Maui’s Iconic Resort Melds Fashion & Luxury Travel in a Reimagination of the Traditional ‘Hotel Photoshoot’
Hawaii’s legendary Forbes Five-Star Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, a property synonymous with limitless luxury and eternal style, has teamed up with acclaimed fashion photographer Pamela Hanson to reinvent the archetypical architecturally-driven hotel narrative with the debut of a stunning new lifestyle resort campaign photographed through a high-end fashion editorial lens with the destination front and center.
As the first-ever resort property for the esteemed Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand, the resort continues to reinvent itself over three decades later, appearing in front of Hanson’s lens to unveil a catalogue of new lifestyle and brand imagery that captures the luxury resort in a fresh new light and face – fashion forward, timeless, and effortlessly elegant.
Inspired by Hanson’s memorable destination shoots and exceptional photography skills spanning 30 years of experience shooting for the covers of Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, GQ, and InStyle, the resort cherry-picked the iconic fashion photographer to shoot on location at the 15-acre property with 383 rooms & suites, three striking pools, renowned Spa & Wellness Center, and three award-winning restaurants earlier this spring.
Heralding back to the heyday of the 80’s & 90s supermodel era where photoshoots were shot on-location at exotic locales across the globe, the allure of the destination was often utilized to spotlight the people, clothes, and accessories. For Four Seasons Resort Maui, in a refreshingly clever reversal of roles, the models were utilized to display the beauty of the resort which shifted the perspective to the destination itself. With the goal of bringing back an essence of the 90s, Hanson was joined by hand-selected top models Elaine Irwin, Claudia Mason, Dajia Wilson, Frank can de Velde, and Christopher Gary Lawson which has resulted in a stunning new set of imagery that reimagines hotel photography and will be showcased across the hotel’s website, marketing, digital advertising, and social campaigns this fall.
“Given the desire to achieve exciting new lifestyle photos for the property, we naturally sought out an architectural photographer who could shoot lifestyle. As I spent years in fashion, it dawned on me that we should be considering a fashion photographer from the days when budgets allowed for travel all over the world for editorials. These masters know how to shoot on location and capture a sense of place even though the magazine editorials were focused on the clothes and the models. Pamela was the perfect choice for this shoot given the depth and breadth of her experience,” adds Marketing and Creative Consultant, Michelle Gaillard.
As a resort known for making waves and collaborating with legendary fashion houses such as Missoni (two of the property’s poolside cabanas feature Missoni furniture), and as the iconic backdrop of movies, shows, and campaigns (most recently, HBO’s limited series, The White Lotus), the decision to tap Hanson came as a natural next step for how the brand has evolved over the last decade in what is possibly the first-ever high fashion hospitality shoot of its kind.
“When I was presented with the opportunity to shoot at Four Seasons Maui, I was instantly inspired by the unique personality of the resort and the many possibilities for showcasing its beauty,” notes Pamela Hanson. “Typically, in high fashion shoots, the models are the subject; however, in this case, the resort was a subject of its own. Beautiful, graceful, timeless, and forever fashionable. It was an honor to have the opportunity utilize my fashion editorial experience in a new and creative way at such an iconic property.”
“It was an honor to have Pamela Hanson on property to showcase the resort that we’re all so familiar with in a whole new light,” adds General Manager Ben Shank. “After a year of change, we had the opportunity to do something different at the resort and took full advantage of the opportunity to capture Four Seasons Resort Maui in a creative way.”
Photos from Hanson’s shoot will be displayed throughout Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, as well as on the hotel’s website, and across all digital channels. To view all of Hanson’s photography from the Four Seasons Resort Maui, visit here.