From the Maldives to Bali to the Cayman Islands, Marc LeBlanc and Laura Robinson have lived and labored in locations that most individuals dream of visiting.
They work within the hospitality business — a journey that LeBlanc, who’s Canadian, started at 16 years outdated when he accepted a job as a dishwasher at a resort. He labored his manner as much as bellman, then to the reservations desk, earlier than pursuing a level in resort administration.
Robinson, who’s British, studied marine biology and labored as a diving teacher earlier than transitioning to resort management.
The couple met whereas working within the Cayman Islands and have since lived and labored on a number of islands in Asia, together with the small jap Indonesian island of Sumba.
Now they reside in Shinta Mani Wild, a luxurious resort tucked away in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, the place LeBlanc serves because the resort’s basic supervisor, and Robinson oversees operations and sustainability.
Robinson and LeBlanc, getting ready to zipline greater than 1,000 toes throughout the Cambodia jungle into Shinta Mani Wild, the preferred solution to enter the resort.
Supply: Laura Robinson
The couple often communicate with resort visitors, a lot of whom “are tremendous curious to learn about our story,” mentioned LeBlanc.
For starters, working in locations just like the Maldives — which is thought for its “one island, one resort” idea — is completely different from visiting it, he advised CNBC Journey.
“You are locked on that island, surrounded by water,” LeBlanc mentioned. “You are not likely going anyplace … you are type of caught there for lengthy intervals of time.”
For workers, resort life facilities on a employees village, the place employees sleep, eat and do laundry — a state of affairs LeBlanc likened to a summer time camp.
“It turns into a little bit neighborhood of its personal,” Robinson mentioned. “You continue to have the identical challenges that having a big group of individuals residing collectively can current. There are variations in personalities and opinions.”
Managing these variations is essential, she mentioned, particularly in locations just like the Maldives, which has a multicultural workforce. That has been simpler at Shinta Mani Wild, as a result of “besides just a few of us, everyone seems to be Cambodian,” she mentioned.
Many individuals suppose that working in hospitality is about guaranteeing visitors are having time. However “you’ve got acquired 100 [employees] that you’ve to verify are completely happy” too, she mentioned.
Robinson mentioned she and LeBlanc have fun employees birthdays and different occasions on the resort. “Marc generally will get his decks out and DJs for them, which they adore,” she mentioned.
Whereas island life spells solar and enjoyable for many vacationers, saltwater creates upkeep points for these working behind the scenes, Robinson mentioned.
Robinson, pictured within the Cayman Islands, says her previous work as a diving teacher ready her to deal with actions and experiences on the lodges that she and LeBlanc handle.
Supply: Laura Robinson
Within the Cambodian forest, the environmental challenges are completely different. “Right here you’ve got acquired the humidity and the forest making an attempt to reclaim itself,” she mentioned.
Shinta Mani Wild has 15 visitor tents, however the resort sits on land that “is the scale of Central Park,” and it requires a “very excessive degree of consideration to element, by way of product and repair, however additionally the conservation work that we do,” LeBlanc mentioned.
He mentioned employees patrol the property, together with a big farm on the land, whereas additionally sustaining the paths that run by way of it.
“It is new for us,” he mentioned. “We’re studying.”
Removed from household
Life in among the world’s most coveted journey locations has its perks, however LeBlanc and Robinson additionally cope with residing removed from their households.
Once they lived within the Maldives, their mother and father visited them yearly, and so they returned house each different 12 months to see siblings, mentioned Robinson.
Now the couple journey house yearly, she mentioned. “My brother and sister began having children … and our mother and father are getting older.”
The couple should not have kids, so education — a giant consideration for a lot of expatriates — is not a difficulty. They just lately adopted two canine from the Cardamom Mountains forest, they mentioned.
Working collectively for practically 20 years
LeBlanc and Robinson mentioned one other problem: residing and dealing in distant areas as a pair.
“Initially you do not know how it should go,” mentioned LeBlanc. However “we work fairly effectively collectively.”
Hiring {couples} to handle lodges is sensible for distant locations, mentioned LeBlanc. “We’ve got one another,” he mentioned.
Supply: Laura Robinson
“We’re nonetheless doing it,” Robinson mentioned with fun, including that separate workplaces are key.
As the overall supervisor of Shinta Mani, LeBlanc oversees issues associated to human assets, finance, safety and engineering on the resort, whereas Robinson handles extra “entrance of home” issues, she mentioned.
“[Laura is] extremely organized, extremely environment friendly, and I am extra on the inventive facet,” LeBlanc mentioned.
Robinson mentioned LeBlanc comes up with daring concepts and is expert at executing them. The couple spend time, even on private holidays, brainstorming concepts — typically discovering inspiration from their travels, she mentioned.
“There is not any scarcity of locations in search of managing {couples},” LeBlanc mentioned. “There are recruitment corporations focusing on hiring {couples}, not just for lodges, but in addition for personal islands, for ultra-high internet price people. The job alternatives are on the market.”
In distant locations, having a companion can ease loneliness too, mentioned LeBlanc.
“It is sensible, now we have one another,” he mentioned.