{"id":35912,"date":"2013-03-25T08:49:17","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T08:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/?p=20504"},"modified":"2014-12-15T01:25:42","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T01:25:42","slug":"qa-with-8hotels-rowena-carter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/qa-with-8hotels-rowena-carter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with 8Hotels \u2013 Rowena Carter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Oh how we love boutique hotels! lastminute lovely Nicole sat down with Rowena Carter from Australia\u2019s very own 8Hotels Collection to get the inside word on how travel rocks her world. <\/strong>
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\"Rowena<\/a>

Rowena Carter<\/p><\/div>\n

1.\tTell us a little about 8Hotels and what your day-to-day role involves? <\/strong>
\n8Hotels is Australia\u2019s leading independent Australian boutique hotel collection and I launched the HR & Training department three years ago. Since then, 8Hotels has grown from seven to 21 hotels. As the Head of HR & Training at 8Hotels, my day involves anything and everything, from the recruitment process right the way through to aligning employees with our culture and philosophy and offering a personalised approach to training, development and career progression.
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2.\tHow much travel is involved with your job? Which destinations has your role taken you to? <\/strong>
\nI travel to all 8Hotels properties around Australia four to five times a year. Locations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Thredbo, Daylesford, Canberra and Perth. Sometimes I may need to travel to our properties in Paris, Fiji or Bali, too!
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Diamant Boutique Hotel Sydney - by 8Hotels<\/p><\/div>With so much travel, little creature comforts make all the difference, so my time in the Virgin Lounge is definitely a perk\u2026
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3.\tWhat is the best hotel you\u2019ve ever stayed at? <\/strong>
\nI adore our very own Hepburn at Hepburn<\/a>. It\u2019s stylish, luxurious and secluded. Tokoriki Island Resort<\/a> in Fiji is another favourite \u2013 a great place to spend some quality time with your partner enjoying the purest simplicity of island living!
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King Villa at Hepburn at Hepburn - by 8Hotels<\/p><\/div>4.\tTell us about your favourite holiday?<\/strong>
\nI have travelled to so many places it is hard to mention just one! I love holidays and places that allow you to experience things you would never come close to enjoying in your normal day-to-day life.
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The most unique trip would be my holiday to Reykjavik in Iceland. Such a beautiful landscape and culture. I also really enjoyed my holiday to The Gambia too.
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Reykjavik City in winter<\/p><\/div>The most memorable holiday was my year long trip around Australia when I was 18. I remember leaving and thinking how lucky we all are to have everything on our doorstep, from snow to dessert, amazing food, gorgeous wine regions and spectacular beaches. We really do have it all and this was why I wanted to move back here \u2013 and here I am, enjoying this very special country!
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5.\tWhat is your number one piece of travel advice? <\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t forget your hair brush. Seriously, they\u2019re really annoying to buy as they never stock good quality brushes in a supermarket. I think I went through at least ten in my first year of travelling. Hot tip – check your bags one last time when you think you\u2019ve finished packing.
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6.\tCelebrity you\u2019d most like to find yourself sitting next to on a plane? <\/strong>
\nI have always fantasied about sitting next to a rock star. I am a huge music fan and enthusiast \u2013 I have a music background and even have my own band. Sitting next to Radiohead\u2019s Thom Yorke and having a singing session on a flight would be a dream.
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7.\tPacking: do you roll, fold or shove it all in there? Any tips to share?<\/strong>
\nAll of the above! My choice of suitcase and how busy my schedule is will determine if I am neatly folded and strategically packed… it is almost certain that my packing for the return trip home won\u2019t be as tidy as the way I packed to go on holidays. Everything goes in the wash when I get home even if I haven\u2019t worn it so why not shove it all in on the way back \ud83d\ude42 .
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8.\tWhat, in your opinion, makes an amazing boutique hotel?<\/strong>
\nI could ramble on about the beautiful d\u00e9cor and furnishings, which do add to the boutique experience but I really think it\u2019s the people that make a boutique hotel special. I may be a little biased because I work in HR, but it is that personalised service that creates a unique vibe and a warm feeling that you rarely experience in larger, more corporate style hotels.
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Chandra Luxury Villas Bali - by 8Hotels<\/p><\/div>9.\tAny tips to share for managing jetlag? <\/strong>
\nChlorella \u2013 the best thing you can do for yourself. Hit the super foods and fresh produce, a good vitamin C supplement and plenty of water. If you land home in the evening, once you open the door to your house, open the door to your fridge and pop a bottle of bubbles\u2026 that ALWAYS helps me.
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10.\tWhere is next on your travel wish list?<\/strong>
\nMy partner is from Brazil so South America is on the cards next year. South America is really coming into its own and establishing itself as a cultural hub that is influencing and competing with the rest of the world now.
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View over Rio de Janeiro and Sugarloaf Mountain <\/p><\/div>Just look at the South American food craze at the moment. They\u2019ve really launched into the international market and have so many people wanting to head over and experience the culture first hand. The atmosphere and perception I have of South America is relaxed and mellow with a wealth of beautiful history and culture. I cannot wait to experience it for myself!
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Book your stay at one of the many 8Hotels around the globe here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh how we love boutique hotels! lastminute lovely Nicole sat down with Rowena Carter from Australia\u2019s very own 8Hotels Collection..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":20615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[2957,957,3042,155,597,63,42,2163,452,2337,3043,106],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_exerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null,"credits":null,"enable_review_score":null,"score_breakdown":null,"placement":null,"note":null,"enable_pros_cons_lists":null,"pros_list":null,"cons_list":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36419,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35912\/revisions\/36419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}