Hotels are fascinating places, especially for young inquisitive minds. Offering a behind-the-scenes insight into the workings of hotel life, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort in Thailand has launched an immersive ‘Junior Hotelier’ programme for children aged between eight and 12.
The imaginative programme follows in the footsteps of the resort team as they make the preparations for new guests arriving at the luxurious Layan Residences by Anantara, located on the hillside above the resort. Activities include towel art with housekeeping, a cooking class with chef and mocktail making on the pool deck.
The ‘Junior Hotelier’ experience starts with a short tour of one of the 15 Layan Residences, while shadowing a villa butler, learning the traditional Thai greeting for new guests and hearing their fun facts and anecdotes of hotel life.
The young guests will be shown how to make the perfect bed, before getting creative with animal towel art. Like origami but with towels, they will learn the skill of creating jungle animals, including elephants and monkeys, which will be left on the bed for the new guests.
In the villa kitchen, budding cooks will help the chef prepare for the meal that evening. From mixing and kneading dough for pastries, to using ingredients such as rice noodles, coconut oil and prawns to make a traditional Pad Thai. The trainee chefs will have a chance to taste their dishes while learning about the ingredients they are using.
No hotel is complete without a signature cocktail and following their cooking class the junior hoteliers will get busy making a mocktail at the open air bar by the infinity pool. Combining different fruits such as pineapple, mango and papaya, the mini mixologists will work together with the bartender to create their own fruit concoction or mock-jito.
The experience will end by following in the footsteps of the villa butler as they demonstrate the art of a relaxing turndown service, leaving slippers out and a treat on the pillow.
Depending on their particular interests, additional activities can also be arranged including garland making and meeting Anantara Layan Phuket Resort’s Head of Activities to organise a football game or yoga on the beach or learning the art of Muay Thai in the resort’s own boxing ring.
Finally, the new hotel experts will be awarded a special thank you from the resort’s Managing Director and receive a photo and certificate commemorating their achievements.
The ‘Junior Hotelier’ programme costs 2,500 Thai Baht (GBP 60) per child and lasts two to three hours, for children aged eight to 12. Available by request either individually or in small groups, year-round, subject to availability.
