What Hotel in a Far Away Land is Committed to Its People?
A Kinder Hotel Experience: At Home With Family at the Jaya House
Over the past two years, we have dedicated this column to socially responsible businesses in Santa Barbara. But after my moving and un-forgettable experience at the Jaya House in Cambodia last November, Claudia and I agreed that it would be valuable to dedicate one month each year to highlighting the heroic efforts of trailblazing, socially responsible entrepreneurs in other cities and/or countries.
When I was planning my trip to Southeast Asia last year, I was incredibly inspired by the website for the Jaya House. I had a strong feeling then that if my experience was true to the hotel’s claims, I would want to interview its owner, Christian de Boer. Thankfully, my experience exceeded my expectations in ways I could have never imagined. You can read about the details of my beautiful experience at the Jaya House in the November 2022 issue of “Vision Matters” at www.monicalenchesre.com/visionmatters.
ML: As a Dutchman now living in Cambodia, what inspired you to create a socially responsible business there?
CD: I didn’t always think in a socially responsible way. In fact, I was given everything I needed growing up and then opportunities simply became available to me. Education, for example, was something I had to do. It never occurred to me that this wasn’t normal. Then while living in Cambodia, I saw a child eating from a trash bin and then sitting down with a book on the sidewalk to read. In that moment, I realized that he wanted to learn and was going out of his way to educate himself. My whole world view began to change, and I started to see that acting socially responsibly made sense. Eventually, it became “common sense” to me, especially in a country like Cambodia. In fact, its “common sense” globally, but here, in this part of the world, the results of acting responsibly are easier to see. Treating others responsibly with respect and treating them in the same way I would like to be treated simply makes good sense in more ways than one.
ML: What are your company’s values?
CD: Our values are very dear to my heart:
- Respect
- Social responsibility
- Environmental Protection
- Our people, our family
As a result, we have a very, very low turnover and high staff satisfaction and retention rates resulting in better service, more knowledge, happier staff which, in turn, results in happier guests and thus more word-of-mouth.
In fact, a Canadian media outlet just ranked us #1 in the world for guest-satisfaction. Competing against every single other hotel on the planet, this is quite a result, a result the team is very proud of.
ML: How do you put those values into action every day? What measures, business practices, and initiatives reflect your values?
CD: We aim to be a responsible employer by putting our words into action through a variety of practices and initiatives: 1) we are committed to being #SingleUsePlasticFree, 2) we are an advisor to the United Nations, 3) we provide only FULL time jobs; hire only Khmer nationals; hire from within and hire people who might otherwise have difficulty finding a job (this is currently 25% of our workforce) and 4) we aspire to provide the best healthcare in the country.
Over the years we have planted over 2,100 mature trees in public areas and co-donated 37,000 meals to hungry people at the beginning of COVID.
We also clean up around the river on a daily basis and actively ensure staff welfare is correct. We actively search for opportunities to share our message and initiatives and continuously search for ways to make our world a better place.
I cannot change the World, but I can change MY world.
To learn more about these and other initiatives, visit our website at www.thejayahouseriverhotel.com
ML: Why is tackling plastic pollution important to you?
CD: In Cambodia, the tourism industry alone uses 4.6 MILLION #singleuseplastic water bottles a month.
Each of those bottles & plastic bags eventually ends up in the river, landfills, rice fields or oceans contributing to the Changing Climate
The side effects are already visible here in Cambodia; hence, I believe it’s up to all of us to start to try to make a more aggressive difference.
Being in charge of the Jaya House River Park gave me the opportunities to, indeed, make impactful policy decisions one of which is ‘being single use plastic-free.”
ML: Where did the idea to create a signature line of products, Jaya Organics, come from?
CD: The idea of Jaya Organics came about when I was traveling in Malaysia and saw another body product brand that was sold in a mall there. The co-founder, Dennis Reinhard and myself discussed the idea to make our own products to be used at the hotel and spa at Jaya House. But we only wanted to source locally and it had to be made in Cambodia. It took us 6 months to develop the products that we have now that are enjoyed by our guests traveling from around the world.
Ever since, Jaya organics has been well received by both our guests and overseas based former guests. In the early days of the pandemic, it was featured in FORBES which resulted in a big jump in overseas sales (which in turn saved the complete Jaya House River Park Hotel and its many jobs during COVID).
Check out our Jaya Organics line at www.jayaorganics.com
ML: For those who value travel, what can they do to actively engage in making a positive difference?
CD: When you visit a socially responsible hotel or restaurant that delivers what they promise, post positive reviews on social media about what that business is doing right. Similarly, if you notice a business pitching certain values and practices but not abiding by them, post that as well. Social media is a powerful tool for holding businesses accountable, sharing good news and educating fellow travelers.
In addition, please consider supporting our Nutritional Book Drive. Our mission with this initiative is to provide books on nutrition and travel to young Cambodian students for whom books are not a given, but a luxury out of reach. Participating with us is so easy and so effective. Learn more at: www.jayahousehotels.com/nutritional-book-drive
For a kinder hotel experience in a land full of wonder & awe, feel free to contact Christian de Boer directly at +855-9-2345655 or Chris Ream, the hotel manager, at +855-6-9487927.
Here’s to meaningful and memorable travel,