Luxury hospitality isn’t just about bespoke experiences, stunning views and expansive suites. It is what truly stays with you after you have checked out. The subtle gestures that reveal a hotel’s philosophy of hospitality.
A recent visit to Rosewood Phnom Penh in Cambodia reinstated just that. I was invited to the launch of a new cocktail menu at Rosewood Phnom Penh’s Sora Bar. The visit coincided with a high-power Phnom Penh Cocktail Festival and Sora’s Sustainable Summit 2026 marking the property’s eighth anniversary.
The experience over two days was far more than an introduction to the new cocktail menu. It was an opportunity to observe how a modern luxury hotel can weave hospitality, sustainability and contemporary bar culture into one cohesive story.
Where Service Becomes the Experience
Rosewood hotel occupies the upper floors of the magnificent iconic building Vattanac Tower in Phnom Penh. It offers breathtaking views of the city along with an expansive view of the confluence of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. Above all, the property offers something more valuable. It’s the small, almost invisible gestures that make your stay memorable. A bookmark left neatly inside the pages of the novel you have been reading. Housekeeping notices which side of the bed you prefer and arranges the duvet accordingly. Return in the afternoon to find your half-finished wine from the night before perfectly chilled in an ice bucket.
Coming from India, where brands like Oberoi and Taj have long set the benchmark for service culture, I often find myself instinctively comparing experiences abroad. Rosewood Phnom Penh expresses a similar attention to detail — in its own understated way.
Much of that culture flows from the leadership of Managing Director Daniel Simon, whose team reflects a shared sense of purpose. From Executive Chef Jan Van Dyke to Director of Bars Jonas Vittur, and the energetic marketing and communications team including Timothy, Manon and Lyn, there is a noticeable ease in the way the staff interact with guests.
The result is a sense that everyone, from senior leadership to the breakfast lounge staff, operates with the same quiet confidence.
Sora: Phnom Penh’s Cocktail Stage in the Sky
Sora is Phnom Penh’s highest sky bar on 37th floor, extending dramatically from the tower on a cantilevered terrace.
As evening approaches and the sun drops beyond the horizon, the bar transforms into one of the city’s most atmospheric vantage points.
The newly launched cocktail menu adds a playful narrative to this setting. Inspired by the modular creativity of Lego-like structures, the concept explores how visual storytelling can intersect with cocktail design.
According to Director of Bars Jonas Vittur, the theme carries a sense of nostalgia. Yet behind it lies a serious drinks programme. His intention was to create cocktails that remain rooted in regional ingredients while presenting them through a fresh creative lens. Cambodian herbs and botanicals appear throughout the menu, layered into drinks that balance familiarity with experimentation.
It is a thoughtful approach that reflects the broader energy of Asia’s evolving cocktail culture — inventive, regionally inspired and increasingly confident on the global stage.
Sustainability That Begins Behind the Scenes
While the evenings revolved around cocktails and spectacular views, the daytime programme during the Sora Sustainable Summit revealed another dimension of the hotel’s philosophy.
The summit began with a walk through the hotel’s hydroponic garden and sky farm. The initiative, as Daniel Simon explained, emerged from something out of necessity. The kitchen team wanted reliable access to fresh greens such as mustard lettuce, which led them to experiment with growing produce directly within the hotel.
From there, the conversation at the summit expanded.
Karen Finnerty, Growth and Partnership Director for APAC at the Sustainable Restaurant Association, spoke about the importance of credible sustainability frameworks such as the Food Made Good Standard, which evaluates restaurants and hotels across sourcing, community engagement and environmental responsibility.
Community-driven initiatives were highlighted by Sokleep Ngon, whose work focuses on creating recycling-led livelihood programmes for local communities.
Another fascinating perspective came from Ryuji, founder of Mawsim Distillery, who described how Cambodian botanicals — including the often-overlooked water hyacinth flower — are being transformed into spirits. The plant, usually considered invasive, is used to produce ethanol for the distillery’s gin.
Sustainability advocate Brittany Sims of Farm To Table also shared insights into strengthening local food networks, while discussions touched on solutions such as EcoSpirits, a circular packaging system that helps bars significantly reduce glass bottle waste.
What emerged from these conversations was a simple truth: sustainability in hospitality is rarely defined by a single dramatic initiative. More often, it is the accumulation of small, deliberate choices.
Phnom Penh Cocktail Festival: Celebrating Asia’s Bar Community
By late evening, Sora’s roof top area transformed into a high energy party place with a DJ, drinks and the city’s revellers ascending to the high-rise to witness bartenders from across Asia alongside Cambodia’s leading bars showcase their best.
Sixteen venues from cities including Hanoi, Shanghai, Bangkok, Taipei and Penang — along with one from Mongolia — joined Cambodian bars to present cocktails to the public.
Bartenders exchanged ideas, spoke about ingredients from their regions and shared techniques that reflected the diversity of their home bar scenes. Many drinks showcased regional botanicals or sustainability-driven practices, echoing the conversations that had taken place earlier in the day.
Events like this quietly shape emerging cocktail destinations. By creating a space for dialogue, they allow the regional bar community to evolve collectively.
What truly distinguishes Rosewood Phnom Penh is not simply its address in the sky. It is the way the property positions itself as a platform where hospitality, culture and industry conversations intersect.
Leave a comment