Last days of the Renaksé Hotel in Phnom Penh

Cambodge Soir

01-10-2008

Built during the 1930’s, the huge colonial building which houses the Renaksé Hotel has been sold last week by its owner, the Cambodian People’s Party. Its tenant has been asked to move out before the end of the month, the lady is however decided not to budge. The earthen pot against the iron pot?

These are the last days of the Renaksé Hotel, undoubtedly the most beautiful property in Phnom Penh and perhaps even in whole Cambodia. Located between the Royal Palace and the river, the building and its wings are housing this hotel since the end of the 1980’s. The woman in charge, Kem Chantha, has been requested to wrap her things and leave the keys to the new owner; a private company. Last week, a note at the entrance wall of the hotel mentioned that this land, property of the CPP, had been sold to a private company, Alexan Inc. This company allegedly belongs to the daughter of Yeay Phou, owner of the Pheapimex company, whose husband is a senator and advisor of the Prime Minister and main investor in the real-estate project which will replace the Boeung Kak Lake.

“This morning, the lawyer of Min Kin, new Minister of Cults and Religious Affairs, displayed a new circular notice at the entrance of the hotel to inform me that I had to leave by the end of the month”, declared the tenant with a trembling voice to Cambodge Soir Hebdo. The Ministry of Cults is located next to the hotel.

In reaction to this ultimatum, Kem Chantha declares being determined not to leave the premises. “They’re accusing me of not having done maintenance works. This is a lie and I can prove it. I have all the invoices”, she said, adding that she has a lease contract until the end of April 2050. The tenant declares having offered the CPP to buy the property. “My company had the means to offer much more than the 3.8 million dollars that they would have accepted, according to what I heard from this buyer. On the other hand they’re offering me 200,000 dollars to leave. This is unacceptable”. However, Kem Chantha has no illusion concerning her chances to score a victory.

According to the price per square meter in this neighbourhood, the property is evaluated by experts to be worth between 28 and 32 million dollars, in other words ten times more than the announced rate.

The future of this remnant from the colonial period is uncertain. There are talks to build residencies for government officials, but nothing has been decided yet. It could be demolished as well. This wouldn’t be the first colonial building to be torn down in town.

When Thailand purchased the land on Norodom Boulevard, north of the Chbar Ampoeul bridge, it demolished the imposing colonial structures which stood under century old trees in order to build the current embassy in a style that could be qualified as modern. Some people had reacted, albeit timidly, asking for at least one house to be spared in order to turn it into the Ambassador’s residency, but nobody listened to them…