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There are more than 18,000 hostels in the world that accommodate global travelers in budget, sociable accommodation. Anyone that has had their obligatory gap year to travel the world and taken advantage of these types of accommodation will know that service standards vary widely from Hostel to Hostel.
Hostels generally take a couple of years to build their reputations on the travelers circuit with globetrotters transferring recommendations by word of mouth based on their own personal experiences and horror stories of where they have stayed. It is somewhat surprising then that a country otherwise known for its basic accommodation standards is home to a recent global award winner.
The Mad Monkey Hostel based on Phnom Penh Cambodia was recently awarded “Best Staff” award by Hostel Bookers.com, for those of you that haven’t had the hostel stay experience yet, Hostel Bookers is one of those popular booking sites that rates and reviews accommodation and allows you to forward book online. This ensures you get a bed for the night and ensures that you have some idea of what to expect prior to your arrival and check in.
Tom Edwards the Managing Director of Monkey Hospitality Group commented on the award that was given to The Mad Monkey in Phnom Penh just five months after opening based on customers reviews of the property.
“Our staff really make the difference and winning this award is really a boost for us and re-enforces the fact that our staff should and do come before profits. We were awarded the Best Staff award by Hostel Bookers after our hostel had received the best ratings from our guests. We invest a lot of time into staff training and ensuring that all of our staff are looked after and happy, so to receive this reward just five months after opening comes as a welcome surprise.”
For a hostel to receive awards so soon after opening is unheard of within the industry, normally it takes a year to iron out all of the kinks after opening, so for a hostel to receive an award like this is somewhat surprising. However when reviewing the hostel options on other online platforms such as trip adviser and hostel word The Mad Monkey Hostel is rated as the number one on all sites.
This is probably to do much more with a fusion of east and west management styles, its shown that companies in Asia that embrace Asian hospitality with western standards in mind really can do well. It is important to note that The Mad Monkey certainly isn’t the lowest cost option available in the Phnom Penh area, which re-enforces the fact that there is a growing demand from a new sector of the market termed as “Flashpackers”
Flash packers are travelers that want the hostel experience, allowing them to meet and network with fellow roamers whilst at the same time do not want to skimp and save on some of the basic luxuries, including super fast WiFi and a well stocked bar. It is a departure from the basic backpacking of yesteryear however according to the research of The World Tourism Association, the "flashpacker"
So is the Mad Monkey the first real “Flashpacker”
The award also recognizes the significant upswing in the Cambodian Tourism sector that has seen unprecedented growth in recent years as Cambodia and its Capital Phnom Penh is increasing its pull for expatriate investors.
For more information http://www.phnompenhhostels.com
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Monkey Hospitality Group is an investment group focused on the Cambodian Tourism sector, it makes social enterprise investments in retail, hospitality and tourism sectors. The groups investments include The Cheeky Monkey, The Mad Monkey and Monkey Tours. The company is located in Phnom Penh in the Kingdom of Cambodia. For more information visit http://www.phnompenhhostels.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
