Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Vietnam 2010
Hotel 5
Hilton Hanoi Opera, Hanoi
Voted as Vietnam's Leading Hotel for five consecutive years (although the nearby Sofitel Legend Metropole looked as though it might offer some stiff competition in this respect), the Hilton Hanoi Opera certainly had our expectations raised. The hotel's location simply cannot be bettered: sitting across a small square from the opera house, its gracious, curved shape and elegant facade blend harmoniously with the appearance of the property's prestigious neighbour. It is also handy for all the main business and tourist objectives of central Hanoi.
I booked using a combination of points (for the first two nights) and a normal payment for the Friday night, which qualified for Hilton's January Sale rates in the early days of 2010. The hotel had no trouble linking the reservations and my HHonors Diamond status ensured that we were upgraded to Executive level. In a story that we had seen repeated several times on this trip, the Executive Lounge was of a high standard and had excellent catering, the availability of freshly cooked eggs at breakfast time being a particular plus point.
Unfortunately there were one or two service issues involving, for example, dinner reservations that were requested but not made and some staff who seemed unclear about what they were being asked. While these issues did not spoil our stay, it was unfortunate and a little irritating that they should be encountered, for the first time, in the most prestigious hotel of the trip.
