8th August 2022
Welcome to the team, Cindy! What is it that you love most about social media?
I like how it has become a search engine where you can find quick solutions or recommendations on absolutely anything. I use it for everything – whether it’s searching for a recipe, a new holiday destination or restaurants to eat at at the weekend. I also love the ability and freedom to be creative and inspire others.
What inspires the content you post at work?
For me, it’s the surroundings and the atmosphere within the hotel.
What is your favourite kind of content to capture?
I enjoy capturing snapshots of events – it’s a little less planned and touches on real human experiences which are relatable. Because of this, these pictures tend to do really well on socials. I also love food shoots (and that definitely has nothing to do with being able to eat the dishes afterwards!).
What’s the most Instagrammable spot at The Athenaeum?
Definitely our tenth-floor panoramic lounge, The View. I love the décor and artwork and the scenes over London are breath-taking.
TikTok or Instagram – which platform couldn’t you live without?
That’s a very difficult question but I think I’d have to pick TikTok. Although I love both, I get bored easily on Instagram but could spend hours on TikTok!
What plans do you have for The Athenaeum’s social media? What can our audience expect more of?
More reels! As you are reading this we will have hopefully launched our TikTok account too, so you can expect lots of short, snappy video content of the hotel as well as things to do around the area.
What does a typical day look like for you at work?
I usually start work at 9am and the first thing I like to do is read through and reply to any emails that have come in the night before. This allows me to create a ‘to do’ list of anything urgent I might need to do and plan ahead for the week.
I then like to go through all of the social accounts and reply to any new comments, DMs and repost any nice content from guests on our stories. From this, I will check the content calendar for the day and make sure everything that is due to go up has been scheduled.
I will then start working through my ‘to do’ list – this may involve things such as shooting content for upcoming posts, editing videos and images, creating mood boards and ideas for upcoming shoots, making sure all of our content is up-to-date on third party sites and writing copy for upcoming posts.
You enjoy photography – do you have any top tips for posting pictures on social media?
Make sure you have good lighting – if the sun is behind you or directly above it’ll create shadows that can ruin your pics.
If you want to take a candid photo or one of a moving subject, I would use the burst option on your phone – this will take loads of frames within one shot that you can pick from later.
Whose social media profile do you spend the most time looking at and engaging with?
Thefoodbaddie on TikTok – I love her content and how she explores different editing styles. She also offers great recommendations of things to do in London.
You have 24 hours in London, which picture-perfect locations will you be visiting?
I would definitely head to the Sky Garden – it has floor-to-ceiling glass windows with views all over London and is decorated in a natural, jungle-like theme. It’s also free to enter and is open seven days a week!
Next up I’d visit Buckingham Palace. It’s a short walk from The Athenaeum and one of London’s most famous attractions. It’s surrounded by Green Park and St. James which is also gorgeous to walk around, particularly now as the season is beginning to change.
I would then finish off the day with dinner at The Ivy Asia St Pauls. The restaurant has gorgeous décor and some stunning views of St Pauls Cathedral. There is also a famous rooftop bar at the top of the building, renowned for the glass lift that promises more views of the Cathedral.
Join us in the heart of London for an overnight stay.
