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Raffles Hotel Le Royal
Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Raffles · Grand Luxury
Ernest Hébrard planned this 55-room Hotel Le Royal with Jean Desbois; King Sisowath Monivong attended the 20 November 1929 opening. Renamed Hotel Le Phnom in the Khmer Republic, it sheltered journalists until the Red Cross tried to hold it as a neutral zone in April 1975, when the Khmer Rouge emptied the grounds. After Hotel Samakki years it returned as Le Royal in 1993 and reopened as Raffles in 1997.
- 55 rooms
- Opened 1929
- Neighborhood: Daun Penh District
- Architect: Ernest Hébrard; Jean Desbois (design assistance)
About Raffles Hotel Le Royal
- Grand opening on 20 November 1929 drew King Sisowath Monivong and an orchestra brought from Saigon.
- French planner Ernest Hébrard was architect, with Jean Desbois assisting the design of the original 55-room hotel.
- From 1970 to 1975, as Hotel Le Phnom, it was a refuge for journalists covering the Cambodian Civil War.
- The Khmer Rouge's emptying of the hotel came in the immediate wake of the Fall of Phnom Penh.
- Fully restored, it reopened as Raffles Hotel Le Royal in 1997; Michelin awards One Key.
History
Raffles Hotel Le Royal traces its origins to 1929, when Hotel Le Royal opened in Phnom Penh as one of the city’s most prestigious hotels. The official Raffles site says the building was built in 1929 and reopened as Raffles Hotel Le Royal in 1997 after a sensitive extension and renovation. Wikipedia adds that the hotel was built as a 55-room property, opened on 20 November 1929, later became Le Phnom during the Khmer Republic, was emptied in 1975, reopened as Hotel Samakki in 1979, and reverted to Hotel Le Royal in 1993. It remains one of Phnom Penh’s most iconic colonial-era hotels, known for its French colonial, Khmer, and Art Deco character.
The setting
Raffles Hotel Le Royal stands on a tree-lined avenue in Daun Penh District, Phnom Penh's historic European quarter, twelve minutes on foot from Cambodia Railway Station and thirteen from the hilltop Buddhist temple of Wat Phnom Daun Penh, the city's founding landmark. Designed in 1929 by French architect Ernest Hébrard — who authored the city's colonial urban master plan — the property blends French Indochina style with Khmer motifs and is the only hotel in Cambodia permitted to carry the designation Royal. Daun Penh forms the capital's most extensive French Colonial Architecture Conservation Zone, and the Raffles anchors its prestige axis alongside the Phnom Penh Night Market, sixteen minutes' walk, and the surrounding diplomatic quarter.
Restaurants and bars
- Restaurant Le Royal — Restaurant · Royal Khmer cuisine alongside modern Khmer gastronomy
- Le Phnom 1929 — Restaurant · French cuisine
- Elephant Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Afternoon Tea at Raffles — Afternoon Tea in a refined setting, described as a timeless Raffles tradition.
- The Elephant Bar Gin Experience — A two-hour tasting drawn from more than 50 gin labels, including the hotel's own Elephant Bar Gin.
- Happy Hour at the Elephant Bar — Relax with a choice of wines, beers and spirits, including Cambodia's largest gin collection.
- Parisian Champagne Breakfast — Freeflow à la carte breakfast at Le Phnom 1929, with an optional glass of champagne.
- Adventures & Encounters — Specially curated experiences giving deeper insight into the city, for the well-travelled and the curious.
- Raffles Spa — Five treatment rooms, male and female wet areas with saunas and steam rooms, and a fitness centre.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Butler service
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotels (2026)
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