Northstar

NEWS www.travelweeklyweb.com Insights into Phnom Penh SPECIAL COLUMN: Phnom Penh is the venue for this year's ASEAN Tourism Forum. Here we feature an interview with Didier Lamoot, general manager, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra who tells us what we need to know about the city. Two weeks ago, the Sofi tel Phnom Penh Phokeethra opened its doors as the fi rst new fi ve-star debut in Phnom Penh in more than a decade. Lamoot believes the new hotel is evidence of a brand new day in Phnom Penh and previously managed a sister hotel property in Siem Reap which is now in his seventh year in Cambodia. Q. Why haven't any other five-star hotels opened in Phnom Penh in the past decade? The region's booming, and yet Phnom Penh, until now, hasn't really been able to capitalise on the wider world's interest. A. When talking about Cambodia, people immediately think of Angkor. And who can blame them? It is one of the world's marvels. For the past dozen years, so much of the interest in Cambodia, for both the leisure and the corporate traveller, has been on Angkor. There's been so much attraction to Siem Reap – gravitational attraction, inevitable attraction – that Phnom Penh has been left with the second fiddle. But the second fiddle is now asking the fi rst violin for some time on the main stage. Q. Can this city support another five-star hotel? The city already has two, as well as a fairly new 600-room hotel-casino. A. In 2004 / 2005, they were telling me it would be crazy to put up a hotel. The upscale hotels were losing money then. But by 2007 / 2008, everyone was saying we're waiting for you. We need more rooms. Q. Is this city ready for prime time? A. The city is ready. But it's hard to communi- cate to the world that we are ready. Both private industry and government have to be pulling in the same direction, and with great vigor, to ensure that the world knows this. Q. How do you persuade corporate and leisure travellers that indeed, Phnom Penh should be a destination for these travellers? A. This is the future of Cambodia. This city is emerging as Cambodia's hub, as a gateway to Angkor, yes, but also to Sihanoukville and the southern coast. Note that Thai Airways flies into Phnom Penh, not Siem Reap. If we want to develop the country as a real destination, we have to develop the south. That's how Phnom Penh becomes a hub. Q. But that's not the way the city is perceived now? A. Correct. According to the official statistics, we had 471,283 arrivals to Phnom Penh in from January to October 2010, while there were 557,145 arrivals to Siem Reap. That doesn't suggest that the country yet revolves around a hub. 6 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | 18 JANUARY 2011 Q. How can Phnom Penh compete with Angkor? A. Let me go out on a limb here. The first wonder of Cambodia is not Angkor. It is Khmer Q. What is the next milestone you're looking out for in Cambodia's redevelopment as a destination? A. Easy. We need a long-haul fl ight into Phnom Penh from Europe, from the States and or from Australia. All of the planes coming in now are with regional carriers. Q. Air France? A. Bien sur. Yes, we've just learned that Air France plans to fl y direct to Phnom Penh from Paris three times per week, starting in March. This is big, even if there will be a connecting fl ight at Bangkok. Q. Tarmac to tarmac, France to Cambodia is too much to ask at present? A. Apparently. But soon enough, we hope there will be cause. And we expect that this will begin with char ters. We have 250,000 Franco Khmer coming in from Paris. They can fi ll a few planes. Q. Where are travellers coming in from now? A. From Vietnam, remar k ably enough. Travellers from Vietnam are the number one source of travellers to Cambodia at present. Then Korea, China, Japan. The U.S. is No.5. Q. What does the opening of the Sofi tel mean for Phnom Penh? As general manager of the hotel, we know you're predisposed to say it's a big deal, but is it really? A. It is, and for this reason. There has been very little investment in upscale hotel development over the past 10, 12 years. So now, with this hotel, we open with as much panache as any other hotel can claim in Southeast Asia. Q. How so? A. Well, start with the design. All of the restaurants and bars are singular. There is an individual concept. There will be a service level comparable to what you can have in Tokyo or New York. It will cost. Our Sunday brunch, for example, will cost $45-$60. But we're not afraid to deliver luxury. People want to pay money for value. culture. It is the smell that comes from these kitchens, the smiles you see on these faces. Tourism is still rather new to the Khmer, and as such, it's a wonder. Every great new destination goes through this. And so in the near-term, travellers to Cambodia will be the benefi ciaries of fresh contact with the Khmer culture. Q. You're saying the Khmer are friendly. A. Okay, okay. Let me add to that: The Khmer want to show the world they can make it. There is that energy here. They are welcoming, and they have something to prove. They want to learn fast, and really they have so much to gain. They want to get rid of this image of the Khmer Rouge. Q. About the Khmer Rouge, is this still one of the great drivers to the country's tourism? A. Are you asking, 'Are people coming here for the Killing Fields?' Q. Yes. A. No. They've been coming for Angkor. But we do send them to the Killing Fields, to Tuol Sleng. Today's trials, we hope, will be a fi nal chapter. We will turn the page. It's still interesting to talk about all that. But we have so many new conversations to have. The black pepper of Kampot, for example. The bes t in the wor ld. Or between Thailand and Vietnam. The open skies. The open borders. So many new things to talk about. Q. That's especially compelling for locals and leisure travellers. How does the hotel establish itself as the destination of choice for inbound arrivals? A. When you look at the investments made here in the ballroom, which is one of the largest in Southeast Asia, and in the audio-visual technologies in the meetings facilities, where we've spent more than $1.5 million alone, then I think we become immediately attractive as a destination property. We can seat 2,000 people in our ballroom alone and have 1,100 people to a sit-down dinner. We can do concer t s . We have a room jus t for translators. We can do functions for 700 people outside by the pool. It's hard for me to imagine that we do not make a grand impression in this part of the business. www.travelweeklyweb.com the new highway

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