Anyone with more than 10,000 followers on Instagram can stay free at the boutique property, which is in the Sydney suburb of Pyrmont and was just opened by the 8 Hotels Group.

As guests enter the hotel lobby, a revolving digital mural of Instagram images greets guests. After checking in, guests are invited to stand in front of an open frame hanging in the lobby and snap a selfie.

The hotel’s guestrooms are decorated with Instagram photos. Over 100 Instagram photos were submitted by guests to decorate the five-story 1888 Hotel’s 90 rooms, which start around $140.

According to Mashable, who interviewed 8Hotels’ chief executive officer Paul Fischman, the Australian hotel’s design caters to today’s modern traveler:

“There has always been a strong, intrinsic link between travel and photography, but the advent of social media and Instagram has made photo-sharing an even bigger part of the traveler’s experience. People not only want to visit and stay in beautiful places, they also want to capture and share it with their friends and networks as it happens.”

Fischman added that hoteliers know guests can be obsessive about posting and documenting their stays. That’s why 8Hotels built in such heavy social-media integration.

The hotel also promotes the area and nearby attractions via Instagram walk:

This is definitely a great way to stand out among the competition and cater to an increasingly social audience. That said, there could also be ramifications, such as deterring visitors that aren’t Instagram users, as well as dealing with a potentially enhanced PR crisis if a social media influencer has a bad experience.

That said, it’s definitely a creative approach, one that would probably attract social media users like myself over the other options if I were planning to travel to Sydney in the near future.

Would you want to stay at an Instagram hotel?