The first Marriott International branded hotel in Cambodia will open in Siem Reap next April, while the second will break ground in Sihanoukville by the end of 2017, its Cambodian-based developer said yesterday. The 233-room Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort, first announced in 2010, is being built on a 1.2-hectare site about a 15 minutes’ drive from Angkor Wat.

Grand Lion Group, which signed an agreement with the US-based global hotel chain in 2010, has invested over $200 million into developing the Siem Reap hotel, it said in a press release, and plans to sink another $160 million into developing the 250-room Sihanoukville resort.