Author: Secret Escapes

I think it is my personal passion for travel, tech and e-commerce as well as a strong connection to the travel industry. As well culture, people and an agile environment matter! What could be better than working in technology in the travel industry, alongside likeminded people?

What did you want to be when you were younger?
It took me some time to figure out what I want to do. Before graduating from University, I needed to make a choice between the creative and business sides of my personality. I tried my hand at photography and make-up while studying business and management, and I worked for a tour
operating company. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be in the business world. I think I have finally managed to find that balance, being an Agile Delivery Manager and having travel and portrait photography as a hobby.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes? 
Lots of things! I think it is my personal passion for travel, tech and e-commerce as well as a strong connection to the travel industry. As well culture, people and an agile environment matter! What could be better than working in technology in the travel industry, alongside likeminded people?

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like? 
It has been busy; full of events and opportunities to meet new people! There has been a lot of new information. I have been involved in the process from the day 1 – lots of meetings within our vibrant Technology department and time to observe how things work here.

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes? 
Luckily it wasn’t overly complicated; I made an application via the website, and someone from the Talent team contacted to me and we arranged a phone interview. After that I had a second phone interview with the CTO, and then a final stage face to face interview. I really enjoyed the last stage,
it was a mix of conversation and scenario-based questions and at the end I met one of the development teams.

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?
It is all about culture, people and environment. The company induction is probably the best I have ever had! It was fun and super useful for a new starter.

What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?
It is difficult to pick one! Well, Milos island. It is a true hidden Mediterranean gem. I love the combination of blue and white; snow-white Rocks of Sarakiniko beach plus the endless blue of sea and sky, I can spend hours there! The diversity of landscapes is unbelievable! Along with sun, food, ancient sites and a copy of Venus de Milo – which was originally found on the island and is now displayed in Louvre Museum in Paris, this is a great destination.

 

I really like Secret Escapes’ business model and how it’s different to OTAs. I’m so interested in this specific region - I love the Caribbean! The video about ‘working at secret escapes’ was also super inspiring and it looked like a great place to work.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

When I was younger I really wanted to be a Veterinarian!

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes? 

I really like Secret Escapes’ business model and how it’s different to OTAs. I’m so interested in this specific region – I love the Caribbean! The video about ‘working at secret escapes’ was also super inspiring and it looked like a great place to work.

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like? 

Very busy and very welcoming – I also love the fun and modern offices!

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes? 

One of the best I have ever experienced to be honest. The follow up and the patience from the team with my sometimes-late replies whilst I was traveling. Above all, the fact that I was selected even through I didn’t live in the UK at the time. Secret Escapes was willing to take a chance on me against other local candidates; very inspiring!

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before? 

In a way is very similar to my previous job, open minded culture, very lineal and not hierarchical – the main difference is that the pace is faster.

What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?

London! (now that I have moved here I need to find another one) but I love London – it’s the most magical city in the world.

I had actually been on a few Secret Escapes holidays so when I saw the role advertised, I looked more into the company, the culture and the values, it really looked like somewhere I could envisage myself developing. On top of that, I was really impressed by the recent funding round and the company seemed like an exciting place to be.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
When I was younger I wanted to be a teacher, or a tap dancer!

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes?
I had actually been on a few Secret Escapes holidays so when I saw the role advertised, I looked more into the company, the culture and the values, it really looked like somewhere I could envisage myself developing. On top of that, I was really impressed by the recent funding round and the company seemed like an exciting place to be.

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like?
My first week at Secret Escapes was really interesting, there was a lot to take in but my line manager made sure he checked in with me often and made sure he was going at a pace I could keep up with! Everyone made me feel welcome and it went so quick.

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes?
I actually had four interviews for my role, an initial phone interview which was quite casual, a more formal one with my direct line manager which included some Excel tests, another with his line manager and then a more informal one with another member of the team. Although this was quite a lot, it showed that Secret Escapes really care about their employees being a great fit not just in the company but in the team too. I was really impressed with how slick it was, and how helpful everyone was when I had questions etc.

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?
My last job was working in insurance so it was a lot more corporate. At SE everyone still works really hard but it is a lot more casual – little things like wearing more casual clothes and playing music in the office makes a big difference to productivity.Aside from that, I find it really helpful to have structure in place like personal objectives, team meetings and one-to-ones. It definitely makes you feel more valued as an employee and hopefully will allow me to develop really quickly.

What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?
My favourite holiday destination has to be one of the Greek islands (although I can’t pick which one!) My parents used to take us to a different one each year and I have lots of fond memories there. The food and beaches are amazing and I can’t get enough!

Although everyone works very hard, we work in a relaxed, laid back environment which really encourages you to be brave with your ideas and opinions. Everyone’s feedback is welcome and you feel like you can really make a difference to people on a daily basis, which from an HR perspective is really rewarding.

What did you want to be when you were younger?
I wanted to be a million different things depending on where I was and who I was with – an air hostess, power business woman, dog groomer and checkout lady most regularly topped the list.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes?
The Secret Escapes values really spoke to me when I saw them. Previously, I would start a job and then adopt that company’s values, so it was inspirational for me to identify with the Secret Escapes values before I even got the job. I think that company values say a lot about who you work, for and I am delighted to see that the values are really embraced here and mean something to everyone who works at Secret Escapes. I also loved the idea of working within an HR team in an organisation with such fast growth and high potential globally. Oh, and I was an avid Secret Escapes user who LOVES holidays.

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like?

Really fast paced – this is my first time working for a tech company so I very naively didn’t realise how much actually goes into maintaining our website and making sure our deals were the best ones out there. It was really interesting, everyone was really nice and down to earth and the week flew by! (As has every week since)!

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes?
The recruitment process was great – Cheryl did a great job of looking after me throughout the process, and unusually I actually enjoyed my interviews!

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?
Although everyone works very hard, we work in a relaxed, laid back environment which really encourages you to be brave with your ideas and opinions. Everyone’s feedback is welcome and you feel like you can really make a difference to people on a daily basis, which from an HR perspective is really rewarding.

Finally…. What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?
My favourite holiday recently was my trip to Thailand where I got engaged, however Ibiza is and always will be will be my spiritual home.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes? A colleague from my previous company moved to Secret Escapes a few months ago and said it was a great place to work. The role itself also sounded great!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
My first career aspiration was to be a professional footballer and play for Benfica-unfortunately my lack of skills soon ended that dream!

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes?
A colleague from my previous company moved to Secret Escapes a few months ago and said it was a great place to work. The role itself also sounded great!

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like?
It was great week but also a very busy week! I was introduced to a lot of people and had to get to grips with new processes and procedures! Everybody was very friendly and helped in making my first week as easy as possible.

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes?
I had two interviews, the first was a little more informal, we chatted about my experience, my previous job roles and why I wanted to work at Secret Escapes. The second interview was a little more demanding and included a task for me to prepare and present back to the team. Overall the process was good!

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?
The pace of Secret Escapes is faster! Where I worked before offers were planned to land throughout the year, here we need to have new offers every week. The work environment is great – everyone works hard but the office environment is fun and relaxed.

Finally …. What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?
I loved my holiday to Florida! I was quite surprised on how casual and friendly people were. It was my first time to America and honestly had a different idea! I love a beach holiday so this was a great destination for me, two weeks of pure relaxation and good times (and very, very warm sea water).

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes? I was looking for a position which would draw upon elements of both development and operations. And so, working within the platform team (which, amongst many things, is tasked with developing the tech team’s infrastructure and tooling) was a natural choice. The culture is also fun and relaxed.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a graphics designer. But then I got into programming (with Lua) and the rest is history.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes?
I was looking for a position which would draw upon elements of both development and operations. And so, working within the platform team (which, amongst many things, is tasked with developing the tech team’s infrastructure and tooling) was a natural choice. The culture is also fun and relaxed.

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like?
The first week was filled with lots of learning (process, technologies, and people’s names) as you’d expect, I’m still learning.

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes?
I went through a phone interview, take-home test, and face-to-face which took about 3 weeks from first contact to final offer. Overall, I was very pleased with the process.

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?
Each employee has their own personal development programme and time is set aside to work on personal objectives. There’s also music playing throughout the office, which is always a plus.

Finally …. What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?
I’d say Thailand, where amongst many things I dived in a yellow submarine. I’ll be there again this year.

What attracted you to Secret Escapes? I adore travelling and writing, and luxury goods are my opiate of choice, so naturally Secret Escapes was perfect because it incorporates all three. Because it’s a fairly young company, there’s so much scope for growth, and to potentially be a part of that seemed very exciting. Eat, sleep, travel, repeat.

What attracted you to Secret Escapes?

I adore travelling and writing, and luxury goods are my opiate of choice, so naturally Secret Escapes was perfect because it incorporates all three. Because it’s a fairly young company, there’s so much scope for growth, and to potentially be a part of that seemed very exciting. Eat, sleep, travel, repeat.

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like?

It was pretty crazy, but the UK editorial girls took me under their wings and helped me cope with the magnitude of little things and style nuances to learn. Everyone is really friendly and approachable – I knew I was in good hands within my first few moments.

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes?

Super-efficient. Within the space of a few weeks, I’d gone through the entire process and committed to moving from Bristol (which I love) to London (which I love even more)! SE didn’t waste any time too which is a blessing – it’s not nice to be on the other side waiting helplessly. I instantly accepted the offer because I loved the vibe I got from the office and the girls interviewing me – it was the perfect fit.

What did you dream of being when you were growing up and why?

It was always a battle between a fashion designer, a Greek popstar and a writer. Needless to say, my lack of talent for the first two meant my writing ambitions prevailed!

What has been your best memory so far?

The Tiki takeover (yes, the office has its own Tiki Bar) and Christmas buffet were quite special. Even though joining just before Christmas meant things in the office were super busy, the festivities going on kept everyone happy and excited.

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before?

The fact that there are more than eight people on the team is a start! Everyone is passionate about the job they’re doing – they work really hard but know how to have fun, so the environment is always positive and productive. I don‘t think there are many companies that have such a harmonious balance, with a team of people who genuinely love their job.

Finally …. What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?

There are so many places I’ve loved – Sicily, Amsterdam, New York – but New Orleans is like nowhere I’ve ever been. The mix of cultures, beautiful colonial architecture, the vibrant outdoor social scene, live jazz music, amazing food and the spooky presence of voodoo are just a few things that make it one of the coolest cities I’ve explored.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes? I remember the first time I saw the SE TV ad, it stayed with me and I was impressed by the strong message and branding of Secret Escapes.

What attracted you to working at Secret Escapes?

I remember the first time I saw the SE TV ad, it stayed with me and I was impressed by the strong message and branding of Secret Escapes. Years later when I had the opportunity to join I did not hesitate one second as I loved the product as well as the company’s culture and vision.

 

What was your first week at Secret Escapes like? 

Hectic… but in a positive way! Lots to learn and a lot of people to meet. I was nicely surprised by how welcoming everyone was including Alex and Tom (the two founders) who hosted a secret breakfast that week for all the newbies. Secret Escapes is a sizeable company and despite this, it has kept a family like atmosphere which is quite refreshing especially coming from the corporate word.

 

How did you find the recruitment process at Secret Escapes? 

Pretty efficient! I first had a chat over the phone with the Sales director and he asked me to come to the office the following week. After that meeting I was asked to come back and present my plan for the role in front of a panel. I put my thinking cap on and prepared my presentation: it went well and the exchange was really interesting and constructive.

 

What makes Secret Escapes different to where you have worked before? 

I love the funky office (especially the tiki bar!) and the way people are so relaxed but so dedicated at the same time. I also love how our founders communicate results and plans with everyone using a ‘normal’ language as opposed to using too much corporate jargon!

 

Finally… What has been your favourite holiday destination and why?

I instantly fell in love with Kyoto in Japan when I first visited it aged 16 (many many years ago!). I was lucky enough to return two years ago and I was stunned again by this imperial capital of Japan that dazzles with its temples, shrines and gardens. It gives you a unique sense of tranquillity and peacefulness. Highly recommended!