Mad Monkey in the news
Sep
Mad Monkey Golden Ticket Giveaway
Check https://www.madmonkeyhostels.com/mad-monkey-golden-ticket for more information and to buy your ticket — but be quick because they’re almost sold out! Get your tickets here! Mad Monkey Golden Ticket Winners To show our appreciation to our healthcare and essential workers around the world, we gave away 12 30-day Golden Tickets! Meet our winners: Abbie Smart, Community Nurse from England Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Gili Trawangan in Indonesia Amit Ambokar, Community Volunteer from India Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Bangkok in Thailand Carly, Registered Nurse in Labour & Delivery from Canada Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Luang Prabang in Indonesia Dominica Williams, Psychiatric Nurse from Australia Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Gili Trawangan in Indonesia Gabriella Shaw, Primary School Teacher from England Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Koh Rong Samloem in Cambodia Sreejith, Doctor from India Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkeys in Indonesia Lucy Tait, Customer Service Helper from the U.K. Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Gili Trawangan in Indonesia Marie Yvette Dabo, Private Duty Nurse from the Philippines Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach in the Philippines Aieshya, Registered Nurse from Australia Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Gili Trawangan in Indonesia Hassam Saban, Phlebotomist/Medical Technologist from the Philippines Can’t wait to go to: any Mad Monkey in Thailand! Sascha Schrader, Doctor (Emergency/Covid-19 Department) from the Netherlands Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach in the Philippines Tina Talreja, Operations Lead from India Can’t wait to go to: Mad Monkey Gili Trawangan in Indonesia Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you for all of your hard work! We appreciate you!! Be on the lookout for more giveaways!
May
Australian COVID-19 Travel News
What’s the go with COVID-19 in Australia? Along with the rest of the world, Australia has been affected by COVID-19 with the virus having a huge impact on health, lifestyle, travel, business, and the economy. Australia has however fared relatively well (to date) comparative to many other countries across the world. So what are the COVID-19 restrictions in place in Australia? Yes, the Australian government has put a number of social distancing and other restrictions in place to attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community. What are these restrictions? Travel restrictions limiting entry into and within Australia currently apply as well as social distancing rules affecting the number of people allowed to gather together. From Friday 15th May public gatherings outdoors are restricted to groups of maximum 10 people and you’re only allowed to visit a different household to your own with up to 5 other people at any one time. On Monday 1st June these restrictions will be eased for restaurants/café’s/pubs and they will be allowed to operate with a maximum of 50 diners within their establishments at one time. It’s worth noting these numbers are space-dependent and groups dining together are still restricted to a maximum of 10 guests. What about travel in Australia? We’re stoked that travel restriction will be eased in NSW from 1st June 2020! The NSW Government has confirmed that from this date regional travel within NSW will be allowed for any reason, including holidays. Other states across Australia have different rules and things change frequently so we recommend checking with the respective State or Territory you wish to visit to ensure you have the most current information. For the latest NSW info be sure to check out: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19 And what’s happening at Mad Monkey? We’re all good here at Mad Monkey Coogee Beach! We’re absolutely open and loving getting to know the fab people staying here with us during COVID-19. Within Mad Monkey the government imposed social distancing rules apply. You’ll notice some changes to the layout of our rooms and common spaces to allow for more space between guests. And yep hand hygiene remains super important so there are sanitiser stations all round the hostel to ensure we all do our bit. We’re taking more precautions than usual to ensure the strictest cleaning and hygiene standards are in place and we’re absolutely committed to ensuring your stay is as safe and comfortable as possible. If you’ve got any questions, please reach out to our friendly front desk team and we’re more than happy to help! While health is obviously top of mind and there’s a bit more space than normal, things otherwise haven’t changed at Mad Monkey Coogee Beach. We’re still here to make sure you have an awesome time in Coogee and if you’ve stayed with us before you know you can rely on our super fun and friendly vibe. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Mar
A Message to Our Community — COVID-19
We are doing everything in our power to keep our hostels, kitchens, and bars safe and clean — for YOU, our team members, and the community at large for as long is legal and responsible. We are committed to delivering the trusted Mad Monkey experience, whether that is a safe space or an available communication resource in this ever changing environment. Operations and team members will proceed to closely following the latest guidance from the CDC, WHO, local governments, and public health agencies. We recommend you to use the following health advisories in kind for personal hygiene and medical advice. Also, as fellow citizens of the world and visitors abroad, please be conscious and compassionate of the heightened stress during these times and be respectful of local culture and advisories. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ We are prepared to navigate these challenging circumstances with everyone’s safety of movement in mind. As travel restrictions evolve by the minute, we recognize that the best resources we can recommend are the up to date news outlets in the areas in which we operate. Accordingly, please visit the below links for the most recent and relevant travel advisories and restrictions for Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand. Please also check our DAILY Instagram story @madmonkeyhostels for the most up to date information regarding temporary hostel closures or disruptions, along with pertinent information. With onward travel in flux, you may choose to stay in one place and extend your stay in one of our open locations. Please speak to our teams digitally or in person at reception to understand the package rates that may be available to you in the event you choose to or must remain abroad. We will maintain our exemplary customer service and our core values, most notably family spirit, and be here to make this period as safe, hospitable, and hopeful as possible. Thank you for being a loyal Mad Monkey and together, we will get through this trying time and continue to embrace the madness! Sincerely, Mad Monkey For all South East Asian Travel Advisories: https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/coronavirus-asia-asean-live-updates-by-country/ AUSTRALIA: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/coronavirus-covid-19 https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert CAMBODIA: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50703066/cambodia-detects-35-cases-of-covid-19-infection/ https://cne.wtf/ INDONESIA: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/17/covid-19-indonesia-suspends-visa-free-policy-expands-ban-for-people-from-worst-hit-countries.html LAOS: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-03/17/c_138884685.htm https://laotiantimes.com/ PHILIPPINES: https://cnnphilippines.com/ https://www.rappler.com/nation/254884-coronavirus-cases-philippines-march-17-2020 THAILAND: https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880525/thailand-reports-30-new-coronavirus-cases
Feb
Mad Monkey Presents at the 2020 Hostelworld Conference
The conference featured a number of seminars presented by Hostelworld professionals and other presenters aimed to aid those of us in the business. From introducing new technology that could eliminate reception desks (you read that right) to workshops on how to tailor marketing strategies for 2020, all participants left with plenty of knowledge to kick-start a successful year. Arguably the most moving of seminars was the segment, “Building a Better World.” It’s become clear that customers are passionate about the community, the environment, and other similar issues. Travelers and consumers want to support both sustainable and ethical brands, and Mad Monkey is so honored to announce that we were asked to present our CSR business model to the Hostelworld community. “What started as a basic hostel in the heart of Cambodia’s capital some nine years ago has become one of the largest hostel chains in the world, equipped with onsite restaurants, tours, and more—but with this enormous growth comes great responsibility—to the Mad Monkey team, our investors, and customers,” said Kelly Iverson, the comprehensive marketing manager of Mad Monkey. “That’s where CSR comes in.” Iverson went on to explain how Mad Monkey’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) business model has helped guide the company to be socially accountable in all aspects of its existence in all 13 and counting properties. From phasing out single-use plastic in 2020 to hosting weekly beach cleanup in all of our hostels found anywhere near a coastline, CSR aligns with Mad Monkey’s values and not only betters the communities but also betters a customers’ experience. According to Hostelworld’s Hostel Traveler Study and Hostel Operator Survey conducted in 2019, customers want to volunteer in things like community activities. If these aren’t organized by the actual hostels, it is estimated that some 69% of customers are organizing these community efforts themselves. This just goes to show that adopting a CSR business model in addition to sustainable business efforts is the way of the future for accommodation options in 2020.
Jan
Response: Siargao hostel ordered closed for violating environment laws
The Mad Monkey local general manager was at the time overcoming a strong typhoon that had hit the island, causing damage and compromising our waste management protocols. However, upon investigation we found that our standard processes and policies were not followed adequately, and as a result, the senior member of staff responsible decided to resign from the company. To ensure this will not happen again, we have updated our global Health, Safety and Compliance documentation. We have trained and deployed personnel within this department at global, regional and property levels. The role of this department is to ensure all operating policies and procedures related to Health, Safety and Compliance remain updated and implemented in line with national laws and internal standards. On-site quarterly Health, Safety and Compliance audits are conducted internally in each property by trained Regional officers, and at least one team member per property must be trained in Level II Health & Safety and Pollution Control and is assigned the responsibility of securing the implementation of these standards on a day-to-day basis. Mad Monkey is committed to maintaining the highest standards in our operation at all times. When things do go wrong, it is important that we admit it and improve our processes whilst being transparent to our stakeholders. We would like to apologize to all of our community stakeholders in Siargao for this oversight in our operating procedures. Mad Monkey has worked with the local stakeholder team and local authorities to re-establish our compliance, repair the damage and pay all fines relating to the matter. Should anyone have any suggestions or feel we could further improve on this process, please do not hesitate to contact our team. Since 2011 Mad Monkey Hostels has operated across Southeast Asia by being sustainable in our operations. Having identified this process issue, we are confident that our processes for dealing with disaster situations, such as typhoons, now have a rigorous pollution control process supporting their management.