Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the luxury heritage hotel in the Cambodian capital, has earned a prestigious Four-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide, whose designations are among the most highly sought after in the global luxury hospitality industry.

“Raffles Hotel Le Royal has been Phnom Penh’s defining word in opulence ever since its doors first swung open in 1929,” the guide’s inspectors wrote in their review of the hotel.

“It's still the go-to for Cambodian high society looking to host wedding banquets and celebratory balls, while the colonial wood-paneled Elephant Bar is a must for post-event drinks. This is also the best place in Phnom Penh to enjoy afternoon tea; the refined airs and immaculately attired staff practically transport you back in time,” it added.

Raffles Hotel Le Royal was one of only two hotels in Phnom Penh to be recognized by Forbes Travel Guide last month. The Four-Star rating denotes “exceptional properties, offering high levels of service and quality of facility to match.” Forbes Travel Guide, originally launched in 1958 (then as Mobil Travel Guide), is the oldest travel guide in the United States and the creator of the original Five-Star rating system for hotels.

The guide’s inspectors further praised Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s timeless elegance, saying, “While all accommodations [at the hotel] offer Old World luxury, the Landmark Rooms serve as a beautiful time capsule. The high-ceilinged rooms appear much as they did in 1929, including their enticing claw-foot baths.”

They also gave their highest approval to Restaurant Le Royal, the hotel’s signature Khmer fine-dining venue, calling it “one of the best meals in town.”

Raffles Hotel Le Royal features 175 rooms and suites that underwent a full refurbishment as part of a meticulous one-year restoration project in 2019.

“There is no greater honour for a hotel than to be recognized by Forbes Travel Guide. Our staff understand we are all caretakers of an incredible legacy in the Grand Dame of Cambodian hospitality, and we look forward each day to providing warm and attentive service to all of our cherished guests,” said Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s General Manager Dennis de Groot.

The Forbes Travel Guide designation adds to a growing list of awards for the historic property. In January, the UK-based Luxury Lifestyle Magazine named Raffles Hotel Le Royal one of the world’s best city hotels (No. 24 overall). Travel + Leisure named it one of the top city hotels in Cambodia last year. And it was voted the No. 1 hotel in Cambodia by readers of Condé Nast Traveler in its annual Readers’ Choice Awards the previous year.