Kimpton St Honoré Paris: Two Pilot Videos for a New Instagram Identity

To complement the new brand identity of the Kimpton St Honoré Paris, I produced two pilot videos designed for Instagram, based on a theme provided by the hotel: “Rock ’n’ Roll Chic.” Filmed in a single day, on July 15, 2026, in the hotel lobby and a guest room, these videos kick off a series of 10: the next 8 will be filmed throughout 2027.

Movie 1: The Check-in

The typical scene of a female guest arriving at a hotel… that takes a wild turn. A beige trench coat, a suitcase, and a card placed on the counter—then the music swells, the trench coat comes off, and the lobby becomes a stage.

The facade of the Kimpton St Honoré Paris, featuring the title “The Check-in”; a woman is entering with a red suitcase

A symmetrical shot of the model at the concierge desk, holding her room key

The model opens her trench coat to reveal a red-and-black outfit in the lobby

Close-up of a room card hanging above the concierge's counter

The model is dancing in front of the wrought-iron railing on the lobby mezzanine

Slow-motion shot: the model turns her head, her hair flowing

A bird's-eye view of the model and her red suitcase on a marble floor with a triangular pattern

A bird's-eye view of the spiral staircase and the hotel's chandelier

A bird's-eye view of the model lying on the floor in a dress with a large red bow

The model dances with her arms raised in the lobby, in front of a red poster

The model is dancing on the mezzanine balcony in the lobby

Movie 2: Room Service, Please

The rockest room service in Paris: a quiet hallway, a cart, a silver bell… and under the bell, everything you need to turn your room into a concert hall.

View through the peephole in the door: the room service server and his cart in the hallway

The model in a blue bathrobe holds up a silver bell toward the camera

Low-angle shot of the model dancing in a blue bathrobe

The silhouette of a model dancing in a doorway, backlit

Theatrical tracking shot of the model sitting on a green sofa in a bedroom

A Team Project

This project goes far beyond a solo film shoot. Both films were produced in collaboration with La CORP!, the visual studio behind RSVP (events, fashion, and video), which served as the project’s production partner: we worked together on the technical storyboard, shot list, equipment, lighting, and shooting schedule.

Alongside the video, Saint-Ambroise conducted a photo shoot for each scenario to provide the hotel with a series of images to accompany each film.

In front of the camera is Daria Gribanovskaia, a model and dancer: she was chosen for this dual role because both films revolve around dance. The Kimpton team handled the artistic direction (concepts, scripts, styling, casting), and I directed and filmed the videos.

Pre-production: where it all comes down to

On a project of this scale, the success of the shoot is determined long before the big day. The project followed a four-week roadmap: art direction, pre-production, filming, and then post-production. The hotel provided a detailed brief for each scenario (concept, second-by-second shooting sequence, voice-over, styling), which I translated into a shooting document that brought together the project, the scenarios, the photo and video inspirations, the music, the styling, and the daily schedule.

Shooting Documentation: The Project, the Roadmap dated July 15, 2026, and Photo and Video Inspiration

My filming documentation: the project, the July 15 roadmap, and my sources of inspiration.

Shooting materials: scripts 1 and 2, references, music, styling, and inspirational photos

The two scenarios, along with their references, music, styling, and inspirational photos.

The day was scheduled in half-hour increments: team meeting at 9 a.m., Film 1 in the lobby in the morning, Film 2 in the room in the afternoon, with a dedicated time slot for the photo shoot each time. For each sequence, a shot list detailed the shots to be captured: high-angle shots from the staircase, low-angle Steadicam shots, slow shutter speeds for the dance scenes, a shot through the door’s peephole, slow-motion footage at 240 frames per second, as well as lighting diagrams.

Shot list for the film *The Check-in*, including framing references and planned shots for each sequence

Shot list for Film 1: the entrance, the bar, the dance in the lobby, the key.

Shot list for the film *Room Service*, including framing references, planned shots, and lighting notes

Shot list for Film 2: the hallway, the door, the revelation, the party in the bedroom, the look at the camera.

The Concept Mood Board: From Wes Anderson to the Kimpton Lobby—Drawing Inspiration from the Greats

To establish the visual direction, I created a mood board using ShotDeck, a database of film images, drawing inspiration from the world of Wes Anderson—director of *The Grand Budapest Hotel*—and other references. What I was looking for: centered and symmetrical framing, bold high-angle shots, warm color palettes, and a sense of dance-like energy. Here are a few comparisons between the references and images from the films.

Reference image: a symmetrical shot of the lobby in Wes Anderson's *The Grand Budapest Hotel*

Reference: The premiere of *The Grand Budapest Hotel* (Wes Anderson).

Our film: the concierge's desk, centered in the frame.

Reference image: a person seen through a peephole

the view through the peephole.

Our video: Room service arriving, as seen from the room.

Reference image: a woman dancing, filmed from a low angle beneath a coffered ceiling

the dance filmed from a low-angle shot.

Our film: dancing in a bathrobe, shot from a low angle.

Reference image: blurry portrait taken at a slow shutter speed, with hair in motion

movement at a slow speed.

Our video: the dance in the lobby in slow motion.

Reference image: A man dancing in a hotel hallway with a checkered floor

Dancing in the common areas of a hotel.

Our video: dancing on the lobby mezzanine.

Behind the Scenes of the Filming

Behind the Scenes: The film crew with their camera and lighting equipment in the hotel elevator

The team and the equipment in the hotel elevator.

Behind the Scenes: The model lying at the foot of the stairs, filmed from above using a stepladder

The overhead shot at the foot of the stairs, filmed from a stepladder.

Behind the Scenes: A team selfie on the bed in the bedroom between takes

A break on the bed in the bedroom, between takes.

Camera mounted on a stabilizer and a monitor.

Behind the Scenes: The crew is setting up a scene in the bedroom with the green sofa

Setting the scene in the bedroom.

Behind the Scenes: Checking a Shot on the Monitor

Check that the monitor is plugged in.

Posted on the hotel's Instagram account

Both videos were posted as Reels on the Kimpton St Honoré Paris Instagram account, which has over 42,000 followers. Here are the posts—you can click on them:

The Kimpton St. Honoré Paris Instagram account.

Instagram Reel "The Check-in" posted by Kimpton St Honoré Paris

The reel "The Check-in."

"Reel Instagram: Room Service, Please" posted by Kimpton St Honoré Paris

The "Room Service, Please" reel.

The hotel: France's first Kimpton

Opened in August 2021 on Boulevard des Capucines, the Kimpton St Honoré Paris is the first Kimpton hotel (part of the IHG group) in France. It is housed in a former department store with an Art Deco façade, featuring interiors designed by Charles Zana and a rooftop venue, the Sequoia, offering views of the Paris rooftops (Hospitality ON, Sortir à Paris).

Next up: eight films in 2027

These two pilot episodes set the tone, established the approach, and brought the team together. Eight more films will follow throughout 2027, with the same high standards for preparation.

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Kimpton St Honoré Paris: Instagram Pilot Videos 2026