Having started her career in the fashion industry, Arabella subsequently trained as a make-up artist and forged a career working with top photographers, magazines and high-profile private clients. This work inspired her belief that healthy skin is the best foundation, which motivated her to co-produce a new, clean product range.
The result was VOTARY, the skincare range which she launched with her friend Charlotte Semler in 2015. Building on its success, the two women went on to co-found Verden, the natural fragrance brand for bath, body and home which now sits in pride of place in all The George’s bedrooms.
Verden uses only natural, plant-based ingredients, carefully blended to nourish your skin. Their scents will instantly transport you to the natural world they are sourced from; Verden literally translates as “the world” or “the earth” in Charlotte’s native Danish. As such is it perfectly aligned with The George’s sustainable principles, and the super stylish bottles look perfectly at home in our designed spaces!
Arabella lives in the Kent countryside with her husband and two children and is a regular visitor to The George.
What brings you to The George?
I am here to polish the VERDEN bottles in the rooms. We are so excited to bring our 100% naturally fragranced products to your guests.
List 3 things you won’t leave home without?
My Votary cleansing oil and flannel, my phone (depressingly), and Blox earplugs.
What is your earliest hotel memory?
Not my first hotel stay, but my Dad memorably took me to New York when I was 16 where we stayed in the Waldorf Astoria; definitely the first time I had stayed in a 5 star hotel. I was completely giddy…my Dad lost his mind with boredom in the Levi’s store and we walked up the inside of the Statue of Liberty, peering through the windows in her crown. We also saw Glenn Close in a Broadway show. I grew up in rural Shropshire, so it was all impossibly glamorous and thrilling.
What is the best/most important part of staying away in a hotel for you?
The best part is the switch off from home routine; no dishwasher to stack or beds to make, but the most important part is…THE PILLOWS! God, does anyone ever say anything else? I can confirm that The George pillows pass the test!
What are you currently reading/binge-watching/listening to?
We’re about to start White Lotus 3, appropriately enough. Maybe they’ll come to The George and East Sussex next?
What do you always forget/lose when you go away?
I am always leaving Votary flannels hung on towel rails wherever I go.
Hypothetically, who would you most like to discover is a fellow guest?
Cher! I would just stare, and then she’d say something cutting and it would be amazing.
What helps you get to sleep at night? (Keep it clean!)
See my earlier reference to Blox wax earplugs, think return to the womb… and VERDEN Sleep Mist.
My secret Rye discovery is…
I have lately been wandering around Rye listening to Radio 4’s recent serialization of my husband Alex’s short story called…Rye! I like visiting some of the smuggler haunts it features, like the Ypres Castle Inn. If I am in the mood and have the time, I enjoy extending the walk along the front to Winchelsea, taking in Camber Castle.
