Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by Freightdog »

My immediate reaction is that such a business would need pretty much 24hr oversight by one single person.
I can’t imagine that a reliable assistant manager could be found in the short term, meaning a pretty hefty commitment in time alone from the outset.
Watching the shenanigans of some of the girls; the politics of the typical predominantly female workforce, exacerbated by the local temperament, with the feeding frenzy feeling, trying at once to entice and devour the ‘customer’.

Almost like having an aviary full of hungry seagulls.



The quality of some of the ’tourists’ sampling the offerings. There’s a certain quality of human visiting Phnom Penh that has me doubting Darwin’s views on evolution. At least, in relation to the main predatory ape. Their behaviour makes the Chinese seem quite reasonable at times.
Talking of which….


I quite like the idea of having my own bar as a retirement project, but wonder if I wouldn’t be better off setting up adventure hiking in a minefield.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by Grand Barong »

Doc67 wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:14 am Just another wind-up, and a fairly obvious one.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by Khmu Nation »

I couldn't think of a worse business to be involved in.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by ego bibere nimis »

Somewhere riverside is the logical location being the current red light district of note. One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of bars (those without prostitutes aka bar-fineable women) that do really well are those that cater first and foremost to Khmers and if whitey comes in, great. It's amazing seeing the volume of emerging middle class of Khmers in bars these days drinking bottles of wine and cocktails. They aren't chasing 50c beer.

A final thought on location. Riverside will be gentrified at some point. It's prime real estate being underutilized. Can only be a matter of time before either these bars get shut down and relocated to somewhere 'out of sight' so the area can be used by Khmer families who currently wouldn't be seen dead walking around in the evening with their families enjoying that part of town or, the whole lot gets bulldozed (or pushed over as its all falling apart anyway). Ultimately it will get replaced with something else that beautifies one of the best parts of town. There is also the 'law' to consider. If girls on FB are increasingly getting dragged into police stations for showing too much cleavage, what's next on the pathway to cleaning up the country's image? Maybe the business model will need to evolve.

Lifestyle - if your desire is to become a pimp and want to be surrounded by hookers all day, then go for it, each to his own. Just realize you won't make anything like a decent living, maybe not even break even some months. You would make more guaranteed $ each month being a Coka-Cola sales rep selling pop to deli's in London Vs. owning a bar here.
You know that tingly little feeling you get when you really like someone? That's common sense leaving your body.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by canucklhead »

Khmu Nation wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:11 am I couldn't think of a worse business to be involved in.
Oh really? How about a weed bar? Or a wallet massage place.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by bucknaked »

$5.00 Oli massage
Even the ugly ones
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Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by jah steu »

You’ve got some good advice already from some of the posters above. The most important of which is: come to Phnom Penh for three months and do a lot of on-site research. Go and talk to hostess bar owners. Talk to customers inside the bars. Walk the streets to get a feel for the best areas.
You will find that the “golden age” of hostess bars has passed and that most hostess bars struggle to break even, let alone make a profit. The trend is now towards more glitzy establishments catering towards mainly Asian customers. Some are successful but many also struggle to survive.
Commercial rents are expensive, hostess salaries are increasing rapidly, alcohol prices are going up… all leading to wafer-thin profit margins for hostess bars.
Personally I’d suggest that with your background you investigate some kind of hotel or hostel venture here.


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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by RONEV »

all leading to wafer-thin profit margins for hostess bars.
That's the comment I was going to make.

It's hard to make a lot of money in Cambodia doing anything Cambodians can do.

Cambodians can run hostess bars.

Let's say there are enough hostess bar customers to support 15 Western-oriented hostess bars making a reasonable profit to support Western owners/managers.

Do you know what you end up with instead?

150+ hostess bars mostly owned by Cambodians targeting Western customers and grinding it out on the thinnest margins. Because if they can eke out a $500/month profit owning the bar, managing the bar 8 hours a night, and living with their family above the bar, they'll do that.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by Khmu Nation »

canucklhead wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:39 am
Khmu Nation wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:11 am I couldn't think of a worse business to be involved in.
Oh really? How about a weed bar? Or a wallet massage place.
I could own and run a cannabis cafe for sure.
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Re: Anxious British Hotelier Seeking Advice on Starting a Hostess Bar in Phnom Penh

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

Khmu Nation wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:03 pm
I could own and run a cannabis cafe for sure.
You seem to have resolved the misgivings you had about pot earlier today.
Khmu Nation wrote: Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:02 am I detest marijuana. The buzz, the smell, the culture around it, everything. Hate it. Anyone over the age of about 25 who smokes it is a total, total LOSER.
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