About Us
Porte cochère at hotel entrance send as ecard
Hotel de la Paix from Centre Market send as ecard
Atrium and dome send as ecard
Art Deco inspired landing send as ecard
Stunning open landing with foyer view send as ecard
Temple inspired reception send as ecard
Swing dining in the Fire Garden Courtyard adjacent to Meric restaurant send as ecard
History
The original Hôtel de la Paix opened on this site in 1957, and as the name suggests, was French owned and operated. It set a new international standard and led the way as one of the finest hotels in Siem Reap.
However, the next 40 years was a time of great turmoil in Cambodia, and the hotel's future became uncertain, as it changed hands many times.
The early 2000's saw the dawn of a brighter era for Cambodia with democratic elections, renewed international relations and hope for peace. A new beginning was also being planned for Hôtel de la Paix, as new owners briefed world famous architect, Bill Bensley, to design the new Hôtel de la Paix.
Bensley's vision was completed in 2005, and is as you see today, a stunning fusion of ancient Khmer design with a hint of art deco. The 120,000sq ft boutique hotel comprises; 107 rooms and suites, Meric restaurant, the fire garden, Café de la Paix, Spa Indochine, the swimming pool, Arts Lounge and function room, Kandal.
Credits
Architecture & Design
Bensley was then renowned as a landscape architect and Hôtel de la Paix was one of his first forays into a complete hotel design - involving architecture, interior and landscape.
His subtle references to the architecture of ancient Angkor can be found in the doorways, windows and bas-reliefs throughout the hotel. The entrance to the hotel resembles a temple, with its porte cochère, flanked by sugar palms, and topped by four steel flame basins. Once inside the foyer, guests are treated to a 20 metre high atrium, allowing sunlight to stream onto the Apsara (Celestial dancing maidens in Hindu/Buddhist mythology) statue below, all of which are reminiscent of Angkor Wat's own inner sanctum. The series of archways leading into and framing the corridors give the feeling of walking through a Khmer temple, yet with art deco lines.
Reminiscent of the temples again, water features prominently in the outdoor areas at de la Paix, with fountains, pools and ponds. In the fire garden courtyard, a magnificent gnarled ficus tree takes centre stage in the water, with four torchères in each corner, lit at night to great effect.
The stunning interior is contemporary: with a stylish palette of black, white and silver. The dusky pink of the beautiful fresh lotus flowers, placed in the hotel rooms and throughout the public areas, echoes the pinks in the triptych of flowering plumeria in Spa Indochine. The caste pewter artwork in the bedrooms and corridors add to the Khmer theme, inspired by 13th century Khmer fragments that Bensley first saw in the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.
