2 days, is all I get for planning this last minute business trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.
First, a quick rundown on the background of this trip
On a sunny Friday afternoon, I was recalled by my superior from a project site in Batam, Indonesia and told to prepare to go to Hanoi for a meeting on the next Wednesday.
Working in a small company means that most of the travel arrangement (from flight to hotel and transportation) needs to be self arranged. This can be good or bad, depending on your personal preference. For me, I like it because I can plan my schedule and accommodation to suit my convenience, as long as it's within reasonable budget and I achieve the objective of the business trip.
The meeting confirmation from my client came only on Sunday evening. Therefore, all I have is Monday to book my flight and hotel for the trip.
The reasons I booked Pullman Hanoi is very simple
First, it's location is out of the core town centre, but not too far out that getting to the interesting sightseeing spots in Hanoi becomes a problem. As my meeting location is out of town (to be precise, 3 hours drive from Hanoi), I do not want to spent too much time stuck in traffic getting in and out of town.
Second, among all the Accorhotels group in Hanoi, it is (surprisingly) the cheapest at USD 78 per night before tax. Even Mercure la'gare, which I've stayed in a couple of times before, cost USD 10 more.
Third, I've heard the good reputation of hotel under the Pullman branding, and always wanted to give it a try.
Therefore, without much second thoughts, I booked a room for 2 nights under the "no cancellation, no change" rate from Accorhotels.com.
At Check-in
I arrived at the hotel around 7pm on the first day. At check in, I was told that somehow the Accorhotels computer system did not capture my booking, and was asked whether I have any booking confirmation number. Thankfully, I did have a soft copy saved in my phone.
Tip: In these days of electronic "everything under the sun", it's always wise to have a hard copy, or at least a soft copy in your mobile devices or laptop, which can be readily accessible even when you're not connected to the internet.
The reception staff took a look at my booking confirmation, and after a quick call to his manager, confirmed that even though their system did not capture my booking, they will honour the price which I booked the room. Yeah, as if it's my fault that your system did not capture the booking.
As a AccorHotels Gold card holder, I was given a free upgrade to the executive room, with free access to the executive lounge (more about that later).
When it was made known to the staff at check-in that I had to leave the hotel early tomorrow morning, and do not have time to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the staff immediately offered to pack a simple breakfast for me to takeaway. Excellent service! Thumbs up
With everything settled, I took the lift up to level 10 and entered my room.
The Room
The room is pretty much standard size for a non-suite hotel room, a double bed took up nuch of the space, with the bathroom located just right next to the entrance. There is a 2 seater sofa right beside the window and a worktable with connectivity panel consisting of international power plug, wired LAN connection, HDMI, USB and VGA input connected to the 40" Samsung LED TV. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
For probably the first time in all the hotels I've stayed in, the bedding comes with what I would call bolsters.
Also the first that I can remember, the minibar items are completely free. The mini-fridge is stocked with a can of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Hanoi beer and bottled green tea. While there is a small chocolate bar and potato chips as light snacks.
As with many higher end hotels in the market, the "coffee making facility" has been replaced by a capsule espresso machine, which comes very useful in the morning.
There is even a packet of hot cocoa should you need one before sleeping.
The bathroom comes with the usual amenities you'd expect for a hotel of this standard.
One thing that disappoint though, is that the internet connection, both wired and wireless are quite slow, maxing out at about 6 Mbps for both upload and download speed. I've achieved 100Mbps fibre connection in some local accommodation or ngah nghi in Vietnam's countryside before, so I don't see why this can be a problem in Hanoi.
The Executive Lounge
The lounge is located on the same floor as my room. During meal times, there is a simple selection of buffet food for the empty stomach out there. If you just want to have some light snacks, there are peanuts and chips available during the non-meal times. On top of the usual soft drinks, coffee, tea and juices, the range of alcoholic beverages are also quite extensive.
There's a computer with printer should you need it, and a small meeting room for 6 person.
Oh, and did I forget to mention, all these are free if you have access to the lounge.
Breakfast Spread
On the morning of the third day, I finally had the chance to enjoy the buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The spread is pretty extensive, with selection of international and local food available. There is also the egg station, and a "stall" with freshly cooked "Pho".
The only problem is, the staff seem to be unable to cope with the breakfast crowd, as I notice many of the food needs to be refilled, and there don't seem to be enough staff handling the restaurant crowd. And the restaurant is not even half full when I had my breakfast.
Conclusion
A near perfect stay. Other than the internet speed and breakfast, the whole hotel is in tip-top condition. Service level and attention to guests' needs is top notch. The room is in a very good condition.
Even if you didn't stay in the executive room, the promotional price of roughly USD 78 per night for the entry-level room is still very value-for-money for a hotel of this quality. It can easily compete on equal terms with other hotels costing upwards of USD 200-300 per night.
The reasons I booked Pullman Hanoi is very simple
First, it's location is out of the core town centre, but not too far out that getting to the interesting sightseeing spots in Hanoi becomes a problem. As my meeting location is out of town (to be precise, 3 hours drive from Hanoi), I do not want to spent too much time stuck in traffic getting in and out of town.
Second, among all the Accorhotels group in Hanoi, it is (surprisingly) the cheapest at USD 78 per night before tax. Even Mercure la'gare, which I've stayed in a couple of times before, cost USD 10 more.
Third, I've heard the good reputation of hotel under the Pullman branding, and always wanted to give it a try.
Therefore, without much second thoughts, I booked a room for 2 nights under the "no cancellation, no change" rate from Accorhotels.com.
At Check-in
I arrived at the hotel around 7pm on the first day. At check in, I was told that somehow the Accorhotels computer system did not capture my booking, and was asked whether I have any booking confirmation number. Thankfully, I did have a soft copy saved in my phone.
Tip: In these days of electronic "everything under the sun", it's always wise to have a hard copy, or at least a soft copy in your mobile devices or laptop, which can be readily accessible even when you're not connected to the internet.
The reception staff took a look at my booking confirmation, and after a quick call to his manager, confirmed that even though their system did not capture my booking, they will honour the price which I booked the room. Yeah, as if it's my fault that your system did not capture the booking.
As a AccorHotels Gold card holder, I was given a free upgrade to the executive room, with free access to the executive lounge (more about that later).
When it was made known to the staff at check-in that I had to leave the hotel early tomorrow morning, and do not have time to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the staff immediately offered to pack a simple breakfast for me to takeaway. Excellent service! Thumbs up
With everything settled, I took the lift up to level 10 and entered my room.
The Room
 |
| First thing, "Do not disturb" sign on. |
 |
| Connectivity Panel with HDMI, VGA, and USB connection directly to the TV. |
For probably the first time in all the hotels I've stayed in, the bedding comes with what I would call bolsters.
Also the first that I can remember, the minibar items are completely free. The mini-fridge is stocked with a can of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Hanoi beer and bottled green tea. While there is a small chocolate bar and potato chips as light snacks.
As with many higher end hotels in the market, the "coffee making facility" has been replaced by a capsule espresso machine, which comes very useful in the morning.
There is even a packet of hot cocoa should you need one before sleeping.
The bathroom comes with the usual amenities you'd expect for a hotel of this standard.
One thing that disappoint though, is that the internet connection, both wired and wireless are quite slow, maxing out at about 6 Mbps for both upload and download speed. I've achieved 100Mbps fibre connection in some local accommodation or ngah nghi in Vietnam's countryside before, so I don't see why this can be a problem in Hanoi.
The Executive Lounge
The lounge is located on the same floor as my room. During meal times, there is a simple selection of buffet food for the empty stomach out there. If you just want to have some light snacks, there are peanuts and chips available during the non-meal times. On top of the usual soft drinks, coffee, tea and juices, the range of alcoholic beverages are also quite extensive.
There's a computer with printer should you need it, and a small meeting room for 6 person.
Oh, and did I forget to mention, all these are free if you have access to the lounge.
Breakfast Spread
On the morning of the third day, I finally had the chance to enjoy the buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The spread is pretty extensive, with selection of international and local food available. There is also the egg station, and a "stall" with freshly cooked "Pho".
The only problem is, the staff seem to be unable to cope with the breakfast crowd, as I notice many of the food needs to be refilled, and there don't seem to be enough staff handling the restaurant crowd. And the restaurant is not even half full when I had my breakfast.
Conclusion
A near perfect stay. Other than the internet speed and breakfast, the whole hotel is in tip-top condition. Service level and attention to guests' needs is top notch. The room is in a very good condition.
Even if you didn't stay in the executive room, the promotional price of roughly USD 78 per night for the entry-level room is still very value-for-money for a hotel of this quality. It can easily compete on equal terms with other hotels costing upwards of USD 200-300 per night.
's literally around the corner from the train station which is very handy if you're entering or leaving the city via that means. vietnam visa online
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