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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/shinta-mani-hotel-empowering-locals-cambodia/>
"Inside the Shinta Mani Angkor and Bensley Collection Pool Villas property in
Siem Reap, Cambodia, the rules of time and space seem to bend. Exploring the
grounds, guests get a sense of what the ancient Angkorian temples might look
like had they been built in this century. Covered hallways flanked by ponds are
reminiscent of those that carry tourists from one part of Angkor Wat to the
other, and water pours from fountain fixtures shaped like Hindu emblems into
the private plunge pools accessible from each villa. Traditional artwork
(including sculptures that resemble the spires that top pagodas around town)
complements the modern black-and-white patterns found on everything from the
floors to the poolside chaise longues.
But it’s the classic Khmer hospitality that makes the Shinta Mani experience so
memorable: Local staff members greet guests with a small bow, hands pressed
together, offering smiles so warm as to be instantly disarming.
Shinta Mani Angkor is more than just a five-star luxury hotel in Cambodia’s
Temple Town. It’s also a social enterprise that’s empowering local communities.
Five percent of revenue from the hotel — along with its two sibling properties
in Cambodia’s Cardamom Forest and Nepal — goes to the Shinta Mani Foundation,
an NGO that started in 2004 with the opening of the Shinta Mani Hospitality
Training School.
“The hospitality school was created because we didn’t have any choice,” Bill
Bensley, interior designer and co-founder of Shinta Mani, explains. “There were
basically no other hotels or anybody who knew what a hotel was.” Seeing the
lack of qualified hospitality staff available in Siem Reap, Shinta Mani’s
founders set about developing their own.
Now, 20 years after its founding, the Shinta Mani Hospitality Training School
hosts a class of around 34 young adults each year for a 10-month program.
Students — who are between 17 and 24 years old and come from underprivileged
backgrounds — learn English, computer skills and life skills. They also choose
areas of specialization: finance, front office, housekeeping, maintenance, food
and beverage, and spa therapy. $3,000 is enough to support a student for one
year, giving them access to room and board as well as a small stipend of rice
and cash they can use to support their families."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
