CITY FOCUS: SIEM REAP
Some hotel spas in Siem Reap can struggle with capture rates as there’s so much to do in the city itself
La Résidence D’Angkor L
a Résidence D’Angkor is part of Belmond (the brand new name for Orient-Express), which operates
45 hotel, cruise and luxury rail businesses worldwide. Belmond bought its Siem Reap property from the Pansea hotel group in 2007 and added a stand-alone spa in 2008. Not all Belmond hotels have spas and this is one of its biggest in South-East Asia. The Kong Kea Spa has two double and
four single treatment rooms, plus a mani- pedi room. Kong kea means ‘water for the god’ in the native Khmer language and the spa features an indoor dipping pool and illuminated water walls. Product houses include Jurlique for facials and Bodia for body treatments. Spa manager Dewa Sunarya, who hails
from India and previously worked for Accor and Six Senses, says La Résidence rates highly as an employer. Turnover of therapists is under 5 per cent, thanks mainly to a competitive salary and a 7 per cent service charge which compares favourably with the 5 per cent at most other hotels. They’re passionate about their jobs and work hard but, says Sunarya, it’s diffi cult to fi nd therapists who aspire to become managers. General manager Carla Petzold-Beck
says although guests are prepared to pay upper-bracket prices – US$365 (€266, £219) a night – to stay at the hotel, they’re
Water is a key element in the design of the six-treatment room Kong Kea Spa
very budget-conscious when choosing a massage. “There’s this impression – particularly from Europeans – that everything in Cambodia is cheap,” she says, admitting it can be diffi cult to get secondary spend when they charge US$68 (€49, £41) for a 60-minute massage. “We’re walking distance to town where you can buy a meal, drinks and a massage for under US$20 (€15, £12), so they expect our massages to be cheap too.” Additionally, while the spa is a key
factor for holidaymakers booking the hotel, that doesn’t always translate into the take-up of treatments once they get there as there are so many other activities on off er. “The magnet for people coming to Siem Reap is Angkor Wat,” Petzold-Beck explains, adding that hiking, kayaking, biking and local artisan visits are also arranged by the hotel.
70 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital With the large number of temples and
monks in Siem Reap, Petzold-Beck feels it has a spiritual nature which creates an instant sense of calm and peace. It’s the perfect setting for wellness facilities, but she thinks that it will take up to fi ve years before visitors view Siem Reap as a spa destination. “As hoteliers, we need to work out how to tap into that [natural spiritual culture] and integrate it into our spa retreats,” she says. “The government also needs to support our eff orts to show that Siem Reap has more than just temples. At the moment, Cambodia is an add-on destination for travellers on their way to Thailand or Vietnam. We need to encourage them to stay here as their ultimate destination and to fi t in some days of relaxation as well as to allow for some days of temple sightseeing.” Details:
www.residencedangkor.com
Spa Business 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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