SIEM REAP, 4 October 2019: Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor reopened its doors 1 October after a six-month renovation.
The remake involved 112 of the property’s 119 rooms and suites that have been fully refurbished, with bathrooms undergoing a major refit with new tiling, fixtures, and separate rain showers.
“The careful restoration and refurbishments will enhance guest comfort by offering new modern amenities while staying true to our longstanding heritage,” said Raffles Cambodia cluster general manager, Oliver Dudler.
The main difference that returning guests will notice upon arrival is that the façade of the hotel is now painted alabaster white, rather than the former cream-beige hue the traditional colour of Royal Khmer architecture across the country.
The hotel’s Elephant Bar retains the air of a bygone era. Contractors David Grace Designs have brightened up the Café d’Angkor. A new signature restaurant, named “1932,” will be ready for its official launch next month.
The biggest structural addition to the property involves the complete renovation of the outdoor Apsara terrace, where Khmer performances are stage. The terrace is now a MICE and banquets venue to be called the Raffles Marquee.
The hotel opened in 1932 with just 63 rooms, all with private bathrooms. The property, along with its sister heritage hotel, Le Royal, in Phnom Penh, was taken over by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International in 1997.
The Siem Reap resort’s reopening comes two months after Raffles reopened its flagship hotel in Singapore following a two-year closure for renovations.
