Behind the scenes with Executive Housekeeper

At The Sarojin we pride ourselves on offering a truly unique stay in a resort that has all the comforts of home combined with the luxurious facilities of a boutique five-star hotel, spaciously spread across 10 acres of lush tropical grounds with direct access to an 11km stretch of secluded white sand beach. From serene gardens, a picturesque infinity pool, award-winning spa, fitness centre and library to our Ficus and Edge restaurants servings an array of mouth-watering cuisine recognised by the Michelin Guide, there’s plenty to explore.

Naturally suited to providing ample personal space amidst the plentiful gardens and beach and “a socially distanced break” as desired, The Sarojin is home to 56 luxurious private residences situated in seven separate two-storey buildings that blend harmoniously with the surrounding nature. Each residence has its own entrance, accessed via a natural stone garden path flanked with native foliage and florals evoking the feeling of walking below the jungle canopy. With abundant space our Garden Residence boasts a shaded outdoor sala pavilion for tranquil serenity, our Pool Residence is home to a 5.5 x 3.5m private pool ideal for relaxing and cooling off in the Thai sunshine and our most premium room, the Jacuzzi Pool Suite, offers a stunning outdoor heated jacuzzi pool as well as a separate indoor lounge area. All rooms enjoy an en-suite couples’ bathroom with rainfall shower and a sumptuous master bedroom with king-size double bed.

You will arrive to a peaceful and sublime setting when staying with us but there’s a lot that goes into keeping The Sarojin looking so special and behind the scenes our expert housekeeping staff go above and beyond to ensure the resort is the idyllic retreat – with immaculately maintained rooms, communal areas and grounds – that you would expect to see. To discover more about the role of the housekeeping team, here we speak with Executive Housekeeper Khun Harn who has worked at The Sarojin for over 16 years:

“When I first joined The Sarojin team in 2005 I worked under the then Executive Housekeeper Khun Chailai who was an incredibly experienced woman with years of hospitality wisdom – she was often referred to as the ‘mum of the house’ and taught me so much before she retired and I inherited her position in 2008. Since then, the family ethos she embodied, which has always been at the core of The Sarojin identity, remains steadfast within our team and we strive to look after our treasured guests with the same level of care, attention to detail, thoughtfulness and respect that we would make for our own beloved mothers – or Khun Chailai – when coming to stay in our own homes.

It’s this concept which really sets The Sarojin apart from other resorts, and something we’re incredibly proud of – we want our guests to feel as if they are staying with very special friends or indeed “family”, experiencing the personal touches that go hand in hand with being around loved ones whilst still being able to enjoy luxurious surroundings and facilities. Housekeeping plays a huge role in making this possible and my team of 30 cleaners, gardeners, room attendants and housekeeping support staff work hard to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards throughout the resort.

The role of a housekeeper can vary from day to day, but main duties include taking care of guests’ rooms, cleaning the resort, processing guests’ linen and laundry and maintaining staff uniforms. We also have some very talented gardeners in our team who keep our outside spaces looking pristine and tend to our range of plants, many of which are rare and usually only seen in deep rainforests or in the mangroves of southern Thailand. Each area of the resort is attended to daily, and we are always happy to accommodate special requests from our guests – for example we can create personalised bed art, supply additional flowers or decorations for a special occasion or we can fill the room and bathtub with fresh petals and candles to create the ultimate romantic atmosphere.

Our in-room bed art and decorative resort displays created from folded towels, flowers and foliage are always a firm favourite amongst our guests – the team have made so many incredible designs in the past, often inspired by our local nature and culture such as the iconic Thai elephant. Our lobby is adorned with intricate orchid and Panadanus leaf designs, while we decorate the restaurants with Bird of Paradise flowers and tree ferns – almost all the flowers and foliage used are sourced from The Sarojin garden. This skill is passed down through generations and is an adaptation from the traditions of our farming ancestors who would use natural flowers and leaves to decorate their homes.

 We have always taken the health and wellbeing of our guests very seriously at The Sarojin and although the resort is naturally well suited to social distancing with its private residences and ample space, in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic we’ve also enhanced our own safety and sanitisation measures to keep guests reassured, and importantly relaxed, during their stay. We are certified under the Amazing Thailand Health and Safety scheme (SHA Plus +) and we follow the measures required for this very carefully. We have increased cleaning protocols in public areas with careful consideration for the sanitisation of high-traffic areas and surfaces. Hand gel is available throughout the resort, new protocols have been implemented for services such as laundry and our in-room cleaning team sanitise their hands and equipment thoroughly when moving between each residence.

 Our team has had to adapt to this new way of working and we’ve provided additional training to all staff, but we’re so pleased to be welcoming guests back to The Sarojin who can expect the same warm welcome as before when they return – our famous Thai smiles are still beaming under our masks, we promise!”

For information and latest updates on Thailand’s reopening please refer to https://www.tatnews.org/

To find out more about The Sarojin’s health and safety procedures in response to COVID-19, you can visit our Health and Safety page https://www.sarojin.com/en/khao-lak-resort-sarojin/covid-19/

or to explore the resort’s spacious grounds and residences virtually check out our 360-degree online tour

For more information on SHA Plus +, visit: www.thailandsha.com/index