Midweek catch-up with W Sydney’s Roxanne Markovina

By Alexandra Coulton

Ahead of W Sydney’s grand opening in November, we had a chat with the new hotel’s director of sales and marketing to see if we could get a discount room. Just kidding… or are we?

What’s your main goal for this year?

To bring to life the world’s largest W hotel in stellar Sydney and showcase this stunning addition to Darling Harbour on the global stage.

It’s a big project and one that I am immensely proud to be working on.

What’s your favourite thing about working in the travel industry?

No two days are ever the same and there are amazing people to be met and stories to hear at every turn.

From guests and colleagues all over the world, to working on collaborations and partnerships across the industry, no matter which role capacity you work in within the travel industry you will find a unique experience.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Travel, hiking and exploring are at the top of my list. International wings might have been clipped for the past couple of years but we are blessed in Australia with so much to enjoy in our own backyard.

Have you managed to do any travelling since restrictions began to ease (domestic or international)?

I am yet to pick back up any international travel, with a bucket list of Aussie adventures still to make my way through and in early December I ticked one of those off with a trip over to Lord Howe Island and wow! One of the most beautiful places in the world I have been to, I will be back.

What’s your favourite travel company, besides the one you work for?

Aside from Marriott International (we do have a lot of coverage with over 7000 hotels around the world!) I tend to use different sources for travel plans depending on where I am heading to, including local tour companies for bespoke experiences.

If you could invite three famous guests (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you choose?

Jon Bon Jovi, Michelle Obama and Jack Whitehall.

What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the global pandemic hit?

Normally caught up in the hectic of everyday life and busy schedules, during the pandemic I have seen friends, family and colleagues globally take the time to pause and truly reassess/realign priorities and goals and the future direction they want to take with their time personally and professionally.

What’s your advice for others in the travel industry on coping with the global pandemic?

Remember why you joined the travel industry, although we’ve been hit hard this past two years, travel is top of the list for many of what they are going to resume when the pandemic is behind us.

It brings so much joy, we get to be a part of that, and it is never mundane. The camaraderie of the travel industry is second to none.

What book and/or TV show can you not get enough of lately?

The book Beyond Possible by Nirmal Purja – it really shares the story of how the mind is our biggest strength.

Do you have any travel goals for 2022?

I have another Australian bucket list trip booked in March, this time to Tasmania which includes hiking the coveted Overland Track.

Marriott International recently opened The Tasman, a Luxury Collection hotel in Hobart and my room is already booked as a much deserved post-hike indulgent treat!

One of the perks of working in a global hotel company. I would also love to make it over to New York, I have missed its vibrancy so much.

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