Siem Reap Hotel Beats The World’s Best
Cambodia’s Viroth’s Hotel, based in the province of Siem Reap, has come out top of the 2018 Best Hotels in the world for travellers, as rated by TripAdvisor.
Viroth’s Hotel “Chic, tranquil, green and luxurious oasis. Friendly, helpful and yet unobtrusive service. Viroth’s is not just a great place to see the stunning temples, but a destination in its own right,” says TripAdvisor.
Viroth’s Hotel is a joint venture between local and foreign investors and has been in operation since 2015. Hotel manager Saay Sokross said he got the call from TripAdvisor in the US that his hotel topped the list for the 2018 Best Hotel of the World.
“It is unbelievable for this recognition because we didn’t apply for anything. First, we thought someone just called to cheat us, but once we saw it on CNN, we were very surprised,” he said. “They rated us mainly on the best quality of service and the way that we work and lead our people here.”
“We always educate our staff to give better service and products to all customers who stay here,” Mr. Sokross added.
Mr. Sokross said most customers were from Europe because he had been promoting the hotel there.
“Since we have been operating our business, it has been going well, and we have had a lot of support from European tourists, especially from England,” he said.
“The award from TripAdvisor will be another accomplishment, and we are proud for the country,” he added.
Kim Sereyroth, director of the department of food and accommodation service at the Tourism Ministry, was unable to be contacted but spoke to local media, saying that the rating by TripAdvisor was a special message for Cambodia, reflecting the support of tourists from all over the world for the country’s tourism.
This was especially the case in Siem Reap province, where there was growth in cultural tourism.
“The award is also responding to our tourism development policy that once there is an increase in tourists, we need to improve our service quality,” he said. “There is a need for collaboration between the government and the private sector, especially in Siem Reap province, to maintain its strength.”
According to Mr. Sereyroth, by the end of this year, Siem Reap province will have 225 hotels — of which 20 are five-star hotels with more than 15,000 rooms.
Cambodia ranks fourth in the top ten most welcoming countries for foreign residents, according to the latest survey from Expat Insider. The survey rated Cambodia’s friendly attitude towards expats at 92 percent. Ease of making local friends was put at 59 percent, and the proportion of expats likely to stay forever was 23 percent.
Last year, Cambodia welcomed some 5.6 million visitors, 11.8 percent more than in 2016, Kong Sophearak, director of the statistics department at the Ministry of Tourism, said previously.
China tops the list for most travelers by nationality, with 1.2 million Chinese tourists visiting the kingdom in 2017. It was followed by Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Korea.
Total arrivals generated $3.63 billion in revenue last year, an increase of 13.3 percent in a year.