Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort’s new general manager Pascal Tadin has signed on after a two-and-a-half-year stint as executive assistant manager at Sofitel in Phnom Penh.

Tadin is Sofitel Angkor’s sixth general manager and will be taking over the running of a well-established hotel with a very different feel from that in the capital. He is looking forward to bringing his own unique style to the task.

The 34-year-old started his career in his hometown of Perpignan on France’s Mediterranean coast. After graduating from hospitality school there, he worked at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez, followed by spell in Lyon with Paul Bucose, the man credited by many with the invention of nouvelle cuisine.

Five Stars and Michelin Stars continued to punctuate his career in France, Ireland and Switzerland, until he moved to Asia in 2008, as food and beverage manager for Sofitel and Novotel in Dalat, where he spent two years.

His relationship with Asia was broken by a two-year turn at the Sofitel in Brisbane, before he took up the Phnom Penh role.

He said he is really passionate about Asia, adding that, “It has its own charm, and the hospitality is like nothing you can find anywhere in the world.”

Here in Siem Reap, he is looking forward to a different environment and different atmosphere.

“When you arrive in Siem Reap, you already feel the calm of the environment, compared to Phnom Penh. Then of course there are these magnificent temples that create their special atmosphere also. There is a very good ambience here, the people are warm and very genuine,” he said.

“I have to say that some of the offerings in Siem Reap, and Cambodia, are amazing. You can find really good standards here, so we have to make sure that we’re always the best and keep growing. It’s good to have competition, but we are so proud of our hotel and we’re confident we will succeed.

“The Sofitel Angkor is a great property. It has an outstanding garden and this is part of what makes it a really unique hotel, so it’s easy to make people feel at home here. My role is to make sure the service is always perfect.”

It’s not always going to be easy for him as the market is proving challenging for a lot of hotels in town.

“We have seen some changes in the market. Siem Reap is the destination for Cambodia, and as we have seen more tourists, so too have we seen more hotels. We’re lucky to be one of the top ones in Siem Reap so we haven’t been affected too much.

“But it’s tougher for everyone for sure, and I hope to bring some new ideas and new energy in to bringing the unique things about this hotel back to the customers.”