The 21-storey Phnom Penh Sokha Hotel, currently taking shape across the river, should open for business by the end of 2013, according to the project manager.

Huot Khorn, project manager of the Phnom Penh Sokha Hotel, said the project is going smoothly: construction has been completed but interior and exterior decoration is not yet finished. He said that the building will have more than 600 rooms.

He said the construction of the new Chroy Changva Bridge will also help, as the area has clean and fresh air, which should attract foreign tourists.

He said that the company is currently employing 700-800 workers, and the project will be opened for use by the end of 2013.

Huot Khorn was not able to say how large an investment the company had made in the project, as he has only been involved for one week, afer working on the company’s Bokor Mountain Hotel, near Kampot.

He added that the government of Cambodia has encouraged national and international investors to invest in more tall buildings, to raise Cambodia’s profile on the international stage.  

Lou Meng, President of the Hotel Association in Cambodia, said that the development of four-star hotel and five-star hotels is good for Cambodia.

He added that Sokha Hotel is in a good location for investment - it is a location that attracts foreign visitors when they come to visit Phnom Penh. “The project owner has experience in hotels and I believe that he can compete to win and succeed,” he said.  He continued that if service is good and of high quality, the hotel owner will have no problem attracting customers.

Sorn Sieb, executive director of Ki Real Estate Company, said investment in hotels in the Chroy Changva area is most attractive. “When foreign tourists visit Cambodia they will feel fresher and can breathe more easily than in areas far from the riverside,” he said.

He said that Sokha’s investment project will involve a ferry port at the hotel so that foreign visitors will want to stay at the hotel. “The location is better than other places, because you can see the Royal Palace and Phnom Penh city very clearly.”

He noted that the growth of foreign tourists to Cambodia has increased every year, and the supply of five-star hotels has lagged, so the additional investment in the Sokha Hotel should attract those visitors.

“Phnom Penh has more tourists than the supply of five-star hotels, but in Siem Reap supply is more than the demand,” he said.

Sorn Sieb added that after second new Chroy Changva Bridge is built and the road is broadened, there will be more circulation and a lot of people go to live there.