Sala Bai Hotel School

"The hotel is run by a charity, who use it as a base to train 100 disadvantaged youths each year for future careers in the hospitality industry. Par of this is funded by the hotelo and restaurant they run as part of their training.

It works fabulously well and in the five years they have been open every single one of the over 500 students they have trained have secured a job within 3 months of graduating."
Mr. Peter Coen - United Kingdom on 26/01/2010

"There is a board on the second floor that shows the operations of the hotel/restaurant, and the trainers are happy to share more details if you ask!"
Ms. Hannah Leong - Singapore on 28/06/2009

"The job The Sala Bai school is doing for the training of Cambodian underpriviged children is exceptional.Money spent by travellers either staying or using their dining facilities couldn,t be used in better way to help these great kids.
We also spoke to previous students who were now employed in the hotel and tourist industry.So their training obviously prepares them to successfully move into fulltime employment.
We would recommend the Sala Bai to all.
Peter & Kim"
Mr. peter reilly - Australia on 10/06/2009

"A brilliant idea. Good to be able to help the local youngsters get on their feet."
Mr. richard besant - United Kingdom on 20/04/2009

"It is a heart-warming setup. The people who run/volunteer in this hotel really care for Cambodia and it's youth. This sort of thing should be set up everywhere. I liked the fact that I had fantastic accommodation without spending $$$$ and was also helping the youth of Siem Reap."
Mrs. Lynne Ceprow - Australia on 27/02/2009

"Great training, great students, wonderful experience - our best on this trip to Asia!!!!"
Mr. David Johnson - United States on 19/03/2008

"After 6-7 graduating classes of 100 underprivileged young people (trained over one year), they have over 80% of them still employed in hospitality services - that's pretty good return. This helps, not only the students but has a ripple effect in the community. Connected to other services in a sustainable network is a growing example that you can enjoy travel yet make less of a negative impact on a place that is being affected by exploding tourism."
Ms. Jennifer Norris - Canada on 05/03/2008

"We found the hotel and their student staff to be excellent in every way. We booked the hotel mainly because it provided local disadvantaged youths with a chance and felt this was a wa to give something back and expecfted some peculiarities.

The actuality howver wasw that we have never been so well looked after at a hotel, it was a pleasure to stay there."
Mr. Peter Coen - United Kingdom on 26/01/2010

"Very good service!"
Ms. Hannah Leong - Singapore on 28/06/2009

"This was our first trip to Cambodia, but definitely not the last.The Sala Bai hotel school was one of the highlights of our stay.The rooms were immaculate and the trainee staff were the most friendly and helpful i,ve ever come across.Considering i,ve travelled to over forty countries in the world this is an indication of how good they realy were.
Siem reap is a terrific place to visit with plenty to do .The population are extremely friendly,food and drink is very cheap and Ankor site is awesome.
As you can see a very very satisfied customer."
Mr. peter reilly - Australia on 10/06/2009

"We booked the suite at The Sala Bai & were pleasntly surprised at the value for money this gave. Given that the accomodation & restaurant in the hotel-school is run by students, we considered the quality very good. We were delighted to meet qualified students working in the lcoal restaurants - obviously succeeding in their aims.
We would recommend The Sala Bai to anyone seeking to find a more Cambodian experience.
We bought their recipe book & have already tried out some dishes - amazing!!"
Mr. richard besant - United Kingdom on 20/04/2009

"Accommodation was excellent, totally blown away with the suite. Everyone was always smiling, very friendly and incredibly polite. Restaurant food fantastic, room always tidied and looking perfect. Have already recommended it to many friends."
Mrs. Lynne Ceprow - Australia on 27/02/2009

"This is a wonderful little hotel. The fact that it is a hotel school and by staying here we are able to help Cambodian youth train for the hospitality industry doubles the good feeling. Everyone we saw was so pleasant, helpful and caring - such beautiful smiles. Our room was wonderful - large, comfortable and kept impeccably clean. The little extra touches were most welcome.
We had both breakfast and lunch in the restaurant and would suggest that no visit to Siem Reap would be complete without experiencing one or both. The Khmer food was great and the pork medallions were exquisite. The service was first-rate.
Our congratulations to this year's group of graduates as they find jobs in the hotel/tourism industry. They are well-prepared and so want to please. What a great experience!!
Now, when the cookbook is available in English, is there a way to order from the website??"
Mr. David Johnson - United States on 19/03/2008

"Sala Bai does great work - they are training future hospitality employees. So the rooms are super clean, food in the restaurant is good, and all are eager to help. The result is a great effort. Sometimes there are limitations with English or knowing what to do (they are students and some requests are 'first times' for them), but they work hard to make things right. Conveniently located, if you're looking to stay at a place that can make a difference, this is the one. Just don't bother about the free taxi service - ours never arrived as promised (like many other comments on this board) and it's only $5 to get into town."
Ms. Jennifer Norris - Canada on 05/03/2008

"We felt more love and care at the school than we did in all the other places we stayed in put together .The location of the school is also great you can walk out and you are in the heart of the city .we had friends who were staying at one of the big hotels and we walked to meet them in their looby everyday ."
Ms. Julie Day Day - United Arab Emirates on 16/07/2007

"Twice a day clean sheets and towels seems a lot. But they get a lot of training this way. The kids were very happy to have guest to look after. It just was a lot of fun to stay here."
Mr. Jasper Pondman - Netherlands on 11/04/2007

"The students were cheerful, courteous, resourceful, and always ready to help. A good cause and a wonderful place to stay!"
Mr. Hilary Ma on 01/02/2007

"The rooms are very clean. The booked double room turned out to be a twin room however, so we decided to move to the suite. The suite is very comfortable and big which makes you feel at home in stead of a hotel. The staff are very friendly and really seem to enjoy their work."
Mrs. Chantal Oudkerk Pool - Netherlands on 07/01/2007

"The children in the Salabai behave like professionnals. The welcoming is wonderful and the hotel is really comfortable. I do think that is one of the best address in Siem Reap and it is a real pleasure to participate in the development of this school."
Mrs. Emilie Chazelas - France on 04/02/2006

"It was really great to have such welcoming staff at the hotel, some of the hotels I had stayed in made you feel like you were a nuisance, but at Sala Bai we felt genuinely welcome. Lots of smiles help when you are so far from home. I thoroughly recommend the Sala Bai."
Ms. Penny Stott - Australia on 10/12/2005