Sokha Siem Reap Opens

Khmer Times
PETER OLSZEWSKI

The Sokha Siem Reap Resort's saltwater swimming pool is billed as the biggest pool in Siem Reap
province. Supplied

The sprawling 23-hectare Sokha Siem Reap Resort and Convention Center is now open for business, although some construction is still underway in preparation for an official grand opening slated for later this year or early 2017.

Currently, 224 rooms and villas are available and when fully functioning the resort complex will boast 776 rooms, villas and suites plus three restaurants, a supersized fitness center and spa, and an 8,950-square-meter convention center with a 2,200-square-meter ballroom plus a huge swimming pool and terrace area.

Guests can connect with hotel staff or outside suppliers such as tour agents via an in-room IPTV system that also doubles as an entertainment center. Computers are accessible in all the hotel’s public areas.

The new complex is Sokha’s second hotel in Siem Reap – the downtown Sokha Angkor Resort opened in 2006, and the two hotels combined now give the company a 1,000-room-plus presence in the gateway to Angkor Archaeological Park.

The company’s regional director for sales, Thanet Kun, said the new complex is part of the company’s belief in the growth potential of tourism in Siem Reap.

“Siem Reap’s tourism numbers are constantly increasing, there is an increase in flights therefore it’s an ideal time for a well-known brand like Sokha Hotels to open this magnificent addition to Siem Reap’s landscape,” she said.

Everything about the new complex is big, including the 3,200-square- meter fitness center. Sokha claims that until its center opened, the largest fitness center in Siem Reap covered just 120 square meters.

The saltwater swimming pool at the new complex is also big, measuring 1,050 square meters and Sokha billed it as the biggest pool in Siem Reap. The pool is complemented by a 2,800-square-meter terrace.

Another big addition to the pool is a huge 43-square-meter LED movie screen that towers above the pool.

This, according to Sophertra Say, group deputy director of sales and marketing, provides, “an aquatic cinematic experience.” Guests are encouraged to relax in the pool in inflatable chairs with a glass of wine to watch the movies.

Even plans for supplying the kitchens are big. Currently in the design stage is a 3,000-square-meter organic garden to cater to some of the hotel’s vegetable requirements.