Shinta Mani Boutique hotel and institute of hospitality

Company Background
The Shinta Mani Hotel was opened in 2003 and is managed by BMC Management. The 18-room boutique hotel lies on the site of the former post office in the heart of the old French Quarter in Siem Reap, and features a restaurant, swimming pool, spa, library and art gallery.

Working for the people makes me feel good! Chitra Vincent, General Manager

institute of hospitality
In June 2004, the Shinta Mani Institute of Hospitality was opened, with 24 students completing a nine-month culinary course. Since 2007, students are able to attend on-the-job training in all areas relevant to the hotel business, such as front office, housekeeping, food and

beverage and kitchen operations. In addition to the free education, students also receive a monthly stipend, uniforms, meals, study materials and a weekly supply of four kilograms of rice for their families. To qualify for a training course at Shinta Mani, students need to be orphans, from a single parent or large family with an income of less than US$10 per month, or be physically challenged.

Tong Nika is in her early twenties and comes from Kampong Thom Province, more than 150km from Siem Reap. Her father is a local village musician who earns around a dollar a day. She has one older brother and two younger sisters. She had to stop her study as her parents could not support her and so she joined the Institute of Hospitality. Tong joined the culinary training program to achieve her dream of becoming a chef.

The hotel is not able to provide accommodation for the students. If they come from other provinces, they have to stay with relatives or at Buddhist monasteries, which in Cambodian cities often also serve as student hostels. Due to the ongoing tourism boom in Siem Reap, Shinta Mani graduates are usually able to find a job within two months of completing their training. Since its inception, the Institute has been able to place all of its graduated students in permanent jobs in Cambodia that pay US$ 60-130 per month two or three times the countrys average income. Sek Sin comes from the Bakong District, around 15km from Siem Reap. His parents are farmers who earn less than US$20 a month. He has four brothers and sisters and his parents are unable to support their education and welfare. Sek Sin came to Siem Reap to live with his aunt, who was also struggling to get by. Sek Sin was passionately driven to pursue training so he could find a job that would allow him to support his familys future. Sek has a great interest in housekeeping and is now learning at the Institute of Hospitality the required skills to join the profession. The Institute is funded through individual donations as well as from the operation of the hotel. About US$50 per month is needed to cover the expenses for one student. In total the Institute has costs of US$ 33,000 per year for 28 students. Shinta Mani has received numerous awards for its work in sustainable development and community initiatives, including one of the two highlycommended awards for Best for Poverty Reduction, at the 2006 World Travel Mart (WTM) in London. At the Asia Spa Awards 2008 it was nominated as the Socially Responsible Spa of the Year.

nGOs often have a short-term approach, since they rely on donors. Shinta Mani, however, thinks longterm. With its office facilities, staff and cars it can save most of the administrative costs, while using the donations for the projects themselves. Chitra Vincent, General Manager

Community development program

Along with its sister hotel, Htel de la Paix, Shinta Mani offers its clients an opportunity to participate in the local community support projects which began in 2005. Guests can visit poor families and help to support them by financing: a brick house, a water well and hand pumps (US$100), seeds for vegetables, rice and fish, piglets, a bicycle (US$46), school attire and supplies or a sewing machine (US$90). Encouraging donors to visit the families in the villages during their stay in Siem Reap creates a bond between the local community and international visitors and access to clean potable water by providing water wells reduces dramatically the incidence of diarrhoea and infections. In the past Shinta Mani participated also in tree planting activities, where over 1000 trees have been planted. Hotel staff and students are encouraged to get actively involved in the projects on their free time, following the motto You got support, now support others! In: Cond Nast Traveller, April 2006, p. 62: During a tour of the countryside we pull up at a hut where a young woman is bathing her toddler in water she has just pumped from a well. A few feet away, we see the gray, fetid puddle that the women used for water until two months ago, when a Shinta Mani guest donated the well after taking a tour like this one. Its been so much better for us, the woman says through an interpreter. The children havent been getting sick.

networking
Shinta Mani supports many other community projects in Cambodia, such as the Life and Hope Association at Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, which works with orphans, children from poor families and street children, the Green Gecko Project, also focused to the needs of street children, and the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE.

Outlook
In order to meet the increasing demand for accommodation in Siem Reap, the hotel will expand its facilities to 30 rooms without changing its concept. The Institute of Hospitality will be extended to provide training opportunities for 50 students in Siem Reap. Additional branches are being planned in cities throughout Cambodia and Laos.

Contact
Shinta Mani Ms. Chitra Vincent Address: Phone: Fax: Email: General Manager Junction of Oum Khum and 14th Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia +855 63 761 998 +855 63 761 999 gm@shintamani.com

Sources
www.shintamani.com www.shintamani.com/community