By Ophelia Cai
Ask any seasoned hotel-goer what they think of the Sheraton brand, owned by Marriott since 2016, and you will be provided with some variation on: “pretty boring”. The journey from lobby to guest room is one of monotony, starting with an unremarkable lobby and terminating with an anticlimactic guest room - guaranteed to be dependably unexceptional. Enough to make the most Bonvoy Marriott diehard defect to Hilton Honors.
Presumably a fair number of clients did so, before Marriott execs decided that enough was enough in 2019. It was time to say goodbye to the Sheraton’s reigning title as the epitome of the beige hotel, time to “inject color”, as the New York Times put it. Yet half a billion dollars later, digital representations of the remodelling were decidedly filled to the frame with neutrals - full of cream chaises-longues, mocha wood panelling and marble accents. Compared to the mauve and brass combinations of yesteryear, new-look Sheraton was more beige than ever.
Post-op Marriott rendering. Photo: Marriott International.
This descriptive inconsistency seems to arise from the fact that ‘beige’ carries implications that go beyond just the colour. To invoke the word ‘beige’ is to summon up images of a featureless wasteland, haunted by the phantoms of Institutional Linoleum, School Canteen Custard and of course, The Sheraton itself - anonymous, air-conditioned, lacklustre.
Misgivings quickly evaporate, however, when beige goes by any of its various monikers. Ecru, for example, carries aspersions of a washed linen suit, accentuated perhaps by the chiseled contours and blue eyes of a David Gandy. Peach - the complexion of that poreless influencer, post Il Makiage Flawless Base. And camel - oh, camel. Are you not the ghost of every Max Mara coat that has haunted our dreams? Beige’s elegant cousins exude nothing but classical taste and quiet sophistication.
“Taste and sophistication” might as well be the three-word summary for The Beige, a discrete boutique hotel on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Despite its naming, corporate hotel chain it is not, but instead a slick, Japanese-operated study in style.
As one steps onto the premises, it becomes evident that generic hotel-related adjectives could not quite begin to capture the experience. Hidden amidst the lush palm and frangipani groves are eleven tents, each a chromotherapeutic cocktail of oat, latte and pina colada. Each room comes with all the amenities of a five star hotel - Bodia Spa toiletries, universal adaptors, outdoor showers, complimentary foot massages. One might be the lucky recipient of room service shochu-on-the-rocks, on the house, while lodgers of the Pool Tent will quickly understand that the goalposts for all tents have just shifted.
Pool tent, The Beige.
The Beige’s principles of colour coordination extend well beyond the realm of guest room decoration. When it comes to local tourism, patrons can choose between village exploration by motorbike (latte), or by elephant (umber). Temple excursions can be conducted in either ‘adventure’ or ‘picnic’ mode. Rest assured that the mode of conveyance is a cream coloured four by four, such that your journey won’t stray from the neutrality of the colour spectrum.
Come nightfall, the hotel’s palette takes on the warmth of fire and starlight, transforming into glowing shades of toast, fawn and biscotti. Reclining upon the tan coloured fireside futons, newfound levels of appreciation for beige and its cousins will be attained.
And as one faces the stars, it would be fitting to take a minute to appreciate that the average colour of the universe, according to Scientists Who Know, is in fact a shade of beige (#FFF8E7 - the colour of the background page for this article). Upon making the discovery in 2002, the researchers issued a public call for colour names. From among entries such as Skyvory, Primordial Clam Chowder and Big Bang Buff, ‘Cosmic Latte’ was selected as the official name for the colour of the cosmos. All suggestions were welcome, they assured, just as long as they weren’t “beige”.