Step into lush jungle lodge or whimsical palace-like resort by Bill Bensley, and it’s easy to be dazzled by the drama—brass bathtubs in treetops, zipline entrances, and interiors that feel like a Wes Anderson film set in the tropics. But behind the theatrical flair is a far deeper purpose: creating spaces that don’t just pamper guests but uplift entire communities.
For over two decades, Bensley has partnered with Cambodian visionary Sokoun Chanpreda to build more than just hotels. Through the Shinta Mani Foundation, they’ve helped more than 350 underprivileged students graduate into Cambodia’s hospitality industry, constructed over 180 homes, delivered nearly 18,000 dental checkups, and distributed 19,000 water filters to rural families. In villages where opportunity once felt like a distant dream, children now ride donated bicycles to school, women run small businesses powered by micro-loans, and forest rangers—funded by tourism—protect one of Southeast Asia’s last great wild frontiers.
At the heart of it all is a belief Bensley lives by: design should fight for something. In this exclusive conversation, he shares how his creative journey intertwined with a mission of radical generosity—and why every guest at Shinta Mani properties unwittingly becomes part of something much bigger than themselves.
What inspired the creation of the Shinta Mani Foundation, and how did your partnership with Sokoun Chanpreda influence its mission?
Bill Bensley: The Shinta Mani Foundation was founded by my good friend and business partner, Cambodian entrepreneur Sokoun Chanpreda. Sokoun returned to Cambodia after years abroad and established the foundation in 2004 as part of his vision to use hospitality as a force for social good. This includes our Shinta Mani School of Hospitality in Siem Reap which offers free training to underprivileged Cambodians (up to 30 per year) to help them secure employment in the tourism industry. I have never missed a graduation and my heart swells with pride to see these young adults graduate and be able to support themselves and their families.
I partnered with Sokoun to expand the Shinta Mani brand and together, we have developed two properties in Cambodia, including Shinta Mani Wild, a luxury eco-camp in the Cardamom Mountains that combines high-end tourism with environmental conservation. My design expertise complemented Sokoun’s philanthropic vision, leading to a unique blend of luxury hospitality and community development.
The foundation’s core mission—guided by the Foundation’s philosophy of “Open Doors, Open Hearts”—focuses on education, healthcare, and direct assistance. Over the years, we have expanded its initiatives to include clean water projects, medical outreach, and micro-loans for small businesses, all aimed at empowering local communities in Cambodia as well as conservation and wildlife protection through the Foundations’ partnership with NGO Wildlife Alliance at Shinta Mani Wild.
The Foundation addresses various community needs, from education to healthcare. How do you identify and prioritize these initiatives to ensure comprehensive community support?
Bill Bensley: The hard truth is that we aren’t able to ensure comprehensive community support… There is so much serious poverty in the 22 villages that we support, much of our time and effort goes to understanding who has the worst of the worst problems, the worst home, the worst nutrition, or the best potential to break the circle of poverty by way ofeducation. For example, for every home we build we interview on average 25 families in the field. For every young adult we accept into our hospitality school, there are 50+ applicants. So to answer your question, we do the best we can with the funds we have.
With programs like the hospitality training school and micro-loans, how does the Foundation ensure long-term sustainability and self-reliance among beneficiaries?
Bill Bensley: See above – we do the best we can with the funds we have. Through the very concept of giving people a hand up rather than a hand out – we give them the tools they need to provide for themselves and their families, which also gives them dignity and a sense of purpose and pride and prevents them from being reliant.
How do you educate and involve guests in the philanthropic and conservation aspects of their stay, enhancing their overall experience?
Bill Bensley: Sokoun and I have never pushed our foundation in front of our guests because we don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. If asked we are happy to tell any of our guests all about our programs and there is a half-day tour available at Shinta Mani Siem Reap to go and meet the villagers and see the work we have done (building houses, providing water wells, etc). If guests wish to make direct donations such as giving rice, or other food, donating a water well, pencils and school materials for children, water, etc – they are most welcome to do so and these are gratefully received. Our team in Siem Reap can facilitate this with the guests. The village visits are popular with our guests who genuinely want to learn about the work we do and give back, knowing their visit has truly made a difference. At Shinta Mani Wild, guests can join the Wildlife Alliance Rangers on their forest patrols to catch illegal loggers and poachers. This is also both popular and educational for our guests.
How do you seamlessly integrate philanthropic efforts into your hotel operations without compromising guest experience?
Bill Bensley: Great question—and one rather close to my heart. Now, imagine this not as charity, but as a kind of jungle symphony where every instrument plays its part. At the Foundation, we don’t believe in handouts—we believe in hand-ups. The hospitality training school, for instance, isn’t just about teaching someone how to fold a napkin into the shape of a lotus (though we do that rather well). It’s about giving young Cambodians the confidence and skills to walk into a five-star kitchen—or better yet, run one. And those micro-loans? They’re like seeds in rich jungle soil. We give people the tools to grow their own livelihoods—be it a small farm, a tailoring shop, or a tuk-tuk business—with just enough support to keep it grounded in dignity, not dependency. The goal has always been self-reliance, not reliance on us. It’s sustainability by design, really. A bit like how we built our tents at Shinta Mani Wild—rooted gently, leaving the forest intact, but bold enough to last through a monsoon. Same ethos, a different canvas.
You’ve mentioned in some interviews a desire to create “hotels with a purpose.” Can you elaborate on how this philosophy shapes your design process?
Bill Bensley: Design, for me, has never been about just making something pretty. That’s boring. If it doesn’t serve the planet or its people, then why bother? Every project I do has to earn its keep—protect a forest, create jobs, tell a story that matters. Otherwise, I’m out. At Shinta Mani Wild, we didn’t just build tents in a jungle. We built a conservation army. The whole camp funds anti-poaching patrols and supports the local community. That’s what I mean when I say luxury with a heart. You can still sip your gin and tonic—but know it’s helping save an elephant’s life. I believe in conservation through commerce. Tourism can be a dirty word, or it can be a force for good. Design should have guts. It should fight for something. And if I can do that with a bit of flair—maybe a brass bathtub in the treetops or a zipline entrance—well then, even better.
When designing in diverse cultural landscapes, how do you ensure authenticity and respect for local traditions?
Bill Bensley: That’s something I’ve thought a great deal about. Curiosity drives me in all walks of life. When I start a new project in a new place I am curious to learn everything I can about that place and culture For me, philanthropy isn’t separate from the hotel—it is the hotel. At Shinta Mani Wild, for example, conservation and community work are not side projects. They’re at the core of the experience. Guests know that their stay helps fund forest rangers, support local education, and protect wildlife, but we don’t shout about it. We simply invite them to see it for themselves.
The key is subtlety. We design experiences where doing good is naturally woven into the story—perhaps a quiet conversation with a ranger over breakfast, or a visit to a community project that doesn’t feel staged. We never compromise comfort, but we do invite guests to see the world a little differently. That, I think, is where meaning and hospitality meet. Next week I start a new project in Nigeria. I have never been there… Excited!
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