The Long Road Back

I was in Bangkok last week. There are many reasons to go there: Having a break from Siem Reap, visiting friends, going to see a movie (sorry, no movie theaters in REP) but mainly to source all of those products that we need to run our business that we can not find in Cambodia. I would love to buy everything here in Cambodia to support the local economy, and I do the best I can, but many things can not be found here. So, about once a month, I am off to Bangkok.

This time, like the last two times, I flew to Bangkok and came back over land. My free advice: Never, ever go through the border crossing of Poipet unless you really must (or you have some desire to see the armpit of SE Asia). Poipet could have doubled as the back drop for the filming of Mad Max. The drive from Bangkok to the border is perfectly fine, however, the cruel disparity of the economic development of two neighboring countries is very stark. The story of what happened to Cambodia is well told and frankly, the distant past which needs to be kept there, in the past. I have been doing this overland trip a number of times over the last four years. The first time I did it I was shocked that there really was no road between Siem Reap and Poipet, just dirt and rocks. My ribs were sore for three days after that first trip from the bone jarring ride.

Here are two pics from that trip. This is not the main road as the main road had washed out and there all buses and trucks were stranded. We detoured through the rice fields and neighboring land (with makeshift toll booths!):



Finally, things are progressing now. I watched last year as they started to string electrical lines from Thailand to bring in cheaper electricity. Then it was announced that they would fix the road. I don't remember the exact trip and how many months ago it was (maybe six months) but on that trip for the full four hour drive I saw a total of six people working.

I came through again this past March and was happy to see one stretch of road that was actually done, smooth as can be! Imagine my surprise this past Friday when I returned and it seemed like nearly every kilometer was either finished or was actually being worked on. Wow, progress! It is a scenic drive and could be very enjoyable if there was a real road so this is a bit of exciting news. And, with the hope that next year Bangkok Airways monopoly on the BKK-REP route will end, there is the promise of reasonably priced airfares for this 35 minute flight. The combination of a nice drive to Bangkok or an inexpensive flight happening within the next year is just too good to be true and will make living here even more enjoyable.

The Art of Hotel Be

It has been too long since my last post. Since I have just started this blog recently, it will be interesting to see how I can keep it up, keep it relevant, etc. Time will tell. So, where were we?
Ah, I remember, the design of Hotel Be was the topic. Once we had decided on three rooms, I decided with the design team of Ivan and Lisa to let them work on the floor plans, materials etc and that we would have each room be identified with a different artist. Through Linga Bar and The One Hotel I have previously worked with, and admired the work of, John McDermott, Sopheap Pich and Loven Ramos.

I worked with John for the photography for our websites and of course he did a great job. Also, his gallery is a part of The One Hotel building and is integrated into our place. Sopheap designed a gorgeous rattan form that is the light source above the bar at Linga. He also designed a table lamp that is a signature piece in The One Hotel. Loven has done graphic design for us (Hotel Be logo, The One Hotel brochure etc.). In addition, his artwork has been integrated into Linga Bar as a permanent display. So, it was easy to choose these three to work with for the three rooms of Hotel Be and thankfully they all agreed to be a part of the project.

No doubt the hotel industry has evolved and tries to be more innovative today, in attempts to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Just look at the by now tired idea of "boutique" hotels. I love hotels and the idea of new and interesting places to stay. But the problem is so few places can pull it off. W Hotels are my leading example of trying to be mass market trendy which is such a contradiction in terms. Case in point snapshot: At the wanna be hip bar at the W Hotel San Francisco picture the conventioneer, with name badge, wearing shorts (khaki of course) with a bottle of Budweiser being held with his finger in the hole of the bottle. True story, and completely turned me off of the trendy hotel trying to be all things to all people. Then there are the small hotels that are interesting, cool but designed and run by people with no hotel experience. While they can sometimes capture something unique, you are left wanting for the small but necessary details that get left out. Like the hotel in Phnom Penh where I stayed that had glasses for drinking water but did not provide any water to drink (and you don't dare drink the tap water). Places in Bangkok are comical in their attempts to be trendy, they even try to put it in there name: Bangkok Boutique Hotel, Citi Chic Hotel. You know it is bad when they have to tell you what they are trying to be by their name.

Then there are a growing number of Art themed hotels. I stayed at one in Bangkok called Reflections (gone now) that was way over the top in terms of the art theme. Funny and unique for sure, but a bit too much for practical purposes. Then there was the hotel in Singapore that had an art theme that was so minimal as to make you wonder why they even bothered. The room was fantastic: excellent linens, Bose radio, great bath amenities etc. But where was the art? So, my task was to take my hotel experience and attention to detail and amenities and meld it with the art of these three artists. And, at Hotel Be we do not do room numbers, all three rooms have different names. After all, the last thing you want to be to a hotel is a number, right? Well, unless You Are The One at The One Hotel of course. Did we succeed? Come and stay with us and you can be the judge. We are not perfect yet, but I love the rooms and we have received great feedback so far.