Since July 2020, Cambodian Lundy Taing has been running the Amber Kampot hotel. A very active, friendly and cheerful character, Lundy is also a passionate hotelier who has not hesitated to challenge himself to manage this destination, which is not quite like any other.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background
My name is Lundy Taing. I was actually born in Battambang, but I moved to Siem Reap in 1995 and I'm still a resident there. I'm currently the manager of Amber Kampot. My career started with a hotel in Siem Reap. In 2001, I joined the Hôtel de La Paix before moving on to other hotels. Finally, in 2015, I joined the Thalias group. I worked at the Malis Siem Reap and also for the one in Phnom Penh. A year later I moved on to the Banyan Tree, but when the Covid arrived they decided to close, so I moved to Kampot and I've been working at Amber since 2020.
How did you get here?
I knew the former general manager of Templation in Siem Reap well, as his daughter also goes to the same school as my children, and he asked me if I wanted to work in Kampot. I said yes and he sent me the application form. I applied, was accepted and then came to Kampot in July 2020.
How would you define Amber Kampot?
Amber Kampot caters for everyone because as a resort, our market is local, local upmarket and also tourist. As far as tourists are concerned, we welcome everyone, Americans, Australians, French, British, Europeans and Chinese. So everyone is welcome at Amber Kampot.
What type of activities do you offer?
As we have direct access to the river, we concentrate on water-based activities. We offer free kayaking, paddle-boarding, water-biking, Hobie-cats, water-skiing and other fun activities. I think we're the only ones to do this. Then we offer other activities such as the sunset boat trip, which is very popular, and also the floating dinner and picnic on an island.
We also offer dawn kayak trips through the mangrove forest at Trapaing Sangke. Soon, we will be working with the Marine Conservation association and will be able to take our customers to see the dolphins.
These are the on-site activities, but we also organise excursions and special days to discover the region's emblematic places.
What are the challenges in running Amber Kampot?
I actually really like Amber Kampot because I love water and there are lots of activities linked to it.
“Before, I didn't even know how to drive a boat or what water-skiing or windsurfing was, but for almost four years now in Kampot, I've been able to do it all. For me, it's very exciting to be working in this hotel.”
After COVID, the situation became quite difficult, but I think people will come to Kampot more and more. The governor is very active in promoting the region. So I hope that in the future, Kampot will welcome more and more tourists. Today, we face a challenge because our main clientele is local.
And now that the borders are open, many Cambodians are choosing to travel abroad.
Foreign tourists are coming back, but very slowly. Today, we are welcoming a few, but this is still not enough to compensate for the loss of the local market.
Are there any other attractions to highlight at Amber Kampot?
In fact, people come here for the change of scenery and also to discover the region. Our accommodation is very luxurious and we strive to offer top quality gastronomy, in keeping with the prestige of our establishment. Our chef, Dimanche, is very creative and regularly offers new fusion dishes to keep our regular customers happy. In fact, 30 to 40% of our customers are regulars, so we have to keep them entertained, both with our activities and our menu.
In conclusion, do you feel happy here?
Absolutely, it's a demanding but exciting job that allows you to touch on a bit of everything. Having chosen this profession, I'm delighted to be able to do it in such a privileged place.
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