If you can’t summon up Insta-envy with a single photo of a hotel lobby, then you’ve already lost your game of millennial one-upmanship. These days, savvy hoteliers are investing serious capital in design to put their best feed forward.

Wild Coast Tented Lodge

Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Set between churning sea and dense tropical bush on Sri Lanka’s southeastern coast, this luxury outpost packs a visual punch with its 28 futuristic Cocoon Suites. Stylish camp furniture, four-poster beds, exposed copper pipes and oversized porthole windows make indoor shots equally dramatic. A jaw-dropping sprawl of bamboo structure that houses the lobby, bar and restaurant is a dynamic background for candlelit images after days spent at the nearby Yala National Park. Don’t miss the bijou pool, particularly fetching when photographed by drone – a piece of kit any serious photographer packs.

The Reverie Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This hotel’s staid façade at the summit of a Ho Chi Minh City high-rise gives no hint of its outrageous interiors – starting from the regal, Carrera marble-clad lobby under a profusion of egg-shaped crystal chandeliers. You will not be the first to pose on the throne-like ostrich-skin couch seemingly ripped from the pages of Alice in Wonderland. Each of the 286 capacious guestrooms and suites delivers a cacophony of wild wallpapers, gilded fixtures, riotous flooring and oversized satin headboards. Even the quartz-embellished elevators are Insta-ready, as is the gargantuan 48-metre cocktail bar counter.

Marina Bay Sands

Singapore

At 150 metres in length, the infinity pool on the 57th floor of the Marina Bay Sands is just one reason why this Moshe Safdie-designed stunner was ranked ‘the world’s most Instagrammed hotel’ in 2017 based on the number of geotags. But the Singaporean landmark’s unique three-column façade is no less photogenic, making it a must-gram even for those who don’t check in. While the interiors of its 2,561 guestrooms may not be the sexiest, there are plenty of other attractions, from private cinemas and ultra-luxe designer boutiques to Safdie’s lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum and eateries helmed by celebrity chefs like Justin Quek and Wolfgang Puck.

Morpheus

Macau SAR

On Macau’s Cotai Strip, the world’s first free-form steel exoskeleton wraps dramatically around this 40-storey tower designed by the late Zaha Hadid. Take a strategic selfie against this sensuous façade said to be inspired by Chinese jade artefacts, before training your camera on the sculptural formations inside the 35-metre high atrium. The hotel’s 770 sleek guestrooms, suites and sky villas also get star design touches. More Insta-centric backdrops can be found around the outdoor rooftop pool, the two sky bridges – and the contemporary artwork dotted throughout the hotel, including work from KAWS and Paola Pivi. 

Hero image: Devaka Seneviratne

Flight and hotel packages are available from Cathay Holidays