Ivan Scholte, Owner.

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Ivan, originally from Britain, has lived in Asia for over two decades. He has worked, among other things, as a Hong Kong based wine importer and guiding antique hunting expeditions throughout Southeast Asia. His dream was to open and operate a fabulously gorgeous hotel and restaurant. This finally came true in 2000 when Ivan took over an existing guesthouse and proceeded to transform it into what you see today, one of the most beautiful hotels in Luang Prabang. The building now housing the Apsara Hotel was built in the early 1960s and was originally used a warehouse to store rice. Operating for a time as an English school, it was converted into a guesthouse and restaurant known as Duang Champa. It quickly became the meeting place for the mainly French expatriate community. Renovated and reopened in December 2002, it has quickly gained a reputation as a wonderful place to stay in Luang Prabang. All the renovations were done with the approval of the Heritage House office and the building now closely resembles its appearance when first built. In 2004, a second building was acquired, adding six additional rooms.