Siem Reap hotel in Cambodia
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
In creating the Villa we made a commitment to look after Cambodia and her people. We are dedicated to providing a beautiful accommodation option that helps benefit and develop the local community.
- We recycle all cardboard, bottles, cans and glass
- Kitchen Composting will be introduced by the end of 2009
- We use low energy lighting
- Staff are trained on being mindful of electricity usage
- All water is filtered
- All waste water is properly treated and no unsafe water is released into the environment.
- We minimise our use of any pesticide. Those we do use (mosquito control) meet international standards.
- We are training our local team on environmental issues and encouraging them to participate in waste reduction.
- All managers are trained to ‘ think before you print’ reducing our use of paper. Any paper is kept and used for scrap note pads etc, after this it is recycled. Tours and Customer Impacts
- We do not run large group tours
- We provide information for customers on the challenges Cambodia faces and ways in which they can help
- Donations from guests are directed to TrailBlazers for water filter donations or to our Day in a Life program
Community
In Cambodia 1 in 7 children die before their 5th birthday, often the common cause is a waterborne disease. Access to fresh, safe water is essential for life, but often is unavailable for families. Each water filter is capable of producing 60 liters of drinking water each day. They are easily maintained and simple to install. With the help of The Trailblazer Foundation we are continuing to work towards providing some of the poorest families with safe water.
- Providing water filters to local communities
- Contributions from business & tours
- Donations from customers
- Over 150 filters in the last three years have been installed Our Day in a Life tour is specifically designed to help empower local people giving them a means of year round income. Each tour provides a direct payment to the host family for their participation. In addition to the family payments, from every tour money is set aside for community projects agreed with the Village.
Money from each tour is set aside for community projects agreed with the Village. Over $3000 has been raised for our village in 2009 with pull pumps, wells and filters being installed.
Recruitment / Employment
Our team of local staff are the Villa’s greatest asset, and we pride ourselves on helping them develop their skills and capabilities for the future. We actively recruit from the local community with an emphasis on female employees. This includes a paid maternity leave program. We focus on providing an opportunity for entry level staff to train in other departments, and move through our organisation. We pride ourselves on being a fair pay, equal opportunity employer.
- All staff receive one free meal per day at work
- We actively recruit & develop females and provide programs to help expand career options – including helping with returning to high school.
- We promote from within and actively develop staff from entry level positions
- We provide a paid maternity leave program
- We operate to always comply or provide better conditions than specified by Cambodia’s labour law.
- We provide leave for study, and are as flexible as possible to always enable students to continue their education.
- We provide regular training and English classes are provided regularly throughout the year for most employees
- We provide substantial annual bonuses to reward commitment and loyalty
- Over 98% of our staff are local employees
- We are an equal opportunity / fair pay employer
- We employ local Cambodian Guides and assist in developing ‘driver’s’ to become guides, which expands their career prospects, and increases the salary available to them.
Community Relations
- We are business members of ConCert an NGO which helps support well run NGO’s across Cambodia.
- We work with a number of community organisations and support them through providing links to customers. The two main organisations that we support are SOID and COF, both of which we recommend for volunteers, donations of items, or site visits.
- We help facilitate contact with willing volunteers / donations
- We incorporate community focus into any group packages we provide
- We actively seek and use local suppliers where possible
- We actively avoid corruption and commission schemes.
Cultural Information
- Each room includes an information book which details information on Cambodia, sights and attractions as well as providing information on ways visitors can get involved.
- Our reception team are able to provide customers with information on local NGO’s, orphanages and other ways in which they can help.
- We provide information on ways customers can donate and help the people of Cambodia.
Purchasing
- We purchase locally wherever possible & aim to use as much Cambodian grown produce as possible
- We seek local operators wherever possible
- We avoid corruption / bribe schemes Direct Donations
- We donate 7% of all profits to local NGO’s and our Water Filter and Day in a Life programs. This is directly aimed at improving the lives of the local people.
Continual Improvement
- We are continually reviewing our performance in being a responsible tourism operator.
- We have an ongoing commitment to staff education on environmental and socially responsible practices.
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