PARK HYATT SIEM REAP AIMS TO CAPTIVATE GUESTS WITH THE MULTIFACETED BEAUTY AND CULTURE OF THE AREA .
DESIGN : PARK HYATT SIEM REAP
PARK HYATT SIEM REAP AIMS TO CAPTIVATE GUESTS WITH THE MULTIFACETED BEAUTY AND CULTURE OF THE AREA .
by ANN BAGEL STORCK , MANAGING EDITOR
Park Hyatt Siem Reap not only marks Hyatt Hotels Corp .’ s entry into Cambodia , but also new life for the former Hotel De La Paix , which interior designer Bill Bensley helped create in the late 1990s as a tribute to both Khmer architecture and contemporary arts . Now , following a 14-month complete renovation led by Bensley , the 108-room hotel retains much of the previous property ’ s character — the dramatic white façade , for example , and the ancient banyan tree in the courtyard — even while luxurious yet homey new touches such as Italian marble and wood floors have been added .
Bensley says he has been captivated by Cambodia ’ s beauty for years , and his design for Park Hyatt Siem Reap reflects that passion . The Living Room lounge , for example , is filled with art and artifacts Bensley has collected around the world such as dozens of carved wooden elephants and two scale models of the elephant stables the Cambodian king constructed in the early 1900s . Other unique touches include a bar table with elephant tusks for legs .
Bensley also got creative in his effort to give the hotel a residential feel . The guestrooms and public areas are filled with secondhand books , for instance , enhanced with small fabric samples Bensley has saved from manufacturers over the years . “ I buy hundreds of secondhand books and recover these , in house , with the fabric samples for a clean , fresh look that compliments our contemporary interiors in a green way ,” Bensley explains .
Park Hyatt Siem Reap is looking to attract discerning luxury travelers , notes General Manager Sholto Smith , who adds that the property ’ s most important markets include the United States , United Kingdom , Japan and China . Smith says average rate has been approximately US $ 355 , but the hotel must cope with the fact that Siem Reap is a tourist destination with both a high and low season . “ The hotel ’ s overall performance thus far has been right on course , but our goal is to increase occupancy even throughout the low seasons and to
32 HOTELS January / February 2014 www . hotelsmag . com