Luxury Hotel That Cares

Luxury Hotel That Cares
Enjoy traditional Cambodian hospitality in trendy surrounds at this cultured hotel that strives to build a bridge between visiting tourists and the Cambodian community beyond.
The experience: Possibly Siem Reap's hippest boutique hotel is the perfect base from which to explore the majestic temples of Angkor. Drawing on influences from the art deco period while acknowledging traditional Khmer design, Hotel de la Paix is a fashionable place to stay. Facilities include lavishly decorated rooms complete with open plan bathrooms and fully loaded ipods, as well as split-level duplex studios.
Facilities include the Spa Indochine to stimulate the mind and revive the body, as well as internationally-
renowned dining outlets. The hotel is set around a striking courtyard complete with sumptuous sculpture in the Angkor style with elegant water features. Hotel de la Paix is located in the heart of Siem Reap and is just a ten minute drive from the temples of Angkor.

What sets the hotel apart from other boutique hotels and luxurious resorts in Siem Reap is a commitment to the local environment, the wider community and the region's culture. A stay at Hotel de la Paix is a way to help Siem Reap move in the right direction.
How It helps: Hotel de la Paix and its sister hotel, Shinta Mani, strive to make a difference in several ways. The most important is the Connecting Menu which helps establish a link between guests and community needs.
The hotel operates guest excursions to local farming communities and assists guests in providing sponsorship and support for community basics in the form of water wells, school supplies, bicycles and clothing. The Shinta Mani hotel also operates an Institute of Hospitality, which provides free hospitality industry training to young Khmer people 'at risk'.
The hotels also have close relationships with local orphanages and sewing centres. Hotel de la Paix supports The Life & Hope Association (LHA) and the Sangkheum Centre, as well as assisting the Sewing Centre at the LHA to produce silk products which are available for purchase in the gift shop.
The guestroom amenities include artefacts produced by a landmine NGO. The spa supports a masseuse from the Blind Institute and many of the items on display in the gift shop are produced by local organisations.
The hotel continues to support the community when the guest returns home. Many guests have seen the difference they can make and they want to do more. The hotel facilitates this after the guests have gone home.

The hotel draws the majority of its staff from the local community and they are given top quality training in English language, communications, team building, fire prevention, first aid, HIV-AIDS awareness, health and hygiene. The hotel employs students from local training schools such as the Shinta Mani Institute of Hospitality, the Salabai School, and other NGOs.
The hotel monitors the effects of its programmes on the community through discussions with local NGOs, village and religious leaders. Audit requirements are met at the end of each month and are reported to the general manager and managing director.
Hotel de la Paix hosts a restaurant and café and extensive kitchen facilities for food production. The hotel, in conjunction with Bio-diesel Cambodia, recycles waste cooking oils into environmentally friendly bio-diesel fuel which is then used for electricity generation in remote rural areas.
The hotel procures most of its food produce from local farmers who practice organic agriculture and sustainable harvesting, including wild honey production and pepper harvesting. Only specialist foods are imported.
Rubbish separation is performed with both guest trash and kitchen refuse. Plastic, paper and tin cans are collected in bins and sent for local recycling. Eco-friendly laundry chemicals are used throughout the hotel. Discarded soap and spoilt bed linen is recycled for use at back-of-house areas.

The hotel regularly allows local artisans and artists to exhibit their work in the Arts Lounge, which acts as the focal point of meetings and relaxation. Recent exhibitions have included paintings highlighting the beauty of Khmer women, sculptures created from decommissioned weapons from the Khmer Rouge era, and photographs explore the role of Ouk Chatrang (Cambodian chess) in Khmer culture.