It’s rare for a chance encounter to lead to romance, but for Quentin Jones and George Northcott, a serendipitous meeting resulted in a tale of unexpected love.
Illustrator and film-maker Jones met Northcott, a tech entrepreneur, at Heathrow airport. The pair were on their way to the same group holiday and were dating by the end of the trip. Jones was living in New York at the time while Northcott was based in London, but despite initially being separated by continents, they made their long-distance relationship work.
Five years on, the couple are married and live together in London with their two sons, three-year-old Grey and one-year-old Cassius. They are one of 15 couples to feature in Loyalty and Love, a new campaign from travel programme Marriott Bonvoy.
The project, captured by Rankin, explores the stories behind real relationships in 15 hotels across Europe. Each image captures the romance and glamour of staying in a hotel by revealing couples behind closed doors, in their own private bubble of a hotel room. The result is a collection of photographs that highlights the importance of spending precious time together. Below, Jones shares how travel has played a strong part in her relationship, from special weekends away to fuss-free hotel stays as a family.
On making a long-distance relationship a success
‘Our first time spent alone was when George flew home from the Burning Man festival in Nevada and “stopped off” to see me in New York. The next six months were spent crisscrossing the Atlantic. George was really romantic. Every time he came to visit, he wrote a rhyming comedy poem about the trip.’
On taking time out to reset
‘I think it’s really important to find time as a couple, so this year we headed to Miami for some sun in February, went skiing in March, and then visited Venice for the Biennale opening in May. When we’re away, the thing I love most about staying in a hotel is that someone cleans up the room during the day. George likes to leave his clothes on the floor and that makes me tense. We tend to sleep better and longer too; I guess because we’ve got babies at home, but also it’s that feeling of being cocooned. I adore staying in hotels because of how stress-free it makes a trip – particularly with babies.’
On her most romantic holiday
‘It has to be George proposing to me in Tuscany when I was six months pregnant. We were on a long, sweaty hike in hills and I was wearing his boxers, a baggy T-shirt and trainers. It was actually much more romantic than it sounds, but it wasn’t quite the look I had imagined for when I got engaged. Venice will always be special to us because we got married there and we often go back for the Biennale. Every time you arrive in Venice, it takes your breath away.’
On her bucket-list destinations
‘I would love to see more of South America. We were thinking about going to Buenos Aires and different parts of Brazil, but it just seemed too far every time we weighed it up. But now that we’re moving to New York, I think it will make a lot more sense.’
On the importance of loyalty
‘Loyalty is the solid floor to your marriage – that base you never have to question; that knowledge that you are both on the same side even when you are fighting.’
Quentin Jones and George Northcott's Loyalty & Love image for Marriott Bonvoy was captured at the Great Northern Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, London.
‘Loyalty and Love’ is a creative collaboration between British photographer Rankin and travel programme Marriott Bonvoy that captures the love stories of 15 couples. With a portfolio of 29 hotel brands, Marriott Bonvoy enables members to explore the world in pursuit of their passions and earn and redeem points as they travel. To read the ‘Loyalty and Love’ stories or become a Marriott Bonvoy member, visit Marriott Bonvoy
