Meet Mark Rose, CEO at The Rees Hotel, Queenstown NZ
Our interview with Mark Rose, Chief Executive at The Rees Hotel in Queenstown, NZ. Enjoy!
Can you please tell our audience about who you are and what property you represent?
Kia ora. I am Mark Rose and I am the Chief Executive of The Rees Hotel Queenstown, New Zealand
What initially drew you to Queenstown and specifically, The Rees?
I was working in Scotland as General Manager of Cameron House Hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond and was contacted about returning to New Zealand to open a new lakeside hotel in Queenstown. As I had worked in Queenstown before, I knew the market and it was also a great place to bring up children. Opening a 5 star hotel in 2008 in the midst of the world financial meltdown was challenging…..
What is important to you to share with travelers about The Rees?
Our points of difference include:
Our DNA is Queenstown – there are other great hotels in Queenstown but they are mostly part of chains and are not reflective of the place we call home
We have a range of Accommodation options including; hotels rooms, apartments (one, two and three bedroom), Penthouses and Lakeside Villas
The hotel is actually lakeside and we have our own private wharf
Our food and wine offerings are recognized as being amongst the best on offer in New Zealand. Our food is organic, fresh, local, art on plate and our wine cellar showcases the great wines of the world, with an emphasis on Central Otago and New Zealand
And then there is our team – the secret ingredient to our success.
What does the average traveler not know about Queenstown?
The beauty is legendary but you really don’t get it until you visit
There is so much contrast – outdoors, activities (from adrenaline to food and wine, to sightseeing, to skiing and back again)
What is the one thing every traveler must do when they visit Queenstown?
Dart River Safaris with the Funyak addition – combines the thrill of a jetboat (invented in New Zealand), with our beautiful back country.
A visit to Domaine Thompson wines in Lowburn – ST have vines in both Central Otago and Burgundy, giving you an incredible comparison of new world and old world pinot noir.
What is so special about Queenstown?
An incredible mix of adventure, beauty, wine/food and people.
Where do you feel the magic of your city the most?
Either walking around beautiful Lake Wakatipu or climbing in the hills/mountains surrounding the town.
What do you love most about travel?
An old Māori proverb sums it up:
Hutia te rito o te harakeke. Kei hea te komako, e ko? Ki mai ki ahau, he aha te mea nui o te ao? Maku e ki atu He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
Pluck the heart from the flax bush - where will the bellbird be? Ask me, what is the most important thing in the world? I will reply, it is people, it is people, it is people
If you had 24 hours to experience the best of Queenstown, what would you do?
Get up early and helicopter into Milford Sound with a stop at one of our beautiful glaciers for a glass of champagne. Meet the early morning boat in Milford Sound and cruise the 8th wonder of the world, seeing dolphins, penguins, seals etc.
Back to Queenstown by 2PM in time for a ride on the Shotover Jet through the Shotover River Canyons.
Back to the hotel for a glass of Taittinger looking out over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains before heading into town for dinner at Toast and Oak.
If you have any energy left, a cruise through the great bars of Queenstown is a must!
What is your favorite travel secret?
A glass of champagne on take off and then drown myself in water for the remainder of the flight
