Phnom Penh can be a great city to score a very cheap hotel room. The only problem is that even after arriving in the city and looking around at hotels it is difficult to gauge the quality of each one without actually staying inside the rooms. Ramshackle buildings sit side by side with modern luxury here, so the block or neighborhood gives little indication of what a property might be like inside. Hotel Zing is no exception to that rule. Check prices on Expedia.
Hotel Zing Location
I didn’t know the first thing about Phnom Penh when booking this hotel. It’s very central within the city and visible on the map immediately northwest of the Central Market. It is also very close to the bus terminal, helpful if you are planning to travel in the region by bus. The market is certainly an interesting sight to see but it is mostly full of cheap touristy stuff, knockoff clothing and watches and that sort of thing.
The riverfront in Phnom Penh is the main tourist area and the streets directly east of the central market are home to the hostess bars and massage shops and such. It is a little further than it appears on the map, about half a mile of easy walking. (At least as easy as walking can be here with every sidewalk being a parking lot.)
The market is the source of some street noise during the day but it is not too bad. It is quiet at night. There is a convenience store in the same building as Hotel Zing that’s open until 11:00 pm. Thankfully there are many options for coffee within a few blocks.
Overall the location is good but many visitors will be better served staying closer to the river, particularly far enough south to be away from the hostess bars.
Hotel Zing Property
The property looks sort of large in its setting but it is a small hotel. Barely cracks medium maybe. The lobby and cafe are small and there is nothing else as far as common areas. Both Hotel Zing’s feel and the decor evoke a vintage Miami Beach property, although certainly not a luxurious one.
On arrival you immediately get the sense that the hotel owner is extremely cheap. The lights were off in the lobby when I arrived and even after they came on they were dim. The room lights are low power as well. The room’s fridge was not plugged in although it did run well when I plugged it in. It also had to serve as a shelf for my suitcase because they were too cheap to buy some of those, even the foldable kind. There is no sort of art on the walls and the color wasn’t bothered to match on a spot in the wall where a repair had been made.
The Bathroom is fine but with a lack of shelf space. The TV works well and has a handful of English channels including CNN.
Hotel Zing Guest Rooms
I sprung for the highest level room available here which was still priced at a very modest $25 a night. My main gripe is that the photo included a sofa and the room absolutely does not have a sofa. In fact, even though this room was advertised as 450 square feet it is hard to believe it is anywhere near that size. In fact it would be hard to fit a sofa into this oddly shaped corner room with a queen bed already here.
I am not even sure the photos online are from this hotel. They may be from one of the Hotel Zing properties in Thailand. For seating there is only the desk chair and an outdoor patio set inside the room. There is a balcony and it has a lot of square footage, but it is not really useable because it is so long and narrow and wraps around the corner. You can stand out there and take in the street life but it is very tight to try to set a chair outside.
The room is clean and was made up daily. Bed was comfortable but there was only a duvet and cover over the bottom sheet. No top sheet which is a bit disturbing.
Overall Impression
It was fine. It’s inexpensive and certainly meets the standard of a sub- $20 hotel room. It is just not as nice as it appears online. Go ahead and book a refundable rate somewhere closer to the river. If you stay here keep your expectations moderate and don’t bother splurging on the better room.
