lot of hospitality brands get in touch with me asking me about my portfolio with other hospitality brands – my work with Starwood is right here on this blog – do check it out! )
( Having never blogged a client testimonial previously, I’m slightly embarrassed to be gushing over Starwood this much – they truly have been the best and I find it odd to be bidding goodbye to the brand as I’ve known it – hoping not much will change even though I know a lot will. )
