Meaningful Song
當發展遇上保育
The five-star Song Saa Private Island gets ready for the next phase of its ethical hospitality development. 五星級頌薩私人島嶼酒店，在柬埔寨延續企業責任。
The five-star Song Saa Private Island gets ready for the next phase of its ethical hospitality development. 五星級頌薩私人島嶼酒店，在柬埔寨延續企業責任。
When Australian natives Rory and Melita Hunter told friends and family they were going to open an ethical luxury resort near Koh Rong in Cambodia over a decade ago, most suggested they were slightly delusional. Fast-forward to 2019 and Song Saa Private Island is heading into its seventh successful year in operation and the Hunters are planning dramatic expansion onto the Siem Reap side of the water. The Song Saa Reserve will feature major conservation areas, hotels and eventually private villas, and prove business and ethics do indeed go together. The Song Saa Collective is “a business and a foundation working together to drive change,” explains CEO and co-founder Rory Hunter. “A dual structure with a single vision works really well.” 10 年前，當來自澳洲的Rory與melita Hunter告訴朋友要在柬埔寨近高龍島開設符合企業責任的豪華渡假村時，大部份人都覺不可思議。來到2019年，頌薩私人島嶼酒店已營運了七年，而且十分成功，而Hunter兩夫婦正計劃向暹粒水域擴展。頌薩保育計劃包括主要的保育區、酒店及私人別墅，證明了商業與保育可並存。頌薩項目行政總裁及聯合創辦人Rory Hunter解釋：「一家企業與一個基金聯手帶來改變，證明雙重架構單一願景是可行的。」
The Greater Good
Since it opened in 2012, Song Saa Private Island has been a regular on top ten lists of the world's best resort destinations, and the Hunters have very quickly had an impact on the local community, though Rory will argue against the concept of liberal guilt playing a part in the Hunters' decision to get involved with depressed Cambodia. “We're not doing it to save people, we're doing it to make money. This is a business,” he says. “But if you can use the power of business to do good, what a great way to make a living.” Design director Melita agrees, stating very simply the question back in 2005 was, “how can we do business in a better way?”
With consumers, hotel groups and property buyers all actively working to be more sustainable, equitable and have less negative impact on their locations, Song Saa went the extra mile by corporate standards. The couple grew attached to Cambodia after their first visit in 1985, but choosing to become developers wasn't on the cards. “Cambodia chose us,” states Melita. “That might sound like a cliché but it's true. It was very organic.” A trip in 2005 ended with a fisherman describing his inability to feed his family due to overfishing and a property purchase. “He offered to sell us his island. We had no plans for anything and it didn't feel like paradise,” she says. Eventually, the resort spanning two small islands over seven hectares was created with substantial CSR built into the project's DNA. The community contributions currently include a 400-square-kilometre marine reserve (the largest in Southeast Asia), medical missions, the first ever ultrasounds for local women and a primary school as just a few examples. Anyone in the market for a villa with a conscience need look no further.
The success of the first resort inspired the expansion. “We really wanted to scale [the island] out. So, five years ago, we created the separate [Song Saa Foundation] and that allowed us to access donor funding, bilateral aid, guest donations and to be an independent entity,” says Rory. The offshoot is the forthcoming Song Saa Reserve, located a few minutes from Banteay Srei in Siem Reap, which the Hunters see as primed to become a destination of its own. Tourist arrivals are expected to grow to over three million by 2020, with a new airport in the pipeline able to accommodate up to 10 million passengers each year.
Ready for the Future
The US$250 million Reserve is ambitious, and will feature up to seven hotels and a series of private villas built on best practices such as a zero-carbon footprint, renewable energy use and land regeneration. At 230 hectares—almost double the size of Hyde Park—with a lake in the centre and 50% conservation area, the Reserve is a major
意義重大
頌薩私人島嶼酒店自2012年開業以來，經常成為全球十大最佳渡假酒店之一， Hunter兩夫婦在當地社區甚具影響力，而Rory亦認為自己在柬埔寨經濟甚不景氣時，投資其旅遊業是個果敢的決定，他說：「我們不是為救人而來，我們是來投資賺錢，這是一門生意；但如果我們能一邊營業，一邊做點有意義的事情，你說多好呢！」設計總監Melita十分同意，並提到2005年曾想過的問題：「該如何更好地經營生意？」
消費者、酒店集團及物業買家都在實踐可持續發展和公平原則，並減少對物業附近環境的負面影響，令頌薩企業成為了行業的典範。Hunter兩夫婦於1985年首次到訪柬埔寨，自此被這個國家深深吸引，但那時從未想過當上發展商。Melita說：「是柬埔寨選擇了我們，聽來似老生常談，但卻來得十分自然。」2005年他們再次到訪，旅程結束前，遇到了一位漁民向他們訴苦，由於過度捕魚和買了新居，他擔心沒足夠的錢養家，她說：「他想把自己的島賣給我們，我們當時沒任何計劃，小島也不像個天堂。」最終他們在兩個小島上建了面積超過七公頃的渡假村，
“The idea is to create an alternative tourism hub to Siem Reap, one that is ethics-led with the same ethos as on the island, on a bigger scale.” 「我們希望在暹粒以外創建一個旅遊景點，其道德標準與私人島嶼酒店一致，不過規模更大。」 The Reserve will be more rainforest inflected and reflect the local heritage, and will be low density, with plenty of setbacks for added privacy and no disruptive massive structures. 保育計劃的設計遍向受熱帶雨林影響，同時反映當地傳統文化，配以低密度設計，高私隱度，沒有格格不入的巨型建築。
而且整個計劃包含重要的企業社會責任元素。現時，他們對社區的主要貢獻包括
一個400平方公里的海洋保育區（東南亞
最大）、醫療援助、首個為當地婦女而設的超聲波中心，以及一間小學等等，任何人想買一個符合企業責任的別墅，毋須另作他選。
首個渡假村十分成功，令他們有擴展的
念頭。Rory說：「我們想把（島嶼）規模擴
大，所以五年前我們成立（頌薩基金），讓我們可接受捐助者的資金、雙邊援助、賓客捐助，基金變為一個獨立團體。」另一個分支是即將推出的頌薩保育計劃， 位於距離暹粒Banteay Srei數分鐘路程的地方，Hunter兩夫婦認為該地位置優越，將會成為一個大受歡迎的景點，預計至2020年，旅客人次增至逾300萬，當地亦計劃興建新機場，預計每年可接待1,000萬乘客。
邁向未來
規模龐大的保育計劃投資額達2.5億美元，將會有七間酒店和多幢私人別墅，均以最佳作業流程興建，例如零碳足跡、採用
再生能源和土地重建；在230公頃（差不多
兩個海德公園般大）土地上，正中央是個大湖，有一半地方為保育區，是發展計劃的重點。Rory解釋：「我們希望在暹粒以外創建一個旅遊景點，其道德標準與私人島嶼酒店一致，不過規模更大。那不是個專為富裕旅客而設的社區，它像是峇里的Ubud，十分多元化，有不同的旅遊產品，卻有共同主題。」頌薩保育計劃的前期發展會與機構投資者合作，興建保育空間和基建設施，Hunter夫婦希望在2019年迎來有關私人住宅的消息。
私人島嶼渡假村採傳統的渡假村擁有權模式，新計劃的別墅則完全是私人擁有，這次改變源於現時別墅市場的趨勢，Rory認為這樣會較以往接觸更多買家。再且，柬埔寨的別墅價格容易負擔。據世邦魏理仕表示，金邊的樓價是區內最低的，豪宅每平方平均呎價為300美元，約為2,300港元。
「人們想要的不單是一個家，而是一個夢寐以求、像精品酒店般的生活空間，今時今日他們可以夢想成真。物業是否經由酒店管理，現在已不再重要，業主可透過許多渠道套現，我相信人們想要自己設計家居，以及直接擁有物業。」
Melita指出設計靈感應源自計劃所在地的特色，正如私人島嶼酒店的設計採用當地漁村的波紋式鐵枝及循環再用木材。保育計劃的設計遍向受熱帶雨林影響，同時反映當地傳統文化，配以低密度設計，高私隱度，沒有格格不入的巨型建築。Melita補充：「柬埔寨設計源自其宮廷舞蹈、傳統雕刻和Vann Molyvann的高棉建築，擁有豐富的質感和元素，我們嘗試把這些元素全帶進設計裡，並聘用仍然以手工雕刻和傳統方式編織的工匠。」
私人別墅價格及落成日期有待公布。如欲查詢詳情及最新資訊，請瀏覽songsaareserve.com或cbre.com.kh。