From the Maldives to Bali to the Kaiman Islands, Marc Leblanc and Laura Robinson lived and worked in places, most people dream of.
They work in the hospitality industry – a journey that the Canadian Leblanc began at the age of 16 when he took on a job as a dishwasher in a hotel. He worked for Bellman, then to the reservation counter before graduating in hotel management.
Robinson, who is British, studied marine biology and worked as a diving instructor before switching to the hotel tour.
The couple met while working on the Kaiman Islands and has lived and worked on several islands in Asia since then, including the small eastern Indonesian island of Sumba.
Now you live in Shinta Mani Wild, a luxurious resort that is hidden in the Cambodia Cardamom Mountains, where Leblanc acts as General Manager of the Hotel, and Robinson supervises the operation and sustainability.
Robinson and Leblanc are preparing for Zipline, the more than 1,000 feet over the Cambodia jungle in Shinta Mani Wild, the most popular way to get into the resort in the resort.
Source: Laura Robinson
The couple often speaks to hotel guests, many of whom “know very curious about our history,” said Leblanc.
For the beginning, the work in places such as the Maldives, which are known for his concept “One Island, One Resort” – differs from the visit, he said, he said CNBC trip.
“You are locked up on this island, surrounded by water,” said Leblanc. “You don’t really go anywhere … you are stuck there for a long time.”
For employees, the Resort Life focuses on a Stabsdorf where workers sleep, eat and wash and laundry – a situation that compares Leblanc with a summer camp.
“It will be a small community,” said Robinson. “You still have the same challenges that a large group of people who live together can be present. There are differences in personalities and opinions.”
The management of these differences is important, she said, especially in places such as the Maldives who have a multicultural workforce. That was easier with Shinta Mani, because “apart from some of us, every Cambodian is,” she said.
Many people think that working in hospitality is about ensuring that guests have a good time. But “They have 100 (employees) who are also happy to “be happy too,” she said.
Robinson said she and Leblanc celebrate the birthdays and other events in the hotel. “Marc sometimes picks up his decks and DJs for her that they love,” she said.
While Iceland is Sun and fun for most travelers, Saltwater creates maintenance problems for those who work behind the scenes, said Robinson.
Robinson, who is shown on the Kaiman Islands, says that her previous work as a diving instructor has prepared you to manage activities and experiences in the hotels who manage and Leblanc.
Source: Laura Robinson
In the Cambodian forest, the environmental challenges are different. “Here you have the humidity and the forest that tries to win back yourself,” she said.
Shinta Mani Wild has 15 guest tents, but the resort is on land that is “the size of the Central Park”, and it requires a “very high attention to detail, in terms of product and service Also the maintenance work that we do“, Said Leblanc.
He said that the employees patroy on the property, including a large farm in the country, and at the same time retained the paths that go through it.
“It’s new for us,” he said. “We learn.”
Far from the family
Life in some of the most coveted travel destinations in the world has its advantages, but Leblanc and Robinson are also around life to live far from their families.
When they lived in the Maldives, their parents visited them every year and returned home every two years to see siblings, said Robinson.
Now the couple travels home every year, she said. “My brother and sister started having children … and our parents are getting older.”
The couple have no children, so school – a big consideration for many expatriates – is not a problem. They recently adopted two dogs from the Cardamom Mountains Forest, they said.
Work together for almost two decades
Leblanc and Robinson discussed another challenge: life and work in remote places as a couple.
“At the beginning they don’t know how to do it,” said Leblanc. But “we work together pretty well.”
The attitude of couples for managing hotels makes sense for remote goals, said Leblanc. “We have each other,” he said.
Source: Laura Robinson
“We still do it,” said Robinson with a laugh and added that separate offices are the key.
As General Manager of Shinta Mani monitors Leblanc matters in connection with human resources, finance, security and engineering in the hotel, while Robinson is more “foreground” data.
“(Laura is) highly organized, highly efficient and I’m more on the creative side,” said Leblanc.
Robinson said Leiflanc has brave ideas and is able to carry them out. The couple spends time, even for personal holidays and brainstorming ideas – often inspire them from their travels, she said.
“There is no shortage of places looking for pairs management,” said Leblanc. “There are recruitment companies that specialize not only for hotels, but also for private islands in couples for ultra -hollow net assets. The employment opportunities are out there.”
In remote goals, a companion can also alleviate loneliness, said Leblanc.
“It makes sense, we have each other,” he said.
