Checking-in with…

This month we tried to sit down with the whirlwind energy that is our wonderful in-house Wedding and Events Planner, Anna Campanella. Growing up in beautiful Puglia in Southern Italy, Anna started working in hospitality from a young age; at 15 she waitressed in restaurants in the evenings to support her study as a dance student, which she continued for 20 years. At the same time her love for hospitality took her into what she describes as “my great passion for almost two decades, Wedding Planner and Event Organizer in Puglia”. Taking a break for a few years to focus on motherhood and bringing up her young family (she shares two children with her Brazilian husband) they decided to move to England in 2018, to add another language to her already bilingual children. As Anna puts it “Our decision was dictated by the desire to give our children the opportunity to learn the English language in the place”. The family settled immediately in Rye, and we are so glad they did! As Anna says, “I put my passion aside for a few years to devote myself to being a mother, but I’m so excited to be back to realizing what makes me happy!” If we could bottle her enthusiasm and passion for her work – we would. And maybe adopt her motto… ”Everything succeeds perfectly if it is watered by Love!” Hear hear .

What brings you to The George?
When I moved to Rye from Italy, I saw so many good comments and reviews about The George and I thought “This is a Fantastic Place to work!!” … and that’s how it went.

List 3 things you won’t leave home without
My bag, lipstick and sparkling water.

What is your best hotel memory?
At The George, when they gave me a tour and we walked into The Ballroom…. my breath stopped! It reminded me of similar feelings I have had walking into The Ritz in London, and my other favourite hotel, Milan’s Casa Baglioni.

What is the best/most important part of staying away in a hotel for you?
The welcome, the ambience and attention to details.

What are you currently reading/binge-watching/listening to?
Actually, I’m reading ‘The Nowhere Emporium’ by Ross Mackenzie at the moment. I just finished watching ‘The Good Doctor’, and I listen to ‘Mushroom playlist’, which my kids made for me – a mix of people like Arianna Grande, Drake and Pharrell Williams.

Do you have a hotel lobby/lift story you’d care to share with us?
Yes, it was so embarrassing, but at the same time it was a lot of fun… One morning, while welcoming hotel guests to The George, a passer-by came into the lobby and asked if he could sit down for breakfast. I, always with the utmost kindness, asked him to wait in the lounge because I needed to check the kitchen was still open. Returning to seat and serve him, he kept looking at me in an intrigued way…. After less than 1 minute my colleague in the restaurant called me over and asked me how I didn’t recognize such a famous English actor? (I’m not a television addict) …. When this guest finished and left, he smiled and asked me for MY name and said it was the first time a staff member hadn’t asked him for an autograph! And sorry to say – but I still don’t know who he is, but he was very nice!

What do you always forget/lose when you go away?
I’m not a person who forgets things. The one and only exception – I always forget … the shopping list? I will spend half an hour doing it and then it stays there, forgotten on the table.

Hypothetically, who would you most like to discover is a fellow guest?
I do have a dream…. It will be great to welcome Hugh Grant!

What helps you get to sleep at night? (Keep it clean!)
The cuddles from my kids, before the bedtime.

My secret Rye discovery is….
Not going to tell… it wouldn’t be a secret if I told!