Lokal Is Philadelphia’s First “Invisible Service” Boutique Hotel

Weddings

Lokal Hotel is Philadelphia’s first “invisible service” boutique hotel, combining the freedom and comfort of living in Philadelphia with the adventure of visiting. Lokal is a 6-unit boutique hotel with a...

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Lokal Hotel is Philadelphia’s first “invisible service” boutique hotel, combining the freedom and comfort of living in Philadelphia with the adventure of visiting. Lokal is a 6-unit boutique hotel with a focus on invisible service in Old City. Featuring six, apartment-style suites, Lokal offers guests an authentic Philadelphia experience and an escape that feels like home.

What does “invisible service” mean? The hotel has no front desk and is a walk-up only registered historical building. Instead, the team behind the project anticipated needs and created a high level, behind-the-scenes service. In doing away with many of the trappings of a traditional hotel, Lokal seeks to provide a unique connection with the city without sacrificing the comfort and care travelers expect. We partnered with Inna Spivakova of Peach Plum Pear Photo and Nicole Hutnyk of Rabbit Rabbit Crew, the two creatives behind one of Lokal's first styled photo-shoots.

Photography by Peach Plum Pear Photo | Words by Nicole Hutnyk of Rabbit Rabbit Crew

Hey Nicole! Tell us about the inspiration behind your shoot at Philadelphia's newest nesting space.

Nicole: With the opening of Lokal, Philadelphia’s first “Invisible Service” hotel in the Olde City neighborhood of the city of Brother Love, we were inspired by their modo and mission and wanted to create a styled shoot highlighting just those things. The hotel itself, owned by a husband and wife team, is geared towards creating a well curated and designed home away from home. Boasting of bold colors and modern furnishings the hotel partnered with originally Philadelphia natives, Jersey Ice Cream Co. to hand select vintage details and found objects to mold each room into a warm and familiar experience for travelers, both local and afar.

For this shoot we focused on playing up all that makes a place like this one of a kind: local support, by partnering will with all local vendors from wardrobe, to styling, to paper goods; a real couple whom is true to Philadelphia and could appreciate the vibe; and finally, showcasing a vacation with new experiences can happen even if it is next door.

Tell us about the couple.

Nicole: Photographer Inna Spivakova of Peach Plum Pear Photo courted one of her already married couples as our models for this shoot. We focused on their “newly wed” sparkle and wanted to create a feeling that this party was now just for the two of them. A stunning private room, good eats, “going out” attire and a rad ride to match, are all of the makings of celebrating a milestone in their relationship.

Give us the inside scoop on the team that made this happen!

Nicole: With an in room bar cart stocked of local favorite spirits brand, Art in the Age, cocktail mixing and bedside hangs fall naturally into place. Then there’s cake. Because there should always be cake. Nutmeg Cake Design created an anniversary cake for the couple based on the flavors from their wedding day sweets and had fun with color and complimentary toppings. Fun Fact: Meg from Nutmeg Cake Design was the couples’ actual wedding day baker, so this was especially real for her and their experience.

As a special token of affection, we included a hand written love note by way of the new greeting card collection from Rabbit Rabbit Crew. The new cards are all focused on the idea of “kismet” and “luck superstition” which kept to our “meant to be” theme throughout the shoot.

Nicole: We also coupled the love note gesture with a “gift” of jewelry idea from local jewelry designer Angela Monaco of Concrete Polish Jewels. We were lucky enough to be the FIRST to touch, wear and photograph her newest yet-to-be-released fine jewelry collection, “Ceremonious”. Fabricated from the finest of materials for life-long wear, each piece is sustainably crafted in Philadelphia on Historic Jeweler’s row, complete with ethically-sourced Herkimer diamonds mined by a friend of Angela’s. Herkimer Diamonds are a high-grade type of Quartz found exclusively in Herkimer, New York - the Mohawk Indians were the first to discover these sacred manifestations of mother earth, naming them diamonds because of their rareness in nature. The design intent for these pieces are meant to be worn in ceremonies such as marriage, milestones and rituals or gifted as an heirloom to eventually be passed down to future generations.

Our couples’ wardrobe was intended to be a mix of familiarity and style using pieces from Justin’s (Husband) custom made wedding suite by Commonwealth Proper and new additions by way of a brown chambray shirt by Rogue Territory from the new neighborhood staple boutique Franklin and Poe. Kelly (wife) wore a more casual knit dress for the indoor hangs, and switched to an all white jumpsuit and leather jacket for “going-out”. Each item was from home base brand Free People and meant to be a nod to the wedding day attire color choice. Makeup and Hair were equally as purposeful in styling choices by the ever amazing Kerri Fawley Hair and local salon co-owner, Kelley Hughes of Parlour Beauty.

Nicole: Erica from Chicory Florals is a floral magician and never shies away from creating arrangements that are in their own mold. She crafted floral pieces paying homage to the mood of the hotel, highlighting specific spaces and also creating an anniversary bouquet anyone would be over the moon to receive. When the local classic car curators, LBI Limited came on board for the shoot and brought us a bright yellow 1969 Alfa Romeo GTV Coupe, Chicory built a perfectly fitting ground-up bouquet which should be officially placed whenever this particular car is parked.

Every vendor in the shoot is involved in the Philadelphia community in some way. Each paying special attention to what direction is important to them to give back to their city. It was a large part in selecting most of the vendors we worked with and it was really exciting to be a part of a project that paid attention to those details and also supported the specialty of one another. We really do feel it embodies the goal that Lokal is promoting. Curating a vacation next door, where places still feel new, experiences are specific to you and create memories that only deepen your Home Base.