201-room hotel overlooks Mekong and one of Asia’s most up-and-coming destinations The Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra announed today that the 201-room, riverside property will open Dec. 11 as the city’s first new 5-star debut in 12 years. Located in an upscale residential quarter just downstream of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace, the hotel’s debut will introduce nine new restaurants and bars to the city, Asia’s first, Sofitel-branded So Spa, Asia’s first purpose-built executive club, Club Millesime, and an 1,800-square meter ballroom anchoring one of Southeast Asia’s most ambitious new meetings venues.
The December launch immediately redefines the city’s upscale appeal, positioning the Sofitel as the most sophisticated new hospitality
opportunity not only in Phnom Penh but in the region at large. The hotel’s emergence here, in one of Asia’s most compelling new destinations, is
something of a bellwether for a rising Phnom Penh.
More than 6,000 candidates applied for work at the new hotel, buoyed by the brand’s reputation and the bold strokes of a $50 million investment by a consortium of French, Cambodian and Thai investors.
“For many people, Phnom Penh is one of the great new destinations, generating an enthusiasm not unlike the enthusiasm that travelers and
entrepreneurs had for Prague in the early ’90s,” said Didier Lamoot, general manager of the hotel. “And the Sofitel is opening as a grand manifestation of all that enthusiasm.”
Cambodia’s domestic product is forecast to grow about 5% this year. Before the global recession hit in 2008, causing output to slump by 2.5%, the country’s economy was growing on average by about 9% per year over the previous decade.
The 12-storey colonial French style hotel occupies 12 hectares in a prime, riverside location, near the British International School and amidst a
burgeoning neighborhood of upscale villas.
Its fitness club, the Phokeethra Sports Complex, features tennis courts and squash courts, as well an outdoor swimming pool, a kid’s club, fitness
equipment and a SO Spa by Sofitel.
Its seven state-of-the-art meetings rooms, the grand ballroom and a complementary, 1,200-square-meter pre-function space are set to tap a
growing interest in Phnom Penh as a land of entrepreneurial opportunity.
“As we, and the rest of the world community, emerge from this global slump, Phnom Penh is likely to emerge as an attractive new venue among meetings and conference planners,” said Lamoot. “The destination is fresh, and the ability to hop from here to Angkor is a major draw.”
Lamoot previously served as general manager at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort from (date) to date.
