In the latest edition of the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, a Cambodian hotel in Siem Reap, Viroth’s Hotel, has been awarded the top Global 2020 Travellers Choice Awards for Hotels Overall.
Tripadvisor is one of the world’s largest travel platforms and its annual awards program celebrates travellers’ favourite hotels. The Cambodian hotel is located in the usually tourist-busy city of Siem Reap and came out on top of the Travellers Choice Awards. Jaya House River Park (also located in Siem Reap, Cambodia) came 11th on the list.
Viroth’s Hotel describes itself as boasting “50’s-inspired design, complemented by large green areas and vertical gardens. Viroth’s Hotel includes 35 guestrooms, a 20-meter pool, spa, gym, air-conditioned dining room / open-air restaurant, bar, and 24-hour reception service to satisfy all your needs.”
Cambodian Hotel Winners
- World’s Top Hotel: #1 Viroth’s Hotel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- World’s Top Hotel: #11 Jaya House River Park – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Best Value Hotel: #23 Popular Residence Hotel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Best Service: #5 Viroth’s Hotel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Best Service: #11 Primefold Hotel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Best for Romance: #7 Primefold Hotel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
All of the winner lists can be seen here. Siem Reap also features as #20 in the World’s most popular destinations.
How are the Tripadvisor 2020 Awards calculated?
According to Tripadvisor, “Winners are calculated based on the quality and quantity of the millions of reviews, opinions and ratings collected on Tripadvisor in 2019, prior to the pandemic. With over 8.7 million businesses listed on Tripadvisor, these awards are a testament to the service and quality that winners consistently provide to their guests.”
In addition, the Tripadvisor says that there are changes to this year’s edition:
- Travellers’ Choice winners are now honoured as Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best. These businesses are among the top 1% of all listings on Tripadvisor.
- Certificate of Excellence honorees are now celebrated as Travelers’ Choice winners. These businesses are among the top 10% of all listings on Tripadvisor.
- New categories: Most Saved Hotels, bucket-list properties that travellers saved more than any others in 2019, and Boutique Luxury Hotels, five-star hotels for kicking back in comfort and style.
Tourism in Cambodia
2020 has dramatically effected tourism globally due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and as one of the key industries in Cambodia, the Kingdom has been hit hard too.
Cambodia attracted 6.6 million international visitors in 2019, earning a total revenue of 4.9 billion U.S. dollars.
However, the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism (MoT) announced that foreign visitors to Cambodia from January-May 2020 were down by 59% compared to 2019.
A five-day holiday from August 17 to August 21, 2020, has been announced in lieu of the Khmer New Year holiday in April being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its hoped this will keep the momentum of domestic tourism going.
The Cambodian government has announced a number of measures to try and assist local businesses including delays on tax and loan repayments, postponing MoT license renewal fees and more.
The government has also announced a number of strategic plans to boost tourism across Cambodia.
At Angkor Wat, which is the main drawcard to tourists to Siem Reap, foreign visitors can visit the site at reduced ticket prices while Cambodian’s can continue to visit the site free of charge.
