My wife emailed saying she loves it here. once the wife is happy it's easy to settle in

The new Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor general manager Robert Hauck has been in town for less than two weeks, but already he feels at home.

Hauck began his career at the Fairmont in Bermuda, part of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International – the group that owns all the Raffles properties. But for the last seven years he’s been with the Shangri-La hotel group, most recently serving as general manager in Taipei for almost three years.

“I’m glad to be back in the Raffles family,” said the immaculately turned out German.

Hauck, a triathlon enthusiast, had quite a presence at an interview in the Raffles lobby, even among the well-heeled luxury hotel guests. He wore a perfectly tailored dark suit with an open-collared shirt and cuff links, looking über-dapper.

The hotelier began his new gig in Siem Reap by leaving to attend a conference for Raffles general managers in Dubai.

“It was the perfect way to start because I got to know everyone. My wife stayed in Siem Reap while I was gone, and she emailed me saying she loves it here,” he said. “Once the wife is happy it’s easy to settle in.”

Are there any big plans for the hotel under his tenure?

“Of course, but I can’t disclose them,” Hauck said. But already the hotel must be doing some things right – it has the highest guest satisfaction index in the Fairmont Raffles group.

Also in December the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor was awarded a five-star certification by the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, the first in the Kingdom according to Hauck.

“A five-person delegation stayed at the hotel and did an inspection,” said Hauck. “No other hotel has been recognised yet.”