At European Guesthouse we have made a commitment to look after Cambodia and its people. We are dedicated to give our guests a relaxed, friendly and clean accommodation option that helps benefit and develop the local community.

Environment

• We recycle all cardboard, bottles and cans.
• We give old newspapers and magazines to Friends International who uses this to make it into hand bags etc.
• We do Kitchen Composting
• We compost old leaves and grass cuttings
• We use low energy lighting
• Staff are trained on being mindful of electricity usage
• All water is filtered
• We do gray water recycling
• All waste water is properly treated and no unsafe water is released into the environment.
• We minimize 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.
• Towels and sheets are cleaned on check out and request only
• We use fruits, vegetables and herbs grown from our own organic garden
• All food is bought at the local market
• We promote the charity White Bicycles to our guests as an good alternative to motorized vehicles
• 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 Angkor Hospital for Children or to our own staff sponsorship program

Recruitment / Employment

Our team of Khmer staff are European Guesthouse’s greatest asset. 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. 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 English and computer classes.
• We promote from within and actively develop staff from entry level positions
• 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 throughout the year for most employees
• We provide substantial monthly bonuses to reward commitment and loyalty
• 100% 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 organizations and support them through providing links to customers. The two main organizations that we support are Sangkheum Center and Angkor Hospital for children. Both of these NGO’s we recommend for volunteers, donations of items, and 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 completely avoid corruption and refuse to use 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 is 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 5% of all profits to provide our staff with education to help further their career.

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.

*Information provided was to the best of our knowledge correct at the time of writing. Dated April 20, 2011.

©Copyright European Guesthouse