Hotel wins five stars, raises rates

via Khmer NZ

Monday, 23 August 2010 15:01 Rann Reuy

BOREI Angkor Resort and Spa in Siem Reap plans to raise its room rates by as much as 37 percent after receiving an official five-star designation by the Ministry of Tourism.

The five-star certification represented national-level recognition of the hotel’s improved amenities, which were reflected in the price increase, the hotel’s sales and marketing director Meansambo Nov said on Saturday.

“We will strongly strengthen service and enhance our clients’ happiness,” aiming to make guests “too happy to forget us”, she said.

The prices of its cheapest rooms will rise from US$135 to $185 per night, and the hotel’s most expensive offerings will increase to $1,100 from $900, she said.

The hotel – owned by Kouy Naline, wife of the Siem Reap military region’s commander in chief Khim Bun Song – has 188 rooms and caters to a mostly Western clientele. Roughly 50 percent of its guests hail from Europe.

The star-based certification system was created by a 2004 sub-decree; however the Tourism Ministry began earlier this year to require hotels to apply for certification through the programme when renewing their licences every two years.

The fee for the service varies relative to the level of classification granted – five-star hotels must fork over $300, whereas four-star hotels pay $250, three stars cost $200, one star $100, and no-star establishments must pay $50.

Tith Chantha, chairman of the official hotel-classification committee, said there are were nine five-star hotels in Siem Reap, including Borei Angkor Resort and Spa.