IC Phnom Penh Master Thread

Old Dec 22, 2011, 5:42 pm
  #46  
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Any recent reports? I am particularly interested for restaurant recommendations, also treatment of RAs. I am on a paid stay that includes breakfast. Can I expect an upgrade to a suite and/or club access?
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Old Dec 23, 2011, 4:03 am
  #47  
 
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Club or even club junior suite is the upgrade they told me. I've been pre-upgraded to a club junior suite from cheapest room.

Dining, there are numerous events at the restaurants (Wine and cheese night etc.), a very good Chinese restaurant. Outside the hotel is a good restaurant (forgot the name), plus there are several excellent restaurants in PNH.

I'll be there in about 10 days.
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 7:10 pm
  #48  
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We had a very pleasant stay, in large part because we were given an exceptional upgrade to an executive suite. I am a Royal Ambassador, but others have reported a junior suite upgrade. I was also given access to their club lounge.

We booked the hotel car on arrival for $20. A taxi would have been $7 but we felt it worth the price to be immediately ushered into an immaculate air conditioned car. Roads were very congested, and it took almost 40 minutes to get to the hotel.

We were shown to our room and given access to the lounge. The lounge is very intimate, with a conference room, one sitting area with facing sofas and chairs, and 8 or 10 tables. We only went to the lounge one evening, as we found offerings rather meager. They had some good cheeses and 3 hot dishes that did not appeal.

We ate in the Chinese restaurant one night and did not find any of the dishes exceptional.

We rented a hotel car for sightseeing at $15/hour with a minimum of 4 hours. It was nice to have a car and driver waiting for us at each stop.

Staff was uniformly gracious and warm.

We were very well satisfied with our stay and would happily return here again.
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 9:25 pm
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Glad you had a nice time. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
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Old Feb 26, 2012, 4:54 am
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Anyone stayed at the Phnom Penh IC on PB?

What are the upgrades like for Amb or RA?
Seems RAs get upgraded to Junior Club Suite on revenue bookings but not sure about if on PB.
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Old Feb 26, 2012, 9:45 pm
  #51  
 
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Originally Posted by lsed
Anyone stayed at the Phnom Penh IC on PB?

What are the upgrades like for Amb or RA?
Seems RAs get upgraded to Junior Club Suite on revenue bookings but not sure about if on PB.
When the property was on the list last time, the hotel did not honor any RA/Amb benefits and played by the book. However, you can upgrade to club for cash.
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Old Feb 26, 2012, 10:35 pm
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Chinatrvl
When the property was on the list last time, the hotel did not honor any RA/Amb benefits and played by the book. However, you can upgrade to club for cash.
This is VERY affordable hotel to pay by ca$h. Good place to earn RA status stays + bonuses. Been there couple of times and paid the $100 or so rate.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 3:38 am
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Originally Posted by lsed
Anyone stayed at the Phnom Penh IC on PB?

What are the upgrades like for Amb or RA?
Seems RAs get upgraded to Junior Club Suite on revenue bookings but not sure about if on PB.
I'm only Platinum, so I didn't expect upgrades in any case, and I received none. On PB this hotel is ok, but just so. There are many, many decent hotels in PNH, where you won't have to pay nearly as much (you'll get a great room for <$100 with wifi and breakfast included), and, more importantly, much closer to the riverside and the central market. The area where the IC is located is really not interesting at all, it's relatively far from most tourist attractions (with the exception of S21, FWIW), and it's set back enough from the riverside, you'll notice the difference in air quality. I wouldn't pay cash for a room there, nor the regular points requirement, although I can see how someone who needs the stays for qualification might book the relatively low rates (for an IC).
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 4:20 am
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Originally Posted by honu
I'm only Platinum, so I didn't expect upgrades in any case, and I received none. On PB this hotel is ok, but just so. There are many, many decent hotels in PNH, where you won't have to pay nearly as much (you'll get a great room for <$100 with wifi and breakfast included), and, more importantly, much closer to the riverside and the central market. The area where the IC is located is really not interesting at all, it's relatively far from most tourist attractions (with the exception of S21, FWIW), and it's set back enough from the riverside, you'll notice the difference in air quality. I wouldn't pay cash for a room there, nor the regular points requirement, although I can see how someone who needs the stays for qualification might book the relatively low rates (for an IC).
- There's only the Sofitel (out in the sticks), the Raffles (double price, 'interesting' dcor), and the Amanjaya. Many other hotels might be a bit too "boutique" for some...
- Except for first timers, the riverside is not an area where I would want to stay at
- It takes a max. 4 USD tuk-tuk ride (which is good fun) to the riverside and less than that to street 51, 240 or BKK 1
- The area out towards the Killing Fields (along Highway 5 to HW3, Choam Chao) is a serious off-the-beaten track (night) market experience; so is the market across the street
- It's got a nice pool to escape PNH madness

So yes, it's not on the riverside, but certainly not out in the sticks, and offers a pretty good hotel, particularily for the price.

Anyway, that's off topic
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 5:13 am
  #55  
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Originally Posted by Chinatrvl
- It takes a max. 4 USD tuk-tuk ride (which is good fun) to the riverside
Wow $4? I remember back in the day when a crazy looking foreigner like me could ride from the IC for free to the river on the back of a scooter. I might have bought a beer for the driver though for about 25 cents. There weren't too many people around who looked like me at that time.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 5:26 am
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Originally Posted by stimpy
Wow $4? I remember back in the day when a crazy looking foreigner like me could ride from the IC for free to the river on the back of a scooter. I might have bought a beer for the driver though for about 25 cents. There weren't too many people around who looked like me at that time.
Yeah 4 USD is a total rip-off. The beer at riverside is now also >4 USD. Tourists have spoilt them...
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 10:56 am
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Thanks for the replies guys

>4 USD for Cambodian beer?
Not to worry I have my trusty hip flask with me most of the time.

Still pondering if I should just fly there to check out the city. The rooms will be essentially free as I've some family member accounts that have like 15K that they'll never use anyways.

But the fact that it's still available makes it sound like the city / hotel is not worth going.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 12:34 pm
  #58  
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Originally Posted by lsed
But the fact that it's still available makes it sound like the city / hotel is not worth going.
Oh, it is absolutely worth going to. At least once in your life and preferably soon before it gets even worse than it is tourist-wise. Check out a very old trip report I wrote http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...o-sjc-lax.html and start around post #6 for the Cambodia part.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 1:31 pm
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Originally Posted by lsed
But the fact that it's still available makes it sound like the city / hotel is not worth going.
I'm with stimpy in feeling that this is a very enjoyable town to visit. I returned in January, and stayed at the IC on this visit. There's plenty to see and do to keep anyone busy for 2 or 3 days. Here's a thread with some recent chat about the town:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...staurants.html

And a 2008 article from the NYT:

36 hours in Phnom Penh
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 6:25 pm
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Yes, go to PNH - totally worth it. I started the thread quoted above in 2010, and have since returned for almost a dozend, sometimes lenghty, trips, whenever it suited my schedule.
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