Park Hyatt Siem Reap has announced a collaboration with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) designed to support long-term conservation training at Angkor Archaeological Park and deepen responsible guest engagement with one of the world’s most important cultural landscapes.
The collaboration has two core elements:
• Funding the Heritage Foreman Training initiative through the Suzanne Deal Booth Institute for Heritage Preservation. This six-month program will equip 25 local foremen with the technical skills needed to care for Angkor’s historic temple complexes. Drawn from local communities in and around Siem Reap, participants will be trained to serve as custodians of Angkor, ensuring the highly specialized knowledge required for long-term conservation remains in Siem Reap and that the preservation of Angkor continues to be locally led for generations to come.
• Broadening awareness of WMF’s heritage training initiatives by offering Park Hyatt Siem Reap guests exclusive, small-scale educational experiences within Angkor Archaeological Park. Led by WMF specialists, visits to active conservation sites at the 9th-century hilltop temple Phnom Bakheng will provide rare behind-the-scenes insight into traditional craftsmanship, preservation techniques, and the challenges involved in protecting one of the world’s most visited cultural heritage destinations.
“Siem Reap is home to one of the world’s most extraordinary cultural treasures, and we are honored to support the important work World Monuments Fund has carried out at Angkor for decades,” said Himanshu Kapoor, General Manager of Park Hyatt Siem Reap. “We are excited to offer guests a unique opportunity to connect more deeply with Cambodia’s rich heritage through experiences that are both meaningful and memorable, while contributing to the preservation of Angkor for future generations.”
Forty years of locally led heritage preservation
WMF has invested approximately $19.5 million in conservation efforts across Cambodia, with the vast majority of work carried out by Cambodian professionals trained through WMF programs. Since the 1990s, these initiatives have supported more than 100 Cambodian conservation technicians annually, many of whom have remained in their roles for 15 years or longer. The programs have generated an estimated $20–25 million in local economic impact while helping restore technical knowledge lost during decades of conflict.
WMF’s projects at Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, Ta Som, and other major temple sites represent one of the organization’s longest-running and most sustained preservation commitments at any UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“For nearly four decades, WMF has worked alongside our Cambodian partners at Angkor to safeguard one of the world’s most important cultural landscapes while rebuilding the technical knowledge needed to sustain it,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund.
“At the heart of this effort is our long-standing training program, which equips Cambodian conservators with the skills to care for these monuments over the long term, ensuring that preservation remains locally led and enduring. Support from Park Hyatt Siem Reap strengthens this work by connecting responsible tourism with hands-on conservation and expanding opportunities to train the next generation. This collaboration demonstrates how the private sector can play a vital role in protecting heritage, ensuring that Angkor remains resilient and accessible for generations to come.”
The initiative aligns with Hyatt’s global World of Care approach, helping destinations thrive. Building on nearly three decades of field-based instruction at Angkor, the program equips Cambodian conservation professionals with practical technical skills needed to care for the site’s historic temple complexes while ensuring preservation efforts remain locally led amid increasing environmental pressures and annual visitation exceeding two million people.
Park Hyatt’s Commitment to Culture
Park Hyatt Siem Reap’s collaboration with WMF is the latest example of the Park Hyatt brand’s ongoing cultural investment initiatives, which support creative arts and heritage preservation worldwide. Like Hyatt as a whole, the Park Hyatt brand embraces the principle that every property has a responsibility to positively impact the people and communities it touches.
From Shanghai to Buenos Aires, Park Hyatt hotels are deeply connected to their destinations, shaped by local cultures and communities while actively contributing to the cultural life of each location.
