LookBook N03 june 2019
CoutureHospitalityConcept
CoutureHospitalityConcept
MADE-TO-MEASURE LUXURY HOTEL MANAGEMENT, REPRESENTATION, MARKETING & BRANDING Responsible for some of the finest and most distinctive property concepts around the globe
CoutureHospitalityConcept
Editorial
Design for the Soul E
xiting news: I’m delighted to introduce you to our new HoteliersGuild LookBook with essays from some of our most distinguished members - renowned personalities from our hospitality industry, such as celebrity Chef Francis Mallmann, leading architects Matteo Thun and Bill Bensley, as well as hotelier legend Onno Poortier are this issue’s protagonists. Also, and starting with the next issue, interesting profiles of hospitality leaders will be added, and featured hoteliers will be asked to comment on their properties and their plans for future developments. My special thanks go to Jeff Gordinier of ESQUIRE who graciously allowed us to quote from his excellent report of his journey to Francis Mallmann’s Patagonian island. We are, of course, thrilled to further deepen our long time support of Onno & Alexa’s itMustBeNOW initiative, now in a strategic partnership. Together with Preferred Hotels and other partners from our industry, we have pledged to invest quality time and do our utmost to persuade hoteliers to join us in our efforts. The flawed recent climate change conference in Nairobi requires input from all of us! And in Marbella, Spain, preparations have already started for this years induction celebration gala for the International HoteliersGuild Hall of Fame at the magnificent Villa Padierna Palace Hotel, which is now rebranded to become the European flagship of the Anantara group. As always, enjoy & hope you get inspired!
Frank M. Pfaller President HoteliersGuild
PROTAGONISTS Regine Sixt Bavarian power lady & citizen-of-the-world. As the head of international marketing for the SIXT Group, she is involved in the family business from the very beginning. She is also Honorary Consul of Barbados and Founder President of the Regine Sixt Foundation.
Francis mallmann
HoteliersGuild member since earlier this year, is an Argentine celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur who specializes in Argentine cuisine, and especially in Patagonian cuisine with a focus on various Patagonian methods of barbecuing food. He has been featured on numerous international television programs, as well as on the Netflix original series Chef's Table.
Matteo Thun
HoteliersGuild’s Honorary Ambassador and his Partners is, of course, a renowned multicultural architecture and design studio with Headquarters in Milan and subsidiaries in Shanghai. He stands for sustainable architecture and his most recent project was the Buergenstock Waldhotel.
karena albers together with our member hotelier Sonu Shivdasani founder ot the WHOLEWORLDWater initiative, with the aim to raise billions of $ for people without access to clean water.
Bill Bensley
also HoteliersGuild member and, of course, the go-to for luxurious, inspired tented camps design in Southeast Asia. Bangkok-based architect, landscaper & designer Bill and his partner Jirachai Rengthong, are behind over 200 properties in 30-plus countries around the globe.
Onno Poortier
a long time Honorary Ambassador with HoteliersGuild, a legendary colleague and former President of the Peninsula Group & Leela Palaces & Resorts, fighting to combat climate change through responsible travel.
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HallOfFame
Content
108 | 82 distinguished HoteliersGuild members Matteo Thun and Chef Francis Mallmann 16 | 31
32 | 43
VILNIUSMOUNTAIN RESORT Matteo Thun
WaldhotelBUERGENSTOCK Matteo Thun
Awe inspiring Hospitecture in the Italian Alps
44 | 57
The biggest Gambion House in Lucern, Switzerland
58 | 67
ELEPHANTCAMP Bill Bensley
GARZONURUGUAY Francis Mallmann
Eco-luxury jungle experience at Four Seasons Golden Triangle
Argentinian Chef & Hotelier extraordinaire
70 | 77
78 | 81
FilippoZoncato Mountain Chef
ThaiCHEFANCHALEE HotPot Fan
Vigilius’ cuisinier with creativity & style
HoteliersGuild in support of member initiatives
Content
Featuring Europe’s and Asia’s top hospitality architects Matteo Thun & Bill Bensley
Sustainable ‘Hospitecture’ & ‘Glampitecture’
84 | 91
PORTRAIT FrancisMallmann
NOBLECAUSES Giving back
A romantic Cuisinier & a Gentlemen
HoteliersGuild in support of member initiatives
Regine Sixt Foundation itMustBeNOW Shinta Mani Foundation
84 | 91
120 | 127
SUSTAINABLEARCH ITECTURE MatteoThun & BillBensley
BILLBENSLEYESSAY Cambodian Elephants
Hospitecture & Glampitecture
Understanding the plight of the Asian elephant and how to interact responsibly
Alexa Poortier of NOW
82 | 85
Beyond the expected
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And we encourage our HoteliersGuild colleagues to embrace the principles of sustainable luxury.
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We cherish private luxury sanctuaries and admire iconic grand hotels.
vigilius mountain resort
simply: be.
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Italy by Matteo Thun
“Eco not Ego” …is how Matteo Thun wants his work defined
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Dreams ild
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ts precisely these precious moments of the here and now, of memories and simply being which are so intense in this place which bring people to vigilius mountain resort ‌ Ulrich Ladurner | Owner
“All or nothing was the question”
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Dreams ild
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n spring 2001, the owner Ulrich Ladurner stood for the first time with the architect Matteo Thun before the old dilapidated “Hotel Vigiljoch”, once a very popular holiday hideaway known well beyond Italy’s shores. “All or nothing” was the big question. And the answer: “Start afresh, with nature as the guiding force and tranquility the goal, rigorously adhere to this ethos and direct our focus firmly on the future”. And this is exactly how it was done. With appreciation and respect for local products and specialities, as well with a humble awe for one of the most unique of all landscapes, this hotel - itself located in the heart of the Alps and reachable only by gondola - devotes its attention to the theme of “Alpine”. Guests have the opportunity to taste the Alps and experience the Alpine lifestyle, both outside with open views to the Dolomites peaks as well as inside the house wit all senses: through small details in design, the cheerful South Tyrolian dialect the aroma of wood and hay or that feeling when your skin touches soft linen…
“Like an island upon a mountain, the vigilius mountain resort lies 1.500 m above sea level near the local town of Lana close to Meran ”
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imply be’ is the philosophy here, drawing on its unique location. A modernist chalet, a 5-star design hotel, recognized nationally and internationally that satisfies deep longings - according to values that are becoming increasingly rare in our time.
“Feeling liberated and free, that’s our motto at vigilius mountain spa. Our spa on St. Vigilio is a unique place of silence and recreation, where our guests can free themselves from all physical and mental strains” Naomi Kondo, SPA Manager
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raffic noise, work, chaos and stress have no place here. A refuge is provided were visitors can lean back, rest and perhaps even think of new goals, ideas or desires.
“A place to chillax in and connect - to yourself, nature, or just your fave people vigilius mountain resort is a space where inside and outside merge seamlessly.“ WhiteLineHotels
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ubbling from a natural spring that has been popular for centuries, and traced with healing radon – the likes of this precious H20 is bottled in Italy’s designer Merano, and sold for a pretty penny, too. Here, it is simply on tap, for washing in, drinking and even brushing your teeth with.
“Panta rhei – everything flows and gives way to subtle change at the vigilius mountain spa “
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he indoor whirl pool directly adjoins to the infinity pool, a large pool of bubbling water extending to the outdoors into a little wood of larch trees - a paradise with its panoramic terrace, whose construction is reminiscent of steps leading to the heavens.
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ood and large expanses of glass are the construction elements of this Climate House, category A hotel in Italy, where inside and outside merge seamlessly - a pleasant symbiosis of modern design and comfort.
“A design hotel dripping with eco credentials and sustainable awards, ranging from Wallpaper Design to Eco Hotels of the World, vigilius mountain resort represents a conscientious, natural palace placed in Italy’s soaring skies, an ‘A-class ClimateHouse’. ”
WhiteLineHotels
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esigning a mountain hotel in South Tyrol up the car-free Vigiljoch demands great care and respect. Architect Matteo Thun solved this great challenge following the clear principle of “eco not ego”. The vigilius mountain resort was supposed to become a refuge where nature - and not man - is understood as the “creator”
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waldhotel bürgenstock Switzerland hospitectured by Matteo Thun
the world’s biggest gabion house …naturally discreet - a luxury health & medical hotel - “recover & recuperate” in style
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…where all the Old Is New Again at Switzerland's Bürgenstock Resort…
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hen it first opened in 1873 high above Lake Lucern, it quickly became the favorite hide-away for the rich & famous from around the globe. After falling out of favor, in 2007, the Qatari state fund bought the property - it was also responsible for the renovation of the London Savoy Hotel - and over a long nine years and an investment of around Euro 500mio+, the Burgenstock Resort was brought back to its former glory and finally reopened in 2018. The Waldhotel, a modern version of a ‘Kurhaus’, is a luxury health & medical hotel, designed by Italian Matteo Thun. All 160 terrace rooms and suites have stunning views across the lake towards the Alps. With its rehabilitation, cure and preventive packages on offer it is quickly becoming the most exclusive in Switzerland and possibly in Europe. The Waldhotel stands out for its striking façade. Gabions and wooden pergolas frame this magnificent building. Matteo Thun’s integrated ‘Botanical Architecture' concept and the s e as ona l c uisine ma ke t he Waldhotel one of a kind. Totally Feel-good Sustainability.
“a truly SUSTAINABLE-DESIGN ICON and probably Switzerland's most exciting new destination�
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he Waldhotel won the internationally renowned "Red Dot Award: Product Design 2019" in the category "Interior Design". The "Red Dot" award - first presented in 1955 under the title "Design Innovations" - has established itself worldwide as one of the most coveted quality seals for good design.
“The Waldhotel is on the sunny side of the Bürgenstock Resort. All the rooms and suites have been refurbished with fine-quality oak and pine and have large terraces. And the panoramic views are obscenely beautiful”
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masterpiece of modern, sustainable architecture that takes into account Zero KM, Zero waste and Zero CO2.
SideHotel Hamburg | Sky Lounge
Prefab House| System Heidi
Thermal Spa | Bad Wiessee
Side Hotel | Hamburg
Panoramic Villa | Lake Garda
Waldhotel | Buergenstock
SideHotel Hamburg | Suite
JW Marriott Hotel & Spa Venice
four seasons resort Chiang May Thailand
elephant camp
a retreat remin iscent of the ancient lanna Kingdom One of the aspects of Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai that is most commonly acclaimed and complemented on by guests is its beautiful design that takes myriad forms.
glampitectured by Bill Bensley
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“I firmly believe that we can all build without destroying our environment� Bill Bensley
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nestled amid rice paddies, overlooking the misty mountains beyond, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is the result of a close collaboration with an Ateam of well-known architects and desig ners. Among t he luminaries involved in the project are internationally acclaimed architect and landscape designer Bill Bensley of Bensley Design Studios; Chiang Mai Architects Collaborative; Bunnag Architects, and the interior design team of ABACUS Design Co., Ltd. One of the aspects of Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai that is most commonly acclaimed and complemented on by guests is its beautiful design that takes myriad forms. Today, Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is an extraordinary inland hideaway with manicured rivers of green through the beautiful Mae Rim Valley. This was the first resort garden designed by Bensley Design Studios. The hotel has proved to be a draw for A-list Hollywood celebrities, enticed by tailor-made villa & luxury tents experiences. One option is the 20-bedroom private resort experience, with five private swimming pools and five live-in butlers in a set of Residence Villas linked by a sheltered bamboo-lined pathway.Â
“Well-spaced for privacy and quiet, the tents are connected by a quaint brick trail lined with bamboo. Guests may choose from Deluxe and Superior styles. The five Deluxe tents, for example, feature private outdoor whirlpools that take the experience to another level of luxury.�
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onceived by the celebrated interior designer Bill Bensley, the sense of enchantment begins with the picturesque location of the tents, scattered across half a mile of rolling forest-covered hillside, the better to enjoy gorgeous views
“There is something deliciously intriguing and inspiring about staying in one of the 15 open-air luxury tents at Four Seasons Tented Elephant Camp Golden Triangle.�
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raffic noise, work, chaos and stress have no place here. A refuge is provided were visitors can lean back, rest and perhaps even think of new goals, ideas or desires.
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Garzón Hotel & restaurant by Francis Mallmann ‘’ Recuerden que al final, mas allá de la belleza, lo que vale es el sabor. Usen menos el cuchilla y mas las manos, las mismas del deseo y el amor”
former general store Located at a large brick house that used to be Garzón town’s General Store in bygone days.
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“Female chefs are the best. When they’re good, they’re much better than us. “
A Bathroom with a View
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n an interview with Condé Nast, one of the questions to Francis was: If someone else was going to cook you your last meal, who would it be and what would they cook you?
“ Probably a gaucho, which is our local cowboy. They live a very beautiful life, they have an intelligence about eating. They always eat by a fire, they’re always standing, they have a knife in their right hand and a piece of bread in their left. And they cut a little piece of hot meat from the grill, put it on the bread and eat it and as they’re eating that they’re looking at the next piece. They’re not like us, we will serve ourselves a huge slice of meat and go to the table and wait and it will get cold. So I think I would have that with them and some sort of ash-cooked potatoes and a simple sort of salad. That would be a perfect meal.
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Villa privacy
ltimate
R ustic chic done to excellence - the rooms are well designed and match the aesthetic elsewhere.
R omantically appointed suites- all of them with kingsize bed and fireplace or wood burners. The staff light the fireplace in your room while you dine, and thus you’ll return to a warm glow.
MADE-TO-MEASURE LUXURY HOTEL MANAGEMENT, REPRESENTATION, MARKETING & BRANDING Responsible for some of the finest and most distinctive property concepts around the globe.
CoutureHospitalityConcept | Villa dei Frassini | Viottolo dei Frassini 12 | 6977 Ruvigliana-Lugano Switzerland | t +41 22 534 94 78 www.selectedhotels.biz | selectedhotels@mac.com
CoutureHospitalityConcept
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U Chefs & their work from
vigilius mountain resort &
Four Seasons
Elephant Camp
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Filippo Zoncato Executive chef at vigilius mountain resort Zoncato’s style is based on creativity in dealing with ingredients and the perfect mastery of techniques that bring their taste to its best
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is cuisine is based on local products, selected according to the season and combined in a modern way, without neglecting the rich Tyrolian traditions. So often it is just a single product that inspires Filippo to try out a new dish. He likes to combine unusual elements, so that colour, taste and consistency are in contrast, however never loosing his red lines. As part of the Merano WineFestival 2018 he was able to prove his culinary skills and won this year’s “Premio Godio”. He convinced the jury of his fine craftsmanship with his signature dish ‘Harald Gasser’s Vegetable Garden’, a symphony of modernity and tradition that presents itself with vegetable grown in permaculture, calf ’s head steamed in hay, napkin dumplings and beetroot foam. Explaining his philosophy he says: “ It is my goal to conjure up in the palates of our guest those emotions that can be only experienced in the timeless ambience and in the lofty heights of the vigilius mountain resort. I wish to bring together regional and international cuisine in a modern interpretation. Together with my young and very enthusiastic team we have a vision of a cuisine that emphasises the essentials and where the ingredients are the main characters. It tastes best if it comes from the region. That sounds simple and yet it is anything but a matter of course to create culinary highlights from regional flavours so that every element can reveal its very own personality in a dish: pure, unadu lterate d, natura l and authentic.The ingredients in our gourmet cuisine are clear and honest. fresh wild herbs from Monte San Vigilio/Vigiljoch, or the local potatoes that have a special flavour. The personal contact and regular visits to the farms and fields are very important to me. Seeing the cattle and cabbages grow is not only the perfect quality control, it also grows trust through cooperation as well as a shared motivation to get the very best out of a product. “ It’s all about indulgence – pure and unadulterated.
THE 1500 RESTAURANT AT VIGILIUS MOUNTAIN RESORT
DesignHighlights
Chef anchalee Thai chef at Four Season’s Elephant Camp “I’ve been a fan of hot pot for years. And I really wanted to give guests an experience of authentic Thai flavours, using the same culinary language,” explains Chef Anchalee.
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Rim Tai Kitchen - Designed by the renowned Bill Bensley, this restaurant and cooking studio is housed in a charming Thai teak house and celebrates traditional Lanna elegance. The authentic architecture is complemented by a breathtaking amber glass chandelier suspended over the central dining table, offers a novel way to learn even more about one of the world’s favorite cuisines, join the Cooking School class, available six days a week or experience the intimate Chef ’s Table, available every day. The Thai chef will demonstrate and explain various preparation methods and culinary techniques as you enjoy a sumptuous meal of different Thai dishes to share in family style in the open-air pavilion overlooks a stunning waterfall and boasts sweeping tropical views. KHAO – features centuries-old recipes and customs coalesced in a modern kitchen. With influences from Yunan and Myanmar along the Silk Route, the culinary sojourn opens a window into heirloom secrets from the ‘Lanna’ Kingdom of Northern Thailand. At KHAO by Four Seasons, every dining experience holds the promise of the extraordinary. The team of chefs bring a tremendous cache of local knowledge to create an inspired bouquet of flavours using local ingredients sourced from the Northern Thai bounty. The Cooking Academy at Rim Tai Kitchen features an exciting programme exclusively designed by the Resort’s culinary team. Set amidst extensively landscaped gardens complete with a cascading landscaped waterfall. The Cooking School takes our guests on a culinary adventure. Experienced Cooks and Beginners alike can discover Thai cuisine, the ingredients and the cooking techniques. Our instructor Chefs share their passion and expertise to showcase authentic curries, wok dishes, herbal drinks, tea and coffee traditions as well as classic Thai fruit carvings.
Dining Extravaganza by Executive Chef Pisan Torphet “We created the kitchen garden from scratch, along with the horticultural team. Do you know we now have more than two hundred types of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices growing here?” asks Camp Chef Pisan Torphet, beaming with pride. Specialty dining promises to be truly memorable at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, thanks to Pisan’s love for growing and procuring great ingredients. The Camp’s very own organic garden yields ingredients for signature dishes. Fresh produce arrives daily from carefully chosen farms around the region, while high-end meats are flown in from overseas. Another of his pet hobbies is exploring the Golden Triangle’s distinctive flavours. “I love driving with my family and my team to Mae Sai, a town on the Myanmar border, to eat the local food. A simple dish like larb gai, or spicy Thai chicken salad, tastes different there. You learn something new from the local experts every time,” he says enthusiastically.At the Camp, Pisan brings the diversity of Burmese, Laotian and Thai cuisines into a menu that is best enjoyed at the specialty dining experiences.
DesignHighlights
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o Francis Mallmann Celebrity Chef | HĂ´telier & HoteliersGuild Ambassador
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Francis Mallmann
earned his spurs at a series of Michelin-starred restaurants in France, becoming
the first non-European winner of the International Academy of Gastronomy’s prestigious Grand Prix de l’Art de la Cuisine. By the late 1980s, he had returned to South America to help found an endemic culinary tradition, championing the meats, fish and game of Argentina’s pampas and cordillera.
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“
HEN YOU’RE COOKING A STEAK YOU’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT IT, YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH IT, YOU CAN’T LEAVE HER FOR ONE MOMENT”
…says South America’s beloved chef Francis Mallmann. You find him on his very own and very romantically secluded island in Patagonia. Chef Francis, a meat-smoking nomad, who loves poetry and has BBQ’d for the Beckham’s and the King of Spain, amongst others. Francis Mallmann is, of course, South America's and one of the world’s most celebrated chef with his own show on NETFLIX. He operates seven restaurants across the continent, and his famous rural sanctuary in Garzón in Uruguay really does stick out! And with (the now sadly closed) tiny eatery Los Negros, he certainly was a culinary pioneer in the oh-so-chic José Ignacio that attracted the Hollywood crowd and the rich&famous from around the world. He also has opened a restaurant at the renowned La Faena hotel in Miami, and more recently one other at Paddy McKillen’s Villa La Coste in the South of France. When it comes to ‘sustainability’ and ‘responsible luxury’, our choice is definitely his GARZON Hotel & Restaurant in Maldonado, Uruguay. Garzón was founded in 1892 by Mr. Fermín de León. It was a staging post located near the Garzón stream and the Royal Road (Camino Real) that leads to Rocha, where the then Governor Vicente Garzón had a saltery (saladero). After the disappearance of the passenger rail service in the ’80’s, Maldonado, the formerly a thriving way station, became a ghost town. Until Mallmann opened his hotel & restaurant in Garzón’s 155-year-old general store. He retained the brick building’s blackened floorboards and whitewashed walls, decorating with iron candelabras and rustic-chic wooden benches. It then occurred to him to convert the former storage vaults into a hotel, and he now employs 21 local youths, one-eighth of Garzón’s entire population, to run it. “I enjoy the business side but I try to develop ideas that have something more intrinsic to them than just counting profits. Garzón is a place to enjoy simple sensations, to gaze at the scudding clouds or listen to music under the stars, he says“
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Can you think of one word that could describe you? Patience What still motivates you after so long in business? Always the romance, joy and hope for a new intelligent customer. Why Patagonian cuisine? Because it's rooted in my heart since I'm a child. Your greatest professional achievement so far?
Being patient If you had one wish for yet a n o t h e r d r e a m hospitality project - what would it be & why & where? A restaurant in Paris because I've wanted her to be my lover for decades. She a l w ay s re p l i e s " m ay b e tomorrow”. I'm in love. One past or living restaurateur/ hotelier do you admire most? The king & master of service Mark Birley (of ‘Annabel’s, London). Which hotel/restaurant apart from your own do you like best? The Connaught in London. The River cafe What inspires you about your work?
v pri ret
thing about you that we won't learn from this interview? A:Silence
…and a gentleman. The fires are burning everywhere you look, be it in his own restaurants or in his famous NETFLIX show Chef ’s Table - Francis Mallmann is, in fact, ON FIRE or to be more specific, on SEVEN FIRES - his recent books.
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Francis, what’s the most interesting
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A Chef Without Borders
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t HoteliersGuild, we are delighted and honored that we now may count with the valued support of Francis Mallmann. And since we could not have described him any better, we are taking the liberty to quote from an excellent report from Jeff Gordinier for the ESQUIRE “It is fitting that you have to venture so far off the grid to get to Francis Mallmann. He is a man whose approach to cooking and living feels like an homage to a forgotten time and place. While many of the most influential chefs around the world have engaged in an escalating competition to be cast as creative and forward-thinking leaders in gastronomy, Mallmann has swerved in the opposite direction, forsaking the trappings of haute cuisine and focusing instead on a primal style of hospitality whose core comes down to one-syllable words: smoke, fire, air, stone, salt, rain, meat, wine. He runs nine restaurants around the world, mostly in South America and also in France and Miami Beach, but unlike Massimo Bottura, Daniel Humm, or René Redzepi, Mallmann is not associated with the visionary menu of one particular establishment. He is known for being Francis Mallmann, the Patagonian dandy who can put together a royal repast in a clearing in the forest, using little more than a few sticks tied together and a smoldering flame surrounded by stones. You can go to the restaurants and get a standardized rendition of Mallmannism, sure, but there’s no getting around the nagging feeling that if you want to experience the essence of his cooking or study fire at his elbow, as countless chefs have, you need to come to the island.”
Photo: João Canziani
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Everything possible Any dislikes? Inn When guests split the check. It takes away the romance of all. Personal enjoyment? Silence with my children and wife. What caused you to become a capacity in our industry? Romance Who was or is your greatest influence? Raymond Oliver (+chef and owner of Le Grand Véfour) Your definition on “Sustainable Luxury” in our hospitality industry? A chimney Your favourite sustainable hotel/restaurant or other place to stay? A tent in Patagonia How do you embrace sustainability in your own life? Getting solar energy in some of my homes Following the last flawed Climate Conference in Nairobi, if you had a chance to address the decision makers– what would you ask them? To forget their own gardens What in your opinion are the most pressing sustainability issues facing Chefs in our hospitality industry today? To gradually sell less meat and fish Can you share a favorite place to stay? The roof top rooms of the Wythe hotel in Williamsburg NYC it's home. What’s you advise for next generations of Chefs with relevance to Sustainability and Responsible Luxury? To learn in depth and to listen to their hearts Finally, name at least two items that are on top of you personal/family bucket list? A Steinway piano A larger milessime collection of peau Gascón bottles of Armagnac Laverdeolive t La
Isla
CURATED BY
CONCEIVED TO CELEBRATE BRILLIANCE IN OUR INDUSTRY Dedicated to people who are making outstanding contributions to the global luxury Lebensart. Inspiring and educating a new generation of discerning hoteliers and exclusive service providers.
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HoteliersGuild has joined the humanitarian vision and efforts by helping those in need of clean water, shelter, food and other basic necessities to live, especially children. And we provide support to initiatives that promote ethical luxury travel.
“Love is a bright force, is energy, is friendship, is brotherhood, is the will to be on the side of good.� DryingLittleTears
We want to dry little tears Regine Sixt has always supported children from all over the world who are in need. In 2000, she founded the Drying Little Tears association for children‘s aid, which was changed to the Regine Sixt Children‘s Aid Foundation in 2011. The foundation supports measures to improve the health and living conditions of children and youth around the world. In addition, it supports facilities that provide care, education ,and vocational training ,and other social services. Since 2011, Drying Little Tears has also been the official CSR program of the Sixt Group, working to support children everywhere in the world where Sixt has an active business presence. Some of these examples include the construction of orphanages, children’s hospices, schools and nurseries, as well as schools. The foundation is also supported on a voluntary basis by Sixt's many employees in more than 115 countries around the world who are socially committed to their local communities and take responsibility for their neighbors.
1 to become a member go to wholeworldwater.co
ore than nuclear weapons or a global disease pandemic, impairments to water supplies and punishing cycles of flood, drought and water pollution are now viewed by heads of state, nonprofit leaders and chief executives as the most serious threat to business and society.
forever.
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Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. We believe that by setting clear objectives and outcomes coupled with rigorous performance assessment and management, we can support the creation of a new water paradigm: One that meets the needs of the well over 1 billion people who currently lack access to sustainable safe water, and the growing needs in middle and higher income countries for resilient water services. Industries are finally realizing the true cost of water, and are putting in place mechanisms to decrease use, consider reuse and many are banning the use of branded bottled water and filtering their own. This is not only a healthier option, but also an economical and environmental one.
In 2015, for the first time, the international water crisis took the top spot in the World Economic Forum’s tenth global risk report, an annual survey of nearly 900 leaders in politics, business, and civic life about the world’s most critical issues. Water is life. Growing pressure on water resources – from population and economic growth, climate change, pollution, and other challenges – has major impacts on our social, economic, and environmental well being. Many of our most important aquifers are b eing over-pump ed, causing widespread declines in groundwater levels.
WHOLE WORLD WATER is a sustainable business solution that can cross multiple business sectors: health clubs, airlines, cruise lines, corporate offices. Regardless of the industry, it is designed to increase the bottom line, reduce carbon emissions, eliminate plastic waste and improve health while also raising millions for the over 1 billion that do not have access to clean & safe drinking water.
Major rivers – including the Colorado River in the western United States and the Yellow River in China – no longer reach the sea in most years. Half of the world’s wetlands have been lost to development. The world’s water is increasingly becoming degraded in quality, threatening the health of people and ecosystems. WHOLE WORLD Water is a global social enterprise that unites the Travel & Hospitality industry to help eradicate the daunting challenge of access to clean & safe drinking water. We are aligned with the 2015 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the 193 member nations of the United Nations, specifically which calls us all to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to clean and safe drinking water -
WATER: the essential element
by Karena Albers Founder WWW
Shinta Mani’s community activities began in 2004 with the opening of the Shinta Mani Hotel and Institute of Hospitality on the grounds of Shinta Mani Angkor, a boutique hotel owned by Mr. Sokoun. This innovative program, which received international recognition for its efforts, trained underprivileged Cambodians in aspects of world-class hotel operations on a free of charge basis-providing them the skills to secure employment and a brighter future.
READ MORE: ShintaManiFoundation
Making a Difference Education Small Business StartUp HealthCare SustainableFarming Founded by Mr. Sokoun Chanpreda, a Cambodian businessman who returned from overseas to invest in the future of his country, the Shinta Mani Foundation is guided by his philosophy of Open Doors, Open Hearts.
“We believe that promoting preventive health measures as well as supporting those who have immediate medical issues, is necessary to ensure the entire community’s long-term well-being and development.” “We hope that by modeling sustainable and ethical farming practices (that we also teach to local families through our Home Garden project), we can change the growing culture and inspire people to eat healthier sustainable produce.” The Shinta Mani Foundation welcomes short-term volunteers who would like to contribute their time and skills to our organization.
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A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES PRO-BONO PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TO OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS OF ECO-LUXURY HOTELS & RETREATS.
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A AIN ST
HoteliersGuild in Strategic Alliance with
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NOW
As a hotelier with extensive international experience, I remember when climate change seemed a distant possibility. Hoteliers started to discuss the “green issue” in the late 80’s after the UN published “Our Common Future” (Bruntland Report), which explained the concept of sustainability as an attempt to create awareness of the disturbing relations between human society and the natural environment. Here we are thirty years later. Climate change has become the defining predicament of our time but the hotel industry is still hesitant to talk about the issues. Our sector prospered as millions travelled. Travel is the world’s largest and fastest growing industry, so you could argue we have contributed in both a positive and negative way to people and planet. However, as annual temperatures rise and the impact on our planet becomes more evident, we can no longer afford not to make the environment and social responsibility a business priority. Travellers today expect safer, more responsible, sustainable destinations and accommodations. However, our industry is not really clear about what that truly means. Today, many hotels are doing excellent work in sustainability and obtain certifications to reflect their growing compliance and legitimacy, but most still hesitate to be visibly transparent with their guests for a host of reasons. Many hotels believe that sustainability is not yet an important issue to today’s traveller. In many cases, they are right, but that is changing and changing fast. Consumers know that too many companies have prospered at the expense of society and nature. In particular, the next generation of travellers and hotel staff are critically aware that there is a direct link between sustainable business, the environment and people’s lives; and there is no hiding in today’s interconnected and interdependent world. I believe that a more caring and responsible form of hospitality will gain wide support from travellers and can be commercially successful. There will be increased demand from our guests for sustainable choices and greater expectations for hotels, resorts, cruise ships and B&B lodgings to be credibly certified and independently audited. Sustainability saves money and its good for people, planet and profit. I urge owners and operators in the hospitality industry to move beyond seeing environmental and social challenges as costs, to seeing
Onno Poortier Founder, Chairman & CEO NOW Transforming Hospitality GmbH itmustbeNOW.com
the potential savings and enormous opportunities to make good things happen. NOW, a new initiative calling for accountability around sustainability in travel was launched on Earth Day (22 April 2017). Working as a ‘Force for Good’, NOW is forming a global community of consumers who are passionate about travel and want to help tackle the environmental and social challenges facing our planet.. Being a “FORCE FOR GOOD” matters to your guests, your staff, your community, our planet and your profits. Join the NOW Force for Good Alliance to access the NOW Community and get direct bookings without being charged commissions. To raise the bar on accountability and transparency around sustainability, we will launch the NOW Force for Good Alliance in January 2018 and invite inspiring and responsible hotels, resorts, lodges and cruise liners to join so travellers can find and book them direct. They will be listed in the NOW Track & Book traveller tool, a simple and verified traveller tool to track sustainable performance and encourage direct bookings without charging hotels a commission so benefits can be passed on to travellers. It must be NOW!
WHY ARE MOST SPAS STILL UNSUSTAINABLE? Author: Bonnie Baker
Isn’t it time for the trillion dollar wellness industry to wake up when it comes to sustainability ? Here at NOW we are confused that the spa and wellness industry isn’t doing far more far quicker to become sustainable for both people and planet, most especially in the name of sustainable travel and tourism. So we asked Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Sustainability Initiative Bonnie Baker a series of questions to help explain it. Bonnie is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Green Spa Network and has over 20 years of experience in the Spa and Wellness industry. A Managing Partner of Satteva Spa and Wellness Concepts, she is also an anthropologist, licensed massage therapist, aesthetician and yoga instructor.
READ MORE www.imustbeNOW.com www.itmustbeNOW.com
WHY HALF A DEGREE IS A BIG DEAL TO TRAVELLERS We have until 2030 for global warming to be kept to 1.5C (34.7F) Author: Caroline Sylger Jones
It’s astonishing the difference a half a degree in temperature will make to us as a planet — and to travellers on their travels — if governments and individuals don’t act now and worldwide policies don’t change to support climate change. In a 2018 United Nations landmark report, the world’s leading climate scientists warned we only have 12 years – until 2030 — for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C (34.7F), beyond which even half a degree of change will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.
READ MORE www.imustbeNOW.com www.itmustbeNOW.com
A E
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Matteo Thun &
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Bill Bensley
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Matteo Thun
- world-renowned architect, interior designer - dreaming of
‘Botanical Architecture & practicing ‘ZeroDesign’.
“It should hardly be necessary to talk about sustainable architecture. We should just build it: an architecture sine qua non.”
Bill Bensley -
is famous for his outstanding, unique and inspiring award-wining
hotel, landscape and interior designs and eye-catching architecture. What is not so widely known, but comes as no surprise to those that know him, is that he is a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist.
“I’ve heard this a million times: inspiration comes from everything. When you're designing, the key is you take the DNA of your inspiration.”
“
“Simplicity and sustainability should be at the heart of all
“ Matteo Thun
MAN OF MANY TALENTS Matteo Tun & Frank M. Pfaller, CAPRI …very sad that our dream project could not be realised at that time...
“As an architect, in many many regions, I would not allow to myself to build.” says Matteo Thun, world renown Italian architect and designer. For him, less really is more and he follows his dream of designing durability, embracing Zero Design and pursuing ‘Botanic Architecture’. Quite unlike the prominent “Signature Architects of the 1980s, Matteo Thun is stylistically not easy to categorise. In architecture and in design, Matteo avoids at all times a uniform design language. Instead, he deliberately seeks out the strategy that best fits each client in his widely diverse client network. “eco not ego” is ho Matteo wants his work to be defined. Born in Bozen in 1952, he belongs to the second generation of modern architects. He was a student of Kokoschkas at the Salzburg Academy and received his doctorate in architecture at the University of Florence. He worked together with Ettore Sottass and in 1981 was a cofounder of the Sottass Associati and Memphis Group. He launched his studio “Matteo Thun & Partners” in 1984 in Milan, and was a professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna from 1983 to 1996. But “Zero Design?” - well, here’s his explanation: “The main qualities of Zero Design are simplicity, a sense of lightness and durability. In all our work – whether it’s a building, a table, or something else – we create things that people can understand and use intuitively. It’s almost a subconscious reaction: we try to create timeless icons. When you see a building, or enter a hotel room and see the furniture, you know in a split second whether you like or dislike it. We want people to feel a connection and sense of warmth to the products we make and the spaces we create.” Asked about the biggest challenges he faces as a designer working in the hospitality sector, he once said: “As an architect, you’re caught in a triangle with the investor and the management company. The investor says ‘I’ll give you €100’, but the management company says, ‘to achieve my revenue I need €110.’ The designer is in the middle, trying to protect their vision. It’s constant cost engineering, making sure you keep on this very narrow path to keep the quality alive. If you fall, the project dies.”
“To build with the Genius Loci to respect the soul of the place is what we do. We like a multicultural, holistic approach both in small- and large-scale projects. This interdisciplinary process focuses on aesthetic consistency, durability and the future lifespan of our buildings and products. “
HOSPITECTURE TALK What’s the most interesting thing about you that we won't learn from this interview? That I kept my naïveté. Can you think of one word that describes you? Curious What still motivates you after so long in business? Innovation – everything for the better. Your greatest professional achievement so far? The next project. If you had one wish for a dream hospitality project - what & why & where? A “mountain happiness resort” in the Swiss mountains.
One past or living architect and/ or designer do you admire most? Michelangelo Caravaggio, he was an architect, he was a painter, he was a photographer. Caravaggio was the result of a completely different period with less complexity when he started to do his work. Which hotel projects apart from your own do you like best? Soneva What’s so attractive about your work? Whenever I start to sketch something new, I just love it. I don’t feel I’m at work. I’m just having fun with what I do. Reveal to us your biggest weakness? To wait. What do you enjoy the most? Healthy, tasty fresh good food and walking in fresh air.
What inspired you to become a capacity in Sustainable Architecture & Design? Nature is a great source of inspiration and I was raised in nature. My undisputed idols are still the Walser mountain farmers – maybe because I was born in the Alps. Because of their poverty and the climatic conditions, they have naturally always sought the most economical and simplest solutions and constructed along the lines of energy saving with exemplary simplicity and efficiency. Can you explain your ‘Fil Rouge’ concept in connection with your truly exceptional Vigilius and Waldhotel Buergenstock projects? Both projects are a composition of what we stand for:
B otanical architecture. The projects are located in unspoiled nature. Nature will take over Waldhotel with the years and the wooden body of Vigilius Mountain Resort has changed its colour. Thanks to the local larch wood‘s patina it integrates totally with the grassland and matches the larch wood trees and fences. 3 zero certification Zero kilometres: nearness of construction materials and local skills. Zero CO2: energy management and lower emissions. Zero waste: lifecycle-management in the building process and reuse of building materials. Both projects bring nature inside. We believe that healthy architecture and interior design influence physical and mental well being. That is why we use natural opencell surfaces that deliver a beautiful haptic and a certain sensoriallity.
illy by Matteo Thun
simple beauty
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What do Some of his works that comprise his oeuvre - “from the spoon you pay to the city” - from coffee cups to restaurants, fom mountain most resorts to wristwatches and from saucepans to solitary villas… attention from his INDEX Book to in your personal DURA VIT b daily life? y Ma tteio Thun Pilates, healthy fresh and tasty food, long walks in the mountains – no car but a bike. Following the flawed Climate Conference in Nairobi, if you had the opportunity to address the world’s leaders – what would you ask them? To come to a point – take over responsibility – why are you not able to commit and to implement a concrete reduction of emission worldwide? LING by
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Who had influenced you most in your life? First my mother. Then Ettore Sottsass. To d ay it’s t h e d i a l o g u e s an d communication with the different teams in my company and the technical specialists of our clients. Your definition on “Sustainable Luxury” in our hospitality industry? It goes without saying that architecture must respect all issues related to a sustainable building. But I do not like to talk about sustainability – I better talk about simplicity it means technical and aesthetic durability. It’s the simple and true things that mean real luxury: the beauty of nature, tactile surfaces, natural stone and wood, calmness. Your favorite sustain able hotel or other place to stay? Vigilius Mountain R e s or t i n L an a , South Tyrol.
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as well. Consumers are more and more aware of environmental issues too. Developers and hoteliers have to consider the ethical values of their products and invest in sustainable concepts that are based on a dialogue, that respect their needs but also the location, the residents and the culture of the building.
hat in your opinion are the most pressing sustainability issues facing architecture & design in our hospitality industry today? As an architect, in many many regions, I would not allow to myself to build. We have to stop expansion and consuming land. We have to create a new density in our cities. We have to re-compact. We should talk about healthy life. We should really invent our self in terms of protecting our planet. We know that Developers & Hoteliers still have a long way to go - do you think that your colleagues care enough about Sustainability?
As you know we are working from micro to macro – from masterplan to architecture, to interior, to product design, to styling. This interdisciplinary way of working enables us to manage complex projects in one office – securing sustainability to the very small detail and dealing with budgets and cost engineering in an optimal way.
It is not only about profit – it’s
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Have you declined interesting projects due to their lack of sustainability as you understand it? Yes, I had to…. What’s your advise for next generations of architects & designers with relevance to Sustainability and Responsibility? Above all: stop talking about ecology and sustainability! These are the most frequent words used by architects… Finally, name at least two items that are on top of you personal/ family bucket list? A sailing trip to New Guinea with my two sons.
with VENINI “Ilsilenzio dei colori”
“Whenever I start to sketch something new, I just love it. I don’t feel I’m at work. I’m just having fun with what I do.”
The Bűrgenstock Waldhotel designed by Matteo Thun is being called ‘a project of the century’. Expectations were high and, in fact, surpassed when it launched in 2017 as one of the truly most significant hotel openings worldwide. It is the world’s largest Gabion building with 137 rooms with private terraces, and it stands out for its striking façade. VERY WOOD & VERY FEEL GOOD SUSTAINABLE indeed!
‘Hospitecture' and Product Design we like
JW Marriott Venice Hotel & Spa
Private Villa
Side Hotel | Hamburg
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The Twins - Shanghai
The Twins - Shanghai
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“My biggest sustainability challenge is keeping forests intact. People understand what sustainability means now, and ‘green washers’ are looked down upon, and sustainability is taking new forms that last longer.
“ Bill Bensley
If I had to describe my personality in three words, I’d say Serious, Inquisitive and Wacky. People think interior designers are all self-important prima donnas! People also think interior design is easy to do‌
GLAMPITECTURE GOOD DESIGN IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ‘THE BILL’
MASTER OF GLAMOROUS TENTED CAMP ARCHITECTURE Since 1989, Bill Bensley’s studios in Bangkok and Bali - now comprising of a collective of 150 architects, interior designers, landscape architects and other fine artists - were involved in the design of an impressive 200+ luxury properties around the globe in more than 30 countries, including Waldorf-Astoria, RitzCarlton, One&Only, Shangri-La, Rosewoood…
They call his architecture & design ‘chic and intriguing’ and the properties have become some of the world’s most iconic hotels, spa sanctuaries and resorts. His forte: the creation of unique experiences, such as his famous tented camps.
B
ill Bensley is, of course, world renown for his outstanding and inspiring hotel, landscape and interior designs and eyecatching architecture. What is not so widely known, but comes as no surprise to those that know him, is that he is a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist. Bill has seamlessly and brilliantly combined his work with these two passions to benefit the environments and communities in which he has created his incredible projects. Sustainability is a hallmark of Bensley’s designs. Bill has loved and respected nature all his life. From a young age, he was inspired by John Muir’s conservation work in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. John was a ScottishAmerican author, environmental
Sustainable Farming at the Shinta Mani Foundation
philosopher and glaciologist and an early advocate for wilderness preservation in the USA. Bill and his friends would be the first to get sanctuary permits to enter the trails each spring in as they navigated deep snow and This innovative program, which received international recognition hung their food to keep it from the Cambodia’s for its efforts, trained underprivileged Cambodians in aspects of bears. Even as teenagers, they had S o u t h world-class hotel operations on a free of charge basis-providing them a great respect for the wilderness Cardamom the skills to secure employment and a brighter future. and were careful to leave only National footprints. He has always Park, the understood nature’s fragility, camp is especially in the case of fire and completely water pollution. built around The most outstanding and and blended into most recent example of this is the natural Shinta Mani Wild – Bensley environment with Collection in the South low environmental Cardamom Wilderness in impact and a huge Cambodia which opened impact on in December 2018 and has protecting the quickly gained worldNational park. wide attention. It is the Showing his playful culmination of Bill’s side, Bensley created a life’s work and exactly 380m zip line over the what he would build river and three sister for himself. waterfalls over which Comprising 15 guests can enter the camp. e x q u i s i t e l y The entire project was customized luxury created in order to tents, in a private
the shinta mani foundation
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pristine n see the a th r e th a derness, r fragile wil is th in or fe with little and wildli ls re te o tu h a n g t in protec ed stunn . as design g auction h in l b ed g il g B lo a re at he not distur e re e w s e forest sold ples of projects w lude: e hav ut tr am at would re inc 850 cocon th tu r s a e v n m o o to Other ex ro re e e c , not 20 wh disturban ct from 1 high yield Thailand je d in ro n i p a u e minimal t m th c a a low imp ons Koh S e changed Four Seas d in Bali where h mp with a c t n te bu into a 23 Making a difference… Capella U e forest, th d te a r e oblite e re e tr h g a single ietnam w disturbin nang in V in g w e r e a D l ta n e d n th e b u il Interconti ints o f impact to r e tp o th fo e iz th e im e in ted to m ermanent expansiv consolida p a creating s the site, wildernes of native g n lu n e gre is ropy passion lt e f t Philanth r a e h ere e ther h one wh B i l l’s o d n a the ropy and talks lk a p h il a n t h w e th n was walks oundatio F i genuinely n a M artner, Shinta siness p u talk. The b s l’ il reda by B n Chanp u o k founded o S n n bor on Bill’s Cambodia e a huge impact d uced a m ho introd at w who has n u o k as So nd th life. It w ncept of giving a o cept c e c e – a on Bill to th m o h t a es to egins charity b trong ly subs c r ib s l il at ever y that B ipates in c ti r a p actively ity. Cambodia opportun t visit to s r fi is h vastated to During ill was de B , 1 9 9 1 ere and back in poverty th about it. e first m e nce to tr x e one of his ice and thing us differe e n see the o O d m n o s e . n m o o e g vo dati a tr to d the Foun ad a soulful singin as made decided h h g u e for a h ro y th a t d who h Bangkok y and ll d a n to n li o b s im r y Since tha e h ll p g ot as tua ves both it could n n to flyin ho was vir s io w la it d y (a d o t a b h people’s li g ig for In n is s met a you l several times. se, so paid one for h u d o e h b a ld e visits, he v u te a co at the ho did not h anything had sung check up to see if his family dation. d e n guided r a le al ill un which is 4 0 0 2 profession was permanent), B ed through the Fo in unity on ge eir comm Foundati pervis u th i s n 1 s a 1 a 0 M w the dama 2 h ta In t-forthe Shin built whic n Hearts’. red Cambodian no ce, e p O , s one to be npreda established r o o ha icro-finan ally registe f ‘Open D Sokoun C nt and loc s of education, m go directly osophy o e il d h n p e l p a e n d a s rso nder an in s in the core are donation by his pe unified u 0% of all 0 te re 1 a r e . e w e p c o ts n c ta proje which t assis ry of his and direc anization beneficia in a profit org rming, healthcare m e y very th le fa they are LER® the H d n O a K t sustainab r a m e o . h fr health ndation se to Bill’s t 250 water filters ibuted to schools, lo c y r to the Fou e v h tr is dation is he boug rs were d The Foun . Recently when water filte e h be and T . y n p o d the glo Mani n u philanthro atched the donati ro . a p a e r e R ly m lic speak s in Siem e Shinta generous after pub ts to th nd familie n a t e h ls g m a e u it g o p a s s g clinics, ho pular and highly s from these en utreach po munity o local proceed do. y m e e o c Bill is a th th k d s r n o te w y dona rvation a portunities to the amazing frequentl p’s conse tinue the m n a o c c . Shinta ent op e to n th o prospects eads employm k h r r m a o Foundati r e w e p s -t r e g lon few rtures its ndation providing infrastructure and e Foundation, nu ations g The Fou in d lu c es, in imal n organiz n with th programm here there is min onjunctio pected conservatio ed by Shinta c in , w n o ts inhabitan - Bensley Collecti tnerships with res t. Fund ut overnmen lliance to carry o ar d G p il h n W g ia i u d o n o r a A b th M g, m t fe a n in li e C h d c il m e viron d Th ofit W m p oa natural en ildlife Alliance an nables the non-pr cting animals fro n io s s a y’s p W ne ing prote re Bensle d a including mp’s ranger statio g h lu s c n li o in c h y , c w a are sts otor ca ngers, m k in the ing. Gue r a g r Mani, the o d g e w e lo d r l th n o a o c g join ille nre servati reventing ment can king previously u p n vital con o d ir n v a n s e e l ac snar us natura ls and tr removing the precio -poaching patro g n ti c te for pro t on anti the fores through ctivity. wildlife a
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or good luck...", the mahout shouted, “walk three times “ around the trunk". I did just that and then paid the mahout a few baht for bananas to feed his rather bedraggled elephant. A month later she was hit by a car on the lawless chaotic streets of my new home in Bangkok. That was 1984. Five years later the Thai government, brilliantly called for a moratorium on logging. This put many elephants out of job, and elephants flooded urban areas as a matter of survival. The Asian elephant has had a rough history and an even dimmer future. Declared endangered in 2008 numbers have declined by 50% in the last 50 years. W h i l e n u m b e r s v a r y, I understand just 40,000 Asian survive today with only 65%. Why? Natural habitats are s h r i n k i n g d a i l y, p o a c h i n g continues, and the treatment of domestic elephants can be horrific.
Understanding the plight of the Asian elephant and how to interact responsibly
A decade later I designed the Four Seasons Elephant Camp and by doing so I was party to the brilliant Friedman + Heinecke + Roberts team that evacuated, (read; purchased and then rented to ensure long term incomes for the mahouts) 36 elephants from the streets of Bangkok to what must have been there new heaven; the Golden Triangle. These elephants are happy, healthy, and engage with visitors in a best practices only environment. My friend, John Roberts, has dedicated much of his life to elephants and is part of the Asian Captive Elephant Working Group which since 2015 has, I think, very sensibly tried to lay down the ground rules of how to live with and protect our few surviving elephants. Conservationist Bill Heinecke, the owner of the Four Seasons Elephant Camp, has gone on to champion the work of Wildlife Alliance in the Southern Cardamon National Forest of Cambodia. While Friedman via GTAEF has raised vast sums for elephant welfare and has been instrumental in the making of Shinta Mani Wild, also in the Cardamon Forests. These guys and many more are truly dedicated. See http:// acewg.org.While poaching of elephants has slowed, numbers are still declining, largely because of habitat loss, captive numbers maybe increasing but poor captive elephant practices do not make this automatically a good thing. Fast forward another 10 years, 2009, my business partner Sokoun and I purchased at a land auction a concession within the Cardamons, about the size of Central Park, during a sort of “Buy first Think later” moment. Long story cut short, 2019 saw the opening of Shinta Mani WILD, a 15 tent bastion to deter further deterioration of a very important wild elephant habitat. Our concession turned out to be the place of the most elephant human conflicts in Cambodia. This area 10 years ago was sparsely populated, but today villagers slash and burning the edges of our concession in an effort to flush
by Bill Bensley
out any remaining wildlife to eat and afterwards to farm, thus the large number of conflicts. This week we are purchasing fire fighting equipment that our partners Wildlife Alliance can use to extinguish remote fires. Last night I got a call from our radiant Camp Manager Sangjay and I was thrilled to hear that the herd of Wild elephants knocked down the guardhouse of our southern b o u n d a r y. W o w, t h a t i s
fantastic. Did you get any photos? I asked. He did, but I wish I had been there in person. It is somewhat naive for some animal rights organizations to say that elephants should be set free. As the Cardamons are under enormous pressures of logging and wildlife trade, I would love to be able to build a Trumpian wall right around the park to keep people out and to allow the natural regeneration of the forest and wildlife. But that ain’t happening. Setting elephants free is marvellous utopian idea but that ain't happening either, at least not for a while. Complications of that idea started some 6 thousand years ago when folks first started to saddle up on pachyderms. At Shinta Mani Wild we have partnered with Wildlife Alliance. They are an amazing on the ground, in the trenches, privately funded militia of armed soldiers that police the Cardamons enforcing Cambodia’s logging and wild animal laws of protection 24/7 and the saviors of the wild elephants in Cambodia. Trailblazer Suwanna Gauntlett is the founder of WA and she explained to me just last week that setting domesticated elephants “free” while possible, is difficult at best and takes time and cannot be an answer for all elephants in countries like Myanmar & Thailand with very large captive elephant populations and parks already full of wild elephants (& sometimes poachers). The elephant has to be introduced to wild and also accepted by the herd. Because of tourism, the monetary worth of an elephant has risen tremendously in the last few years. I have heard current elephant prices are $50-95,000 and such prices here only fuels poachers. As the majority of elephants in Asia are
privately owned, I think it is safe to say that not many individuals are willing to set free their investment or would even consider the associated costs of the introduction of a domesticated elephant into the wilds. But having said this I would love to make this a goal of Shinta Mani Wild. Campaigning organizations have done a great job in bringing to light some of the tragic state of affairs of elephant tourism and the barbaric ways of breaking wild elephants into domestication. PETA has brilliantly brought to light the horrific ways that elephants in both logging and tourism practices are abused. To the the abusers of elephants...may you be banished from the face of this earth. ACEWG is brilliant in its practice, but has a small public voice. How to elephant are my 7 suggestions to visitors how to responsibly engage with elephants. 1) Don’t buy ivory, Duh! 2) Circus acts just awful and demoralizing are clearly bad for elephant health. Skip the show! 3) The use of a wooden elephant seat for multiple riders maybe OK for short periods with the right equipment but can quickly become harmful, unless you really know the owner, skip the seat. For thousands of years elephants were considered a beast of burden. A mature bull elephant in a harness can pull as much at 9000 lbs. Laos & Cambodia was considered to be the Land of a Million Elephants. That ain't the case no more. The Asian elephant is ENDANGERED. We are losing this species as you read. In Africa one elephant is killed every 15 minutes. But that is another story again. 4) If you see an elephant that is pacing with trunk continuously wagging, she is unhappy, perhaps (stereotypy, as it is called, is certainly a sign of past stress and can cause long term physical damage) ask the camp management why they cannot enrich this elephant’s environment. 5) Elephants need green spaces and other elephants for company, if a camp cannot or does not provide this in large measure certainly do not go there. For instance they get stressed when kept in sheds overnight and not in the forest. 6) If you see sores on an elephant or evidence of mistreatment, be loud in every way you can. 7) If so inclined donate to https:// www.helpingelephants.org AND or https:// www.wildlifealliance.org as I do on a regular basis. In the future, like tomorrow, I think that our governments should license the Mahouts to ensure basic good practices of elephant husbandry, after all we need a license to drive a car. Asian elephants are far more valuable to the planet than any vehicle. Other than rudimental registration no privately owned elephants have ever benefitted from governmental regulations. In Thailand, the Government has implemented a DNA based elephant registration scheme enforced by three agencies overseeing each other so no-one can be tempted to bend the rules I would like to champion a movement to ensure this is kept up & perhaps spread to other countries and see government involvement in strict licensing of all mahouts to ensure basic skills and elephant knowledge, the first measure has certainly helped with curbing the illegal wild elephant trade from Burma to Thailand. I understand that as much as 2/3’s of the calfs from Burma - where good records are kept - perish in the
breaking process and this is certainly the case for wild caught calves everywhere. I feel that riding an elephant a few hours a day behind the ears is proper practice. John Roberts explained to me that many elephants feel more comfortable with a person riding than walking because she knows where that person is all the time. The phrase White Elephant comes from the King of Siam’s practice giving rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him. The courtiers had to take care of them and so that they might be ruined by the animals' upkeep costs. While it is clear that we have a long way to go to protect both domestic and wild elephants populations from further degradation, it is also clear to me that a Buddhist middle road way forward might be appropriate. Read on. Mr. Ed Story started a wonderful program, the Ban Ta Klang project centered around ethical elephant polo fundraising in a remote village, Ban Ta Klang, in Isan, Thailand. The people of this village boast a 2,000 plus year history of mahouts, and presumably good elephant husbandry practices. This village has 300+ elephants, and they need to be fed and looked after medically. Story's polo project brought much needed funds to the village. The kids rose from 45th place in the region to 4th in english language. Two years ago that program was challenged by bad press that elephant polo was deemed unethical by folks that perhaps have not lived with elephants every day for the past 2000 years. As a result Ed has stopped the elephant polo fund raising and has changed focus to raising funds in Singapore. We know first hand that the elephants in this village are not abused. So who loses? Have these 300 elephants changed their
color to white? At the Four Seasons elephant camp mahouts and management tip toe around the debate; To ride or not to ride, despite having years of good respectable elephant husbandry under their belts. In this case, I think the debate has swung too far to the right. What say you?
BILL
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