More Cool Hotel Jobs: Elephant Camp Coordinator at Four Seasons Golden Triangle

January 18, 2011 at 2:07 PM | by EricRosen | Comments (0)

All this week, HotelChatter contributor Eric Rosen will be telling us about more of the coolest hotel jobs out there. He reached out across the globe to talk to the dynamic folks who do everything from wrangling elephants (and guests!) to designing the latest high-tech gadgetry for your next guest room. So check back every day to see who he�s talking to next.

When we talk about hotels, which we do a lot of around here, we usually talk about awesome rooms, unique amenities, and cresting trends. But every so often, we like to focus on the people who make the hotels we talk about so unique, like Taweesak Keereekaew (Khun Wee for short), the Elephant Camp Coordinator at the Four Seasons Golden Triangle.

The Elephant Camp is part of the overall Tented Camp experience with three- and four-night adventures for �active adults,� who arrive at the camp via traditional long-tail boat. It�s here that they are trained to drive and trek with elephants through the surrounding jungles, take a river excursion on Mekong, and relax in secluded forest rooms. And it is here that Khun Wee�s job begins.

A Meandering Path
Khun Wee never intended to work with elephants, though. Born in Chiang Rai, he grew up on a rice farm an hour and a half north of city, and after studying English, decided that he wanted to become a tour guide. First, though, he worked in area hotels for fifteen years before becoming a freelance tour guide. For five years, he showed visitors around Chiang Rai and the surrounding areas. Then a friend told him about the job working with elephants at the Four Seasons Tented Camp, and he�s been there since 2005.

The Camp has six working elephants�the ones the guests take out on treks�which each have their own two dedicated mahouts, or trainers. Khun Wee and his team also care for 25 elephants, including 15 babies, that they sponsor through the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, which rescues elephants from the now-banned logging industry in the area.

A Typical Day at Work
Khun Wee gets to work at about 7:00am in the morning and gets bananas ready for the baby elephants� breakfast (aww!). Guests come down at 9:00am for their mahout training, and then trek to the elephant pond to bathe the friendly creatures. The afternoon is dedicated to trekking and discovering the splendor of the surrounding jungles, and their hidden mountain paths.

In the evening, we hear Khun Wee unwinds by playing badminton and practicing for elephant polo tournaments�tell us how we can get in on those!

A lot of times, we�re so focused on the typical trappings of luxury�thread count, super new gadgets, square footage�that we forget about one of the most essential luxuries out there: the chance to enjoy the splendors of the natural world, and these gentle giants that inhabit it. Now that�s real luxury�and one of the best jobs we�ve come across.

Want your own Elephant Camp experience? Rates start at $2,300 per tent per night.

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