French hospitality group, Accor, is launching a festival campaign that will highlight Cambodian culture and heritage through a series of activities and events hosted at eight Accor hotels across three provinces in Cambodia from August 1-31, 2024.
The official launch ceremony of the Discover Cambodia festival was held at TRIBE Phnom Penh on July 17, 2024, with the leadership of all eight participating Accor hotels – Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, TRIBE Phnom Penh, Novotel Phnom Penh, Novotel Sihanoukville and Ibis Style Siem Reap – in attendance.
The month-long festival will focus mostly on culinary and musical events, promising to showcase a fusion of both traditional and modern Khmer culture, with the main aim of attracting more tourism to the Kingdom.
“As a leader in the country, we felt like we could synergize our effort and our teams, along with the power of the Accor head office, to try and create something very special for Cambodia to try and attract more people from outside, to celebrate all together and let the people discover Cambodia’s beautiful culture,” shared Paul Perrottet, General Manager of TRIBE Phnom Penh, while speaking with B2B Cambodia.
He added:
There has been a lot done by Accor themselves, they have been buying a lot of free flights and offering some free rooms for the month of August, but the highlight [of the festival] is that we will have very exclusive events at all our destinations in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Sihanoukville, and each hotel will have a main event centred on the music and the theme of the ‘Golden Age’ of Cambodia. We’re just rolling out the program now, but in August, you won't be thirsty or hungry for sure.
What To Expect From Accor’s Discover Cambodia Festival In August 2024
At Phnom Penh Accor Hotels
- Raffles Hotel Le Royal
- The hotel’s Restaurant Le Royal will host a four-course Khmer dinner on August 17 prepared in collaboration with the chefs from Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, TRIBE and Novotel Phnom Penh. Guests will be entertained with live piano music of Cambodian classics from the Khmer Golden Era. There will also be a special cocktail menu inspired by famous Cambodian singers at the hotel’s Elephant Bar.
- Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra
- From August 1-31, the hotel will host a weekday kids’ camp with a wide range of sports and creative activities.
- A special Sunday Brunch will be hosted at the hotel’s Do Forni restaurant on August 11, with an optional free flow of Champagne Taittinger.
- On August 9, a Rum Explorer flight tasting will be hosted by The Distillery at Le Bar, while a special wine tasting will be hosted at the same bar on August 23.
- TRIBE Phnom Penh Post Office Square
- A Khmer fusion themed dinner experience will be hosted at the hotel’s Hemisphere Sky Bar on August 15, with an after party featuring music from DJ StillCa$hRules (KlapYaHandz founder Sok Visal).
- Novotel Phnom Penh BKK1
- A Basque buffet dinner will be hosted on August 16, featuring musical entertainment from Cambodian singer, Miss Saravan, with a focus on rock and roll hits from Cambodia’s 1960s.
- A Basque brunch buffet will be hosted on August 17, also featuring live music by Miss Saravan.
At Siem Reap Accor Hotels
- Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
- The hotel’s fine dining restaurant, 1932, will feature a special Golden Age Tasting Menu from August 1–10, inspired by the early years of King Norodom Sihanouk's reign.
- A Sunday Champagne Brunch will be hosted at Café d’Angkor on August 4, featuring the Khmer Magic Music Bus, celebrating Cambodian pop music from the 1960s.
- Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort
- From August 1–10, the hotel’s Explorer’s Tales – Champagne Bar will serve a special Khmer cocktail called the ‘Garden Fizz’, and will also host a Signature Asian High Tea experience.
- Ibis Style Siem Reap
- A special ‘Cambodian Delights Tray’ and fresh sugarcane juice station will be available at the hotel from August 1–10.
- A ‘Cambodian Delights’ buffet will be served on August 2.
- A ‘Carb-up Pasta Fiesta’ buffet, featuring live Cambodian rock and roll music, will be served on August 3.
- A ‘Weekend Late Breakfast’ buffet will be served on August 4.
At Sihanoukville Accor Hotels
- Novotel Sihanoukville Holiday Resort
- A Khmer set menu will be available at Food Exchange from August 19–30, complemented by an exhibition of Cambodia’s golden era in the hotel’s main lobby.
- Khmer cocktails will be served at the hotel’s Domrei Bar & Cigar Lounge and Aqua Bar & Grill from August 19–30.
- The main lobby will feature a traditional Khmer desserts live station from August 24-25.
- The Domrei Bar & Cigar Lounge will play famous Khmer songs from the 1970s and 1980s on August 25, with buy one get one free cocktails available.
For more detailed information on the planned events and activities, visit the Discover Cambodia 2024 website.
Members of the Accor Lifestyle Loyalty (ALL) program can also enjoy exclusive redemptions by redeeming Reward points for special hotel packages with up to 80 per cent savings throughout August.
Boosting Tourism In Cambodia – What Role Should The Private Sector Play?
Perrottet explained that in addition to attracting more tourism to the country, the Discover Cambodia campaign also hopes to kickstart more action and support from private sector players to revitalise the Kingdom’s tourism potential.
“It's not a surprise to everybody that the destination needs some support, especially in our industry,” he told B2B Cambodia. “We also wanted to inspire others from the private sector to take some initiative, and try to bring people ourselves, taking more marketing leadership, to really highlight Cambodia as a beautiful place to discover.”
“We hope that these kinds of synchronised actions, with the power of a big group behind, will really help to not only make Accor shine, but everyone else in the country… We hope other people, even [our competitors], will follow,” Perrottet added.
“Our role – the hotels and our teams – is really to bring an impact locally, to engage with more people and invite them to become a part of our family, become members to get additional benefits… We hope that with the support of Accor, we will reach outside borders and bring more people to Cambodia,” he concluded.