Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
The 1932 French colonial grande dame built for Angkor's first tourists
About the Property
Opened in 1932 to accommodate the growing stream of visitors to the newly rediscovered Angkor temples, the Grand Hotel d'Angkor was the social hub of French colonial Siem Reap. Its sweeping cage elevator, original tile floors, and Art Deco interiors have hosted luminaries from André Malraux to Jackie Kennedy. Now under the Raffles banner, it sits within 15 acres of lush gardens with a direct sightline to Angkor Wat. Charles de Gaulle's 1966 state visit suite is preserved as a museum.
Original Purpose
French colonial grand hotel
Highlights
History Timeline
École française d'Extrême-Orient establishes its Angkor Conservation Office in Siem Reap, inaugurating systematic archaeological work at the temple complex and increasing tourist interest.
Grand Hotel d'Angkor opens under French Indochina administration, purpose-built to receive the growing stream of European visitors arriving by the newly extended rail line from Phnom Penh.
French President Charles de Gaulle delivers his landmark Phnom Penh speech advocating US withdrawal from Vietnam; his Angkor visit suite at the hotel is preserved as a permanent museum exhibit.
Hotel closes as the Khmer Rouge seize power; the building survives the civil war period largely intact due to its use as a government facility.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts completes a two-year restoration, reinstating the Art Deco interiors, grand staircase, and 64-metre swimming pool to their colonial-era grandeur.
Angkor Archaeological Park inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as an endangered site; the hotel becomes a base for conservation research missions and heritage tourism.