Theworld50Best Exclusive / January 2025 / Luxury Travel Global News Headlines / The World’s Coolest Hotel Jobs/ By Richard MacKichan / theworlds50best

Hotels are stacking their teams with unexpected experts that bring each property’s unique identity to life. 50 Best rounds up the most out-there roles, each helping redefine what true hospitality can be

From directors of ambience to marine biologists, hotels have been expanding their rolodex of talent in recent years, all in the name of guest satisfaction.

A clever, out-of-the-box hire can soon turn into a hospitality must-have, while a misfire is dismissed as a gimmick. For this list, 50 Best has sought out the most head-turning, offbeat hotel jobs that tap into the very soul of the property, leaving guests buzzing for more.

Fireplace butler, The Newbury, Boston
@thenewburyboston

The Newbury’s sleek Guest Corner Suite (Image: Nikolas Koenig)

When you think of Boston, it’s hard not to conjure up that perfect autumnal scene – crisp orange leaves, lamp-lit avenues and locals bundled in scarves, strolling the streets at golden hour.

At the heart of this visual sits The Newbury – a grand Bostonian gem framed by the Public Gardens, which, in peak leaf-peeping season is where you’ll want to recover, fireside, after a long day’s pounding the streets.

And thanks to the property’s resident fireplace butler, you’ll have to do very little to create such a moment besides choose the wood. The menu includes quick-burning birch, scent-of-New-England maple and long-burning cherry among its varieties, and your butler will set and tend to the fire, leaving you to sit back and sip a cocktail – something smoky perhaps?

Directeur d’ambiance, Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles
@chateaumarmont

The iconic chateau was built in 1927

Chateau Marmont hardly needs an introduction, but for the uninitiated, Arman Nafeei might. After dabbling in London’s art scene and spinning records in the underground clubs of Berlin and Cologne, Nafeei was installed by the legendary André Balazs to mastermind the music across all his properties, which include The Standards, the Mercer, and Chiltern Firehouse.

It’s at the legendary Sunset Boulevard address though that his obsessively curatorial approach found its spiritual home. There’s a good reason a quick lunch here can end up becoming an all-night affair, in huge part thanks to Nafeei’s pitch-perfect, vibe-inducing soundtracks.

Leopard guide, Suján Jawai, Rajasthan
@thesujanlife

Guests can spot leopards on Suján’s morning game drives (Image: Suján)

Of course, you’ll find wildlife guides at every safari lodge, nature reserve, and scuba haven on the planet, but here in the rugged landscape between Jodhpur and Udaipur, you’ll find a specialist guide like no other.

Ranked No.43 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024, the retreat’s camp has been pitched in one of the world’s prime places for leopard spotting.

The nomadic Rabari tribe have roamed the hills here for centuries, their rock-hewn temples often just feet from leopard dens, allowing them to forge a unique understanding. Such is their world-leading knowledge that dawn and dusk drives almost always yield sightings, both guides and leopards perfectly in sync with the land they roam.

Tea master, The Ritz, London
@theritzlondon

Take your pick from 20 loose leaf teas at The Ritz (Image: John Carey)

If you’re searching for something as quintessentially British as tea at the Ritz, then look no further than, yes, tea at the Ritz. It’s fitting, then, that the legendary Piccadilly hotel is the only place in the country with its very own certified tea master, Giandomenico Scanu. Born and raised in Sardinia, Scanu’s fascination with the art of blending began in his father’s coffee bar, playing with coffee beans.

After honing his craft in the tea fields of Sri Lanka, he took on the coveted title of tea master, now guiding the world-famous afternoon tea service. Today he travels the world’s tea plantations, bringing back rare blends and new knowledge – ask him to spill the tea and he’ll do so… but only figuratively.

Wellness abuela, Chablé Yucatan, Mexico
@chableyucatan

The jungle-ensconced pool at Chablé Yucatan

Ranked No.16 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024, this breath-taking retreat is a love letter to ancient Mayan traditions. Back then, a shaman would guide rituals, cleanses, and ceremonies, but in keeping with Chablé’s as-soothing-as-possible ethos, it’s the gentle, welcoming presence of an abuela – yes, a grandmother – who takes the lead on your wellness journey.

This spiritual elder offers a softer journey to enlightenment, helping you tap into the healing powers of the hotel’s own cenote (sinkhole) and temazcal (a sweat lodge), with rituals known to leave guests feeling rejuvenated from the inside out.

Frankincense sommelier, Shangri-La Al Husn, Muscat
@shangrilaalhusn

Frankincense sommelier Khalad al-Amri burns aromatic resin