The iconic hotel has returned with its refreshed new look, offering guests a compelling mix of culture, heritage and charming hospitality.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, one of the most iconic heritage properties in Southeast Asia, reopened its doors to guests on 1st June 2022 for the first time in almost three years.
First opened in 1932 and widely celebrated as La Grande Dame de Angkor, the hotel has been welcoming discerning travellers and famous faces – from Charlie Chaplin to Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama – to the historic heart of Cambodia for almost ninety years.
The hotel underwent a delicate transformation in 2019 with rooms and suites receiving a meticulous facelift before the global pause in travel. The guestrooms feature lighter and brighter interiors as well as the addition of Segafredo coffee machines, USB charging stations and Simmons pillow-top mattresses. The French windows, which swing open to views of street scenes or the plantation-style grounds of the hotel, have been upgraded, and each room now has a writing desk and vintage rotary telephone, thanks in part to the added floor space created by removing cabinets and replacing them with built-in wardrobes. All bathrooms have also been upgraded with new Italian tiling and rain showers. The traditional ceiling fans remain, as well as the beautiful views of the Royal Gardens or the resort’s iconic swimming pool.
It is a magnificent feeling to bring this enchanting hotel back to life,” said General Manager Dennis de Groot. “The Grand Hotel is a national treasure, and its storied history is testament to Cambodia’s colourful past. It was originally built as a rest stop for archaeologists and adventurers seeking to explore the ancient kingdom of Angkor Wat. As we prepare to celebrate the hotel’s 90th anniversary this year, we are delighted that this hotel can continue to set the standard for luxury hospitality, where travellers arrive as guests, leave as friends and return as family”.
Returning guests will notice that the famous façade and entire exterior of the hotel now shines white, rather than its former cream-beige hue which was the colour of French colonial architecture across Indochina.
Named after the year that Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor first opened, 1932 is the hotel’s latest signature restaurant, proudly inheriting the honour to serve traditional Royal Khmer cuisine for a unique dining experience.
Another fresh addition to the hotel is the Raffles Marquee, an elegant events centre situated within 15-acres of lush French gardens that plays host to everything from Khmer performances and fashion shows to wedding receptions and business conferences. This fully air-conditioned marquee offers a truly unique setting for sophisticated events in the enchanting town of Siem Reap.
Traditionalists can rest assured that the hotel’s original teak and wrought iron cage elevator remains, as does the vintage ambience of the Elephant Bar and the checker-tiled lobby, which over the decades has witnessed a guest list of royalty, film stars, writers and artists.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor is situated a mere 20-minute drive to the doorway of the UNESCO Heritage temples of Angkor. To allow guests to explore more of the fascinating destination, the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor offers an enticing series of Raffles Curated Journeys and Resort Programs designed to infuse local experiences with worldly elegance. Guests can explore the ancient Angkor Archaeological Park on an iconic Vespa, before being one of the first travellers of the day to enter the temple. Embark on a local tuk-tuk tour for a journey through the Silk Road of Angkor, visiting the beautiful Banteay Srei Temple and Golden Silk Farm. Food aficionados can taste Siem Reap on an exclusive Culinary Hidden Gems, while shopaholics saunter Siem Reap’s Kandal Village neighbourhood with the assistance of a Raffles Butler, and culture lovers can enjoy a majestic performance of Cambodian dances in the Apsara Terrace.
Within the resort grounds, guests can take part in on-site activities including monk blessings, Angkor Sling masterclasses, botanical and culinary garden tours, and a tour with the hotel’s resident historian.
Designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard in a style that combines Khmer art and furnishings with Art Deco influences, the Grand Hotel first opened in 1932 with just 63 rooms, all with private bathrooms – a revelation in its day. The property, along with its sister heritage hotel, Le Royal, in Phnom Penh, was taken over by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International in 1997 at the invitation of Cambodia’s King Sihanouk.
The move to reopen on 1st June comes at a time when Cambodia has removed all major travel restrictions. The country was widely praised for its handling of the pandemic and its effective vaccine program.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor was recognized this year by US magazine Travel + Leisure as among the top 500 hotels in the world.
Hyatt Regency Koh Samui unveiled on Koh Samui.
Hyatt Regency Koh Samui Spurs Recovery on Thailand’s Castaway Paradise
Covering eight acres of private coastline, design forward resort is a landmark debut
One of Thailand’s most anticipated resorts, Hyatt Regency Koh Samui, was unveiled on Koh Samui. As the paradise island eyes a reopening to international tourists over the coming months, the opening is a landmark on the road to recovery.
The property, which is Hyatt’s first footfall on Koh Samui, gives guests the opportunity to discover timeless connections and energising experiences and will play a major role in rebounding visitors with the island as Thailand welcomes back visitors.
“The pandemic has been a challenging time for Koh Samui as it has been for the entire tourism industry in Thailand. That’s why we are so delighted to debut with such a special resort,” said Adrian Pulido, general manager, Hyatt Regency Koh Samui.
A collaboration between three of Thailand’s biggest hotel design names — Office of Bangkok Architecture, August Design and PLandscaping — the 140-room property occupies eight acres of private coastline in the far northeast corner of the paradise island.
Deploying a design-forward philosophy, the property, which is located in North Chaweng — and is less than ten minutes from the island’s international airport— bills itself as a “vacation gallery” due to its array of visual highlights.
These include a showpiece lobby, the longest lobby arrival point in Koh Samui, where numerous skylights allow for natural illumination by the sun and the moon. Other standout features span plush accommodations that showcase terrific ocean views to one of the largest pool zones on the island, a collection of pools, each cascading down from the main pool on the upper deck of the resort.
The beauty of Koh Samui is legendary. And the resort’s appeal leverages the visual appeal of the coastal landscape, a forest of protected trees and the proximity of the ocean. Another unique selling point is its Gallery of Eight, a collection of eight sites dotted around the property specially selected for their photogenic potential.
The 140 guestrooms, which include 24 spacious suites and villas, feature private balconies and most offer stunning sea views. Select rooms include access to Regency Club privileges, while seven beachfront pool villas provide elevated indulgence. Spaces benefit from the simplicity of the interior design—by August Design— in a neutral palette with ocean-inspired décor and blue accents.
Culinary cravings are ably catered for at the resort’s four restaurants and bars, including Yangna, an all-day dining restaurant showcasing Thai and international cuisine, and the open-air Sesun Grill & Beach Bar where diners can enjoy fresh seafood and Mediterranean sides alongside relaxing sea views. Cobalt serves fresh juice, iced tea and coffee while Kube offers crafted cocktails accompanied by mesmerizing views from the highest point of the resort.
The family-friendly resort features freeform pools—including a lap pool, plunge pool, family pool with a whirlpool and kids’ pool with a slide—which cascade to the beach. Over at Camp Hyatt, young guests can enjoy supervised play and activities from arts and crafts to movie nights.
Lush tropical plants line the grand staircase that leads to the spa, a tranquil sanctuary featuring five treatment rooms, including two couple’s suites with a private deck and outdoor tub.
The property offers inspiring indoor and outdoor venues for gatherings, big and small. The elegant Regency Ballroom can accommodate up to 100 guests or 150 for cocktails. A 97-sqm manicured lawn provides a magical setting for wedding celebrations and alfresco events.
“This island has a central role in how Thailand fares following the pandemic, and it’s an honour to be leading the way as we begin to look positively towards the future,” added Pulido.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Oribe: Bespoke Luxury Car In Collaboration With HermèsRolls-Royce and Hermès recently collaborated to produce a bespoke luxury car, dubbed the Phantom Oribe, commissioned by a Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa.
Designed and handcrafted by a team of specialist craftsmen from the house of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, and Hermès in Paris, the Phantom Oribe draws on the lines of aviation. Beyond the client’s dreams of grandeur, the result is truly something extraordinary, an object that unites East and West, ancient and modern, a meeting of visions and skills.
The interior of the car is predominantly finished in Hermès Enea Green leather , extending to details including the steering wheel, handles, gear selector and rotary controls for climate control settings.
The two-tone exterior of the car matches the characteristic green and cream glazes of ancient Japanese Oribe ceramics, of which Maezawa is a major collector: the top is finished in Oribe Green, a color created exclusively for the customer that Rolls-Royce has available for use on the client’s private jet that the Phantom Oribe will pair with, while the underside is painted cream white.
The Oribe ceramics also inspire the interiors, conceived and created in collaboration with the Hermès designers and craftsmen: the Hermès Enea Green leather finishes prevail here, used for all the details on which the customer’s hands will rest, for the front panel, for the parcel shelf but also for lesser surfaces such as the glove compartment (on the lid of which the signature is imprinted Habillé par Hermès Paris ) and the trunk lining, the center console, the decanter storage compartment and the champagne cooler.
On the wooden front you can see a reproduction of the Hermès horse, carved by hand and based on a design by the French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron.
Most of the design elements were conceived in collaboration with Hermès to meet the wishes of the customer. The Rolls Royce Phantom by Hermès is the car for the private jet experience on the ground.
The future of luxury is extreme value creation and this car has achieved that. Its a unique collaboration with two luxury brands excelling in their individual area of luxury and then together creating a product that is not just stunning but also one of a kind.
Salvatore Ferragamo Launches New Platform To Discuss SustainabilitySalvatore Ferragamo launches Sustainable Thinking, a new platform accessible from ferragamo.com, and the revamped sustainability.ferragamo.com with thematic features that embrace 360° sustainable thinking. Sustainable Thinking was created to host, cultivate and amplify discussions about sustainability, inclusivity and community support.
Sustainable Thinking is a new digital platform that brings the brand’s responsible projects and activities
together in one conceptual space, sparking conversation thanks to an international network of contributors
with diverse experiences and perspectives, coming together to hold discussions surrounding the continuous
evolution of sustainability issues.
With a focus on dialogue and open-mindedness, Sustainable Thinking aims to use the internet differently.
Ferragamo values dialogue as a key aspect of sustainability and inclusivity; culture and sharing lie at the heart
of the recovery at this historic moment in time when fragmentation has become normality.
“Our industry has had to rethink timing and priorities. Sustainable Thinking is a starting point and the course
we are charting to achieve the shared dream of an ever more sustainable future,” explained CEO Micaela le
Divelec Lemmi. “Sustainable Thinking is our commitment to being responsible in the creation of real and
long-lasting beauty, by drawing on the fundamental values of Genius loci, like masterful craftsmanship,
technology, research and sustainability.”
The new Sustainable Thinking platform is available in eight languages and has been optimised for all devices.
In addition to Sustainable Thinking, the revamped website sustainability.ferragamo.com offers in-depth
content and integrates with the new ferragamo.com, offering an immersive, more effective, user-friendly
experience.
ferragamo.com
sustainability.ferragamo.com
Sustainable hospitality brand Habitas is set to grow its footprint later this summer with the launch of its third property, Habitas Bacalar.
Luxury design hotels are paving the way to a more sustainable future in hospitality from the ground up, without skimping on all the comforts a luxury experience typically provides. Sustainability is the drivng force for the Habitas group of hotels. Their decision-making; the materials they choose, the way they build and all their operartions are based on their underlying sustainable philosophy.
Set on Mexico’s Lake Bacalar, Habitas Bacalar is slated to open this July as an eco-sustainable oasis comprising 35 cabanas with lagoon-facing views, a restaurant with an open-air kitchen, and a Mayan spa. Amenities will include a communal gathering space, as well as a rustic and refined open-air kitchen that will draw upon local tradition in the property’s family-style culinary menus. The Habitas Bacalar spa and wellness area will be modeled after a small Mayan village, complete with treatment cabins inspired by traditional Mayan straw houses.
“Biodiversity is another key pillar for the property with architecture that blends with the jungle and Bacalar lagoon,” says cofounder and CEO Oliver Ripley. As the first hospitality group to build on Lake Bacalar, there’s an added responsibility to protect it, so Habitas Bacalar will partner with a local organization to join forces for an environmental and water quality citizen science project that provides sound information for the management and conservation of the lagoon and its unique biodiversity.
Centered around lagoon exploration, the adventure programming taps into the magical ecosystems in Bacalar, inviting the guests to explore the lagoon by catamaran, kayak or paddleboard.
Earth Day 2021: Ferragamo Launches a Cork BagSalvatore Ferragamo celebrates Earth Day 2021 with a new interpretation of the Top Handle bag, a perfectly structured and elegantly timeless shape that has become a true icon since the ‘90s.
Earth Top Handle bag is re-interpretation of the iconic Top Handle bag, presented in just 500 pieces as part of the prestigious Ferragamo’s Creations collection to celebrate Earth Day 2021. The bag is made of FSC certified cork, a natural and renewable resource that causes no harm to the trees when harvested.
In addition, its lining is crafted from pure linen, a natural and biodegradable material; zipper tape and thread are made of 100% recycled and certified polyester; and the bag’s colour is finished with water-based treatments.
The Earth Top Handle bag has obtained the ISO 14067 – Product Carbon Footprint certification, by virtue of which it is possible to quantify the emissions due to its manufacturing. This calculation enables the Company to offset the generated environmental impact by supporting a project for the safeguard and protection of Tuscan cork forests certified with PEFC standards in the Paganico estate, near Grosseto.