Colonial vibes - an historic French villa now serves as the entrance to the city hotel.
The brand new Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh opened this week, the largest international hotel in the city.
The property’s 247 keys include 43 residential-style suites and facilities stretching to five dining spaces, a 22-metre outdoor infinity pool, Himalayan salt room and steam room, a 24-hour gym with personal trainers and hotel spa.
The hotel’s interiors have been designed by Singapore-based SCDA Architects and Thailand’s PIA Interior. Think contemporary-meets-colonial, with Khmer architectural accents blended with French colonial influences and specially-commissioned artworks by Cambodian artist, FONKi.
The centrepiece of the property is a French heritage building which was originally built as a colonial villa in the early twentieth century. The carefully restored, lemon-hued house lends plenty of character in its new guise as hotel entrance, with wooden shutters, arched doorways, a terracotta-tiled roof and flanked by sweet-smelling frangipani trees.
The 14-storey main building sits behind the colonial house. Guest rooms boast traditional touches such as hardwood floors, Khmer-carved headboards and marble bathrooms, along with 65” televisions, walk-in rain showers and high-speed WiFi. Hyatt Mobile Entry technology means guests can use their smartphones in place of key cards.
Luxe-out in the Royal Suite with its two ensuite bathrooms, walk-in closet, powder room, separate living and dining areas, pantry and floor-to-ceiling city views.
Dining spaces include the all-day Market Cafe Restaurant & Lounge, serving buffet breakfast, afternoon tea and a la carte dishes, and FiveFive Rooftop Restaurant & Bar with views over the Royal Palace, the Mekong River and the city skyline. The hotel’s two bars comprise Metropole Underground with live music and local brews and The Attic, a speakeasy-style bar tucked away in the eaves of the colonial house.
If you’re looking for some well-deserved pampering (and aren't we all after the ravages of 2020), seek out the hotel’s spa, Jivapita, which perhaps rather aptly means ‘restored to life’. There are plenty of options; enjoy a Khmer indigenous therapy massage or perhaps a Lumafirm Lift & Glow facial deploying the latest in freeze-dried technology.
Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh is now open. Rates start at USD180 per night, bookings online.