Guest reviews Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh

by 252kendrickk Kampot, Cambodia

Christmas Season

The grandeur of this classic hotel was further enhanced by the gorgeous, glowing, and towering Christmas tree at the entrance. The staff greeted me out front, and being in a wheelchair, helped transport me inside to yet another perfectly decorated grand Christmas tree in the foyer, complete with presents set next to a near life-size gingerbread house. I felt transformed back to a different place and time. The security staff notified me that my rear tire was flat, and with the help of the able concierge, Mr. Sopheap, were able to summons a very capable and reasonably priced mechanic to repair the tire. Again, being in a wheelchair, Mr. Sopheap chose a very accessible room, impeccably decorated to the highest quality with all the amenities. I was further greeted with in-house Christmas cookies and a signed photo by so many staff welcoming me "home" after a long hiatus. After an evening swim at the serene garden pool, I went for delicious dinner at Le Phnom--both experiences should not be missed. If you're looking for high quality and true ambiance of royalty after a hard day in the heat and bustle outside, you'll find no better oasis and respite than Raffles Hotel Le Royal.

by serina2000 London, United Kingdom

Now my preferred luxury hotel for staycations because of service, competitive pricing, and renovations

As an expat resident in Cambodia, it was the hotel’s excellent hotel package for residents and its recent renovations that made me decide to try the hotel as part of my staycation due to COVID-19. Whilst I have frequently dined at the hotel, what I did not appreciate until I stayed at the hotel was the flawless customer service from the front-line staff up to the various managers at Raffles. Besides the excellent English from the Cambodian staff, I found them to be knowledgeable because they could answer my questions accurately and with detail. Chun Chanthol (receptionist), many thanks for explaining how the Accor points work, surprising me with the proactive COVID-19 preventative measure you took (e.g. F&B purchases, disinfecting my keys), and arranging my late check-out. Nimol Loeung (Elephant Bar manager), many thanks for your understanding regarding my dinner, which resulted in my company and I purchasing additional items rather than going elsewhere. Your kindness did not go unnoticed by my company, which prompted me to tell them about the positive first impressions the hotel already had on me within the first couple of hours of checking-in. Thank you as well for quickly sorting out the bills that I was paying for. Cheng Devid (waiter), I was super impressed that you had the authority to decide on the spot whether tweaks to the breakfast sets would be okay or not and the accuracy of your understanding of those tweaks. It made breakfast even more special for my guest and I. Pannisa Kosasaeng, thank you for the personal tour of the hotel’s spa and gym facilities. I could see how serious the hotel was taking COVID-19 precautionary measures, unlike other places who say they are but in practice are not doing enough. Finally, Dennis de Groot (hotel manager), many thanks for suggesting the possibility of a late check-out. Although one of the Cambodian staff had suggested this possibility on my way to breakfast, I thought they were joking. So, I took up the offer and ended up having a ridiculously late check-out, which allowed for my guest and I to push back our pre-planned lunch at Raffles as we needed more time to become hungry following our hearty breakfast. There are many more staff, whose names I did not note, who also provided an excellent service during my stay, including a tour of the accommodation in the main building including the Royal Suite. Thanks as well to Metta for arranging my booking via email. Prior to my stay, I would not have known about the staycation offer for residents had the person, who was showing me the rooms before I booked, not informed me of the hotel’s offer on Facebook (which for some reason was not publicized on their website). I am very grateful to this person. Other than this marketing issue, the only other feedback I have is for Elephant Bar not to have the band play so loud that it makes it difficult to have a conversation (which can result in people leaving) and not to allow groups of people mingle where the bar’s narrow walk area is during COVID-19 (I did not enjoy having to push through the crowd after signing my bill in order to exit). Additionally, over the last few months, I have found the checking of my temperature upon arrival to be inconsistent.

by Primepork Essex, United Kingdom

Lovely Colonial style hotel

Stayed at Raffles for two nights at the start of our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. A lovely Colonial style property which was an oasis of calm in the middle of Phnom Penh. We liked the ambiance of the Elephant Bar. Would have liked to have spent longer here.

by thegymlad St. Catharines, Canada

Exceptionally good

Very historic hotel, colonial style. It’s been around for ages, but not outdated at all. The location is superb, it’s close to places like the Phnom Penh City Government, the US Embassy, Tazai Mountain. The breakfast is very delicious! The service is phenomenal, all the staff are nice! The rooms and facilities are very lovely.

by gabrielladavies Shrewsbury, United Kingdom

A Classic Hotel

My parents and I stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal upon our arrival into Phnom Penh for our two week holiday in March 2020. We stayed for 3 nights in total, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The Hotel has recently been renovated and still had work being carried out on the one end of the Hotel. The Hotel is mainly white and has a fresh/breezy feel to it whilst still maintaining their Colonial theme throughout. The Pool was clean and very big so you were never too close to other guests. Our only drawback was the Service in their main restaurant Le Phnom 1929 was mildly testing at times. We understand English is not Cambodia's native language, however it was sometimes difficult to put our orders and requests across to staff due to the language barrier - my family and I have been all across Asia in the last 8 years and have not struggled as much as we did in this restaurant. Our main Waitress was lovely but seemed extremely nervous due to what seemed to be the Head Waiter watching her like a hawk, and she proceeded to pour a small drip of wine into my Mothers water glass, however I think if anyone was to be put in that situation they would make a small mistake as well. The next two evenings for dinner we visited the Rosewood Hotel around the corner which has a rooftop bar and two fantastic restaurants... however we felt the staff were not as welcoming and did not believe there was a pool (from what we could see) so would choose to stay at Raffles again if we were visiting Phnom Penh.