Siem Reap's fabled Grand Hotel, originally constructed 68 years ago, held its

soft opening on Dec 30 after a two-year, $30 million face lift undertaken by the

Singapore-based Raffles International Ltd.

The hotel has initially opened 52 rooms for guests, with a total of 131 rooms and

suites to be available when fully operational.

Rooms at the Grand start at $310 per night with the price for an exclusive villa

costing $1,900 per day.

Hotel facilities include seven food and beverage outlets, as well as a fully equipped

spa, a 35-meter swimming pool, a 2-court tennis park, shops and a beauty salon.

Raffles has also restored 60,000 square meters of gardens in front of the hotel.

Over 300 government officials, diplomats, members of the business community and international

organizations attended the soft opening. The hotel's first guest, Mrs. Davina Mackay,

from Scotland, was feted with champagne and given two complimentary nights' stay

in the hotel for the next five years.