 Phnom Penh, 21 March 2011
– Traditional Khmer music, Buddhist monks, Cambodia's deputy
prime minister and apsaras will help announce the grand opening of one
of
Southeast Asia's most anticipated new hotels March 29 as the Sofitel
Phnom Penh
Phokeethra makes its debut.
The hotel takes the stage in Phnom Penh as the first new five-star
hotel to
open in the capital in more than a decade. Its eight restaurants and
bars,
expansive meetings facilities, spa, sports club and executive lounge
herald an
emergence of sorts for a city that's seen more stasis than dynamism in
recent
years.
That, says the hotel's General Manager Didier Lamoot, is about to
change.
"We're on the cusp of something here," said Lamoot. "Not only
with respect to Phnom Penh as a destination, but how people travel, why
they
travel and when. The lines are blurring between leisure and business
travel,
and this hotel was built to accommodate new demands by today's guests."
Located on the banks of a canal, with panoramic views of both the
Mekong River
and the Bassac, the Sofitel defies easy identification as one kind of
hotel or
another. Its 45-meter swimming pool, ample pool decks and ambitious So
Spa, a
wellness concept that debuted in London last year, tempt the
resort-minded.
Meanwhile, the hotel’s executive quarters, Club Millésime, and
its 1,800
square-meter ballroom are lures to corporate business. Indeed, the
hotel was
put to the test during the recent ASEAN Travel Forum during a sit-down
dinner
for 1,200.
"I'm not sure where else in Southeast Asia you can accommodate as many
people," said Lamoot. "Though we only started receiving guests in the
middle of December, we now know what it's like to be fully booked. And
it feels
good."
The USD 50 million hotel development is third in a group that includes
the
Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra, where Lamoot served as general manager for
five
years, and the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra. The Siem Reap (Angkor)
property in
particular has won international acclaim as one of the finest resorts
in
Southeast Asia.
The hotel's cityside front nestles against Phnom Penh's charming old
French
quarter, itself in the midst of a district-wide residential makeover.
Within
walking distance is the Royal Palace, the National Museum and Sisowath
Quay,
one of Southeast Asia's most accessible and attractive waterfront
café scenes.
Accommodation ranges across seven classes, from 121 Superior rooms to
45
Luxury, 23 Junior Suites, 11 Prestige Suites and one Opera Suite.
Wooden
floors, glass-walled baths and classic appointments distinguish every
option.
More than 150 of the hotel's rooms overlook the Mekong.
In the hotel's majestic lobby, Le Bar whets the appetite for the
myriad food
and beverage opportunities beyond. The possibilities span a range of
culinary
traditions and styles. La Coupole features Indochinese and French
cuisines. Do
Forni is Italian. Fu Lu Zu is the Chinese restaurant. Hachi offers up
Old World
Japan. And Chocolat is a Belgian patisserie.
Show kitchens anchor several of the hotel's restaurants. Of course, the
most
dramatic shows at the Sofitel will take place in the hotel's ballroom,
where a
USD 2 million investment in audio-visual technology has equipped the
facility
for extravaganzas.
"Cabarets, orchestras, revues – we expect all manner of entertainment
in
this hotel," said Lamoot, the day after a command performance by a
song-and-dance troupe from Pattaya, Thailand. "Next month, we'll host a
wedding where the bride and groom drive right into the ballroom. We're
set up
to be that kind of a dramatic place."
In addition to celebrations, the hotel's recreational opportunities are
munificent. The Phnom Penh property will serve as the first location in
Southeast Asia to deliver Sofitel's So Spa, featuring French
cosmetology, a
restaurant-like menu of treatment options and a blending of private and
public
space. Five of the spa's 10 private treatment rooms are designed for
involved
Khmer and Thai treatments; the other five rooms, each an ample
30-square
meters, are to be used for various beauty treatments.
In addition to two squash courts, the grounds feature four, floodlit
tennis
courts and two locales for workouts. So Fit is a haven for fitness and
well-being exclusively for in-house guests. The Phokeethra Sports Club
is a
sophisticated gym for guests and local members alike. Likewise, the
hotel's two
pools - one in the hotel building itself and the other in the adjacent
sports
complex - cater exclusively to guests and to both guests and members,
respectively.
On the 12th floor, Club Millésime caters to the hotel's
executive guests in the
first purpose-built facility of its kind in the region. The lounge's
stunning
views of the city and the river, and a combination of outdoor space and
sophisticated décor, elevate this meeting space to great new
heights.
Sofitel, World
Class Hotels
& French
Elegance
Sofitel is the only
french luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 130
addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than 30 000 rooms).
Sofitel offers
contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more demanding and
more
versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and
excellence.
Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, London, New
York or
Beijing, or nestled away in a country landscape in Morocco, Egypt, Fiji
Islands
or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the
French “
art de vivre”.
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