Mad Monkey in the news
Oct
Mad Monkey Hostels Launch the Mad Monkey Experience App & Loyalty Program
Mad Monkey, a leading Southeast Asia-based hostel operator and provider of high-octane, sustainable travel experiences, has launched the Mad Monkey Experience App and Loyalty Program. The app is already available to both iOS and Android users in their respective app stores. The launch of the app and the loyalty program is another milestone in Mad Monkey’s digitalization journey and a testament to the company’s singular focus on impeccable guest and user experiences, ensuring young travelers can now make affordable, easy bookings on the app, collect points and get rewarded for their loyalty. The app will further enhance the holistic, culturally immersive experience for travelers and will ensure they can seamlessly book their travel between Mad Monkey hostels, while better connecting with the brand online. Guests will be earning points for each booking, when booking an experience in a new country or staying at all Mad Monkeys in a certain region. All app users will benefit from guaranteed lowest rates while loyal members who collected points will benefit from additional discounts and other mad perks that will further enhance their experience and stay. “Mad Monkey is committed to providing guests with an innovative and seamless travel experience; this new platform is just one way to achieve that goal. Aside from the best available rates and a madly rewarding loyalty program, more features are set to be released following the app’s launch. We’re excited for this release and everything else this program will bring to our guests in the future.” Steve Vaile, Chairman of Mad Monkey explains. Currently, Mad Monkey operates hostels in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Koh Rong Samloem in Cambodia, Cebu City, Siargao, and Nacpan Beach in the Philippines, Bangkok in Thailand, and Kuta Lombok and Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. In these locations, Mad Monkey tours and events are back in full swing, so guests can enjoy a full schedule of activities and connect easily with young-minded travelers. Other properties in Vietnam, Luang Prabang in Laos, Panglao, Bohol and Dumaguete in the Philippines are also set to open towards the end of 2022.
Sep
Mad Monkey Hostel Set to Reopen in One of the Philippines’ Top-rated Beaches
El Nido, Philippines: Mad Monkey, a leading Southeast Asia-based hostel operator and provider of high-octane, sustainable travel experiences is set to reopen its hostel in the highly-rated Nacpan Beach in El Nido. This will be the ninth reopening in the company’s post-pandemic sweeping growth trajectory, following the reopening of Mad Monkey Siargao and Mad Monkey Bangkok. Unspoiled beaches and turquoise waters of El Nido. Photo courtesy of Mad Monkey Hostels. Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach originally opened its doors back in October 2017, and with its reopening set to happen in two weeks, the hostel is looking forward to welcoming back both old and new guests, with the same Mad Monkey brand of hospitality and the nightly events they are famous for across the country and region. The hostel will offer various accommodation options– from private loft rooms to shared and private dorm rooms. The property will also feature dedicated coworking space, and a beachfront bar and restaurant. The popular hostel brand is known for hosting parties and escapades for young travelers such as island hopping, paraw sailing, as well as hostel activities like beach beer cricket, beach volleyball and football, and frisbee. These enriching experiences will allow one to experience the best of laid-back island living and the thrilling adventures Nacpan has to offer. Through these social activities, Mad Monkey guests are able to build and foster communities, friendships, and memories that last a lifetime. Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach’s Tour M. Photo courtesy of Mad Monkey Hostels. Aside from the trademark Mad Monkey experience, the hostel is also proud of supporting local community projects that help elevate and uplift the status of the communities where they are present. Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach is proud to have been involved in building and painting a wall around the local primary school to keep students safe. The hostel is also a regular donor to the feeding program for malnourished kids in Nacpan Beach and is working to deliver clean water projects using deep bore wells to ensure that local families and children have access to clean and potable water. Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach – Sustainable Nutrition Program. Photo courtesy of Mad Monkey Hostels. Back in 2018, Mad Monkey Nacpan’s grand opening party was able to generate enough money for computers, a printer, and 70 science books for the local primary school, while the donation to the school back in the Christmas of 2017 ensured that each of its 300 students received 2kg of rice along with either a backpack, a coloring book, or a school kit to support them in their education. Beyond these initiatives, Mad Monkey also spearheads projects that help protect the environment. The hostel runs regular beach clean-ups to remove plastics and other litter from the beach, while we also help to protect the sea turtle nests on our beach and coordinate with the local turtle sanctuary to ensure that these magnificent creatures have a safe place to hatch. The reopening coincides with the launch of the Mad Monkey XP – Mad Monkey’s app that will enable travelers to seamlessly manage their bookings, events, and activities and be rewarded for their loyalty. Mad Monkey Hostel Nacpan Beach is set to reopen on September 15, 2022. For more information and bookings, visit our website at www.madmonkeyhostels.com/nacpan.
Apr
Iconic Mad Monkey Phnom Penh is Moving to a Lofty New Location
Mad Monkey is moving their iconic Phnom Penh hostel to a lofty new location in an uber-central 7-Makara district of the capital. The new property will comfortably accommodate up to 200 travelers, being the biggest Mad Monkey location to date, and the biggest experience-based hostel in Phnom Penh. Mad Monkey team announced a major move towards their goal of strengthening their position as the regional leader in the experience hospitality segment. They will be moving their iconic Phnom Penh hostel to a lofty new location. This move represents a major milestone on their journey of being the biggest provider of immersive, socially responsible, and fun experiences for young travelers and digital nomads, and is aligned with Mad Monkey’s ambitious expansion plan, as well as the direction to offer an iconic Mad Monkey experience in higher-caliber properties. The move is especially significant to the founding team, Alex, Oliver, Steve, and Tom, who started Mad Monkey in Cambodia’s capital just over 10 years ago. It’s the place where the dynamic team first met and defined the now-famous experience they are offering to young travelers. It’s where the first larger Mad Monkey team was formed and many of them have grown with the business and today hold significant positions within the company. Phnom Penh is also the place where the team first identified they want to place social responsibility at the core of the company’s business model and work closely with the communities surrounding their hostels. That model and success story were then carried over and the team has successfully replicated it across the region since. “We’re beyond excited for the move and the opportunities this property brings. We’ll truly be able to fully execute our vision for the experiences we want to create for our guests. Phnom Penh will now be an even stronger hub for travelers to enjoy before moving to our properties in Siem Reap and Koh Rong Samloem”, said Tom Edwards, co-founder of Mad Monkey. “Our Team in Cambodia can’t wait to operate in the new property. Most of them have been with us from the very beginning and have an amazing sense for what our guests crave and can truly deliver, this space will enable them to do it at their very best”, added Alex Darroch, co-founder. The team is taking over an existing property on street 242, that previously hosted a popular boutique hotel and has already started injecting the Mad Monkey ‘mojo’ into it, ensuring the atmosphere most of their guests seek is provided. The move is in line with Mad Monkey’s ambition to offer immersive cultural experiences and serve an ever-growing segment of young digital nomads and experience seekers in environments that are fun, and environmentally and socially responsible. The new property will have the capacity to host up to 200 guests in 60 rooms offering both, hostel-style dormitory accommodation as well as beautiful private rooms. The design centers on elements from old Indochina, inspiring guests with stylized furniture pieces and vintage art, adding a hint of mystery and adventure to the experience. The property features a big swimming pool and spacious common area with a bar and restaurant that will comfortably deliver the iconic Mad Monkey vibes and unforgettable events. Lush gardens will provide much-needed shade for guests to relax under after days of exploration and evenings of meeting new friends. With Cambodian borders fully reopened and the region generally easing up restrictions, the move is timely, since the demand for quality hostel accommodation Mad Monkey provides exceeds the supply at the moment and far bigger property will help accommodate crowds of travelers hungry…
Mar
Mad Monkey Secures US$4.6M Investment from EXS to Accelerate their Expansion Across Southeast Asia
Mad Monkey, a leading Southeast Asia-based hostel operator and provider of high-octane, sustainable, travel experiences, has closed its first major round of fundraising from the EXS Property Innovation Concepts VCC (“EPIC”), a Singapore-domiciled fund platform sponsored and managed by EXS, a specialist private equity firm focused on real estate business & platforms across Asia. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its ambitious expansion across Asia, substantially growing its portfolio across the region in the next 3 years, building on the great success of the past decade. Singapore, March 22, 2022 – The sun is slowly setting over the Cambodian capital. So much has changed in the uber-fast developing city in the past 10 years since the Mad Monkey team opened the first hostel in the heart of Phnom Penh. High-rises mount over pagodas, SUVs are passing slower tuk-tuks, mobile phones have become the primary payment method. But some things remain the same — the charm and soul of the entire region, inviting young adventurers back to explore its colorful streets, dreamy beaches, and magical sites, now that the pandemic-stricken world has started showing signs of recovery. Early evenings are a time when the music starts getting louder by the pool in Mad Monkey’s hostels and the party is slowly starting. But right now, there is a different buzz; the Mad Monkey team is hard at work preparing rapid re-openings of its existing locations, inviting domestic and international travelers back to its world. In the past decade, Mad Monkey has earned an iconic status in Southeast Asia and has opened hostels in 6 countries, delivering unforgettable, sustainable, and culturally immersive travel experiences to an ever-growing segment of young digital nomads & other experience-driven travelers who are hungry to travel, build friendships and experience new cultures. But reopening seems like a small task amidst a much bigger ambition now turned into an accelerated action plan. The Mad Monkey team is poised to open up to 50 hostels in the next 3 years in Asia and Australia, cementing their status as the region’s biggest player in experience-driven hospitality. To help achieve this goal, Mad Monkey has now partnered with EXS, a Singapore-based private equity firm focused on real estate businesses & platforms, through EPIC, which is focused on “New Economy Real Estate” across Asia including co-working, co-living, student housing, new hospitality, and modern fitness models. EPIC has successfully completed a US$4.6M investment into Mad Monkey to drive the company’s near-term growth and reinforce its position as Southeast Asia’s leading hostel operator. “Mad Monkey is a leading player in Southeast Asia and a great example of real estate’s continued shift towards ‘new economy’ business models that combine real estate, hospitality and technology to deliver unique experiences. The Mad Monkey team has organically built a business anchored on strong values, with social and environmental responsibility at its core, while staying aggressive with expansion plans, maintaining profitability, and developing a stable team over the past decade. We are proud and excited to enter the next phase of driving Mad Monkey’s growth across the region,” stated Eric Solberg, Chairman & CEO of EXS. EXS plans to contribute its expertise in building leading Asian real estate platforms to Mad Monkey. As a specialized private equity firm with a track record of investing successfully across Southeast Asia, EXS is a strong believer in the growing trends driving new business models across real estate. Through EPIC, EXS plans to play a major role in helping the Mad Monkey team to accelerate growth and take advantage of the rapid return in tourism across the region, creating value for…
Mar
Cambodia is Now Fully Open for Vaccinated Travelers
Great news for everyone ready to explore the Kingdom of Wonder: Cambodia has now fully opened its borders to all vaccinated travelers. The change is effective immediately and contains three main updates: Travelers are no longer required to present a negative PCR test upon arrival. Travelers are also no longer required to present negative rapid test results. Visa on arrival is now available to all international travelers traveling by air, land, or water. Travelers need to be fully vaccinated and present a certificate of vaccination for the above conditions to apply. Unvaccinated travelers would be required to quarantine for 14 days. With three Mad Monkey hostels open and in full swing in Cambodia, the time is now to book your tickets and book your stay at Mad Monkey.