Park Hyatt Saigon REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Feb 19, 2008, 7:10 am
#46
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, DL MM, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,445
PH Saigon: Great recovery from service problem
I spent a week at the Park Hyatt Saigon last week (checking in 2/10, checking out 2/17) on an award stay (3 nights on points, 4 nights on extended FFN awards). I stayed with a friend, who actually arrived a day before I did. This is a little unusual, but I exchanged several e-mails with the hotel confirming the plan.
We arranged a pickup by the hotel's car for my friend on 2/10 and for myself on 2/11. This is at quite a premium (40 USD + tax + service charge, vs. ~4 USD for a metered taxi), but neither of us wanted to deal with the chaos of getting a taxi at SGN after traveling for many hours (26 hours in my friend's case).
When my friend arrived, there was no hotel car meeting him. Fortunately his brother lives in Saigon, met him at the airport, and had a cell phone. My friend called the hotel, only to be told that the reservation had been cancelled. He was in a panic, but exhausted (he's in poor health to begin with, and 26 hours' travel doesn't help), so he agreed to take a room at rack rate, intending to sort everything out in the morning. The hotel sent a car to pick him up, and he got to bed, in a standard room, about two hours later than he should have.
I sent the hotel a strongly worded e-mail of complaint, emphasizing that I had communicated extensively about the arrangements and that this was very poor service for any guest, but especially for a Diamond member.
Pretty bad, right? But what impresses me is what the hotel did to make it up to us. They sent me an abject e-mail of apology. They hand-delivered a similar letter to my friend. They moved us to a very nice suite for the duration of our stay (which they might have done anyway based on my Diamond status, I suppose). They never charged us for my friend's ride from the hotel. No charge showed up on the folio for the first night, which I took to indicate that they had found the award reservation. Then tonight I discovered that the hotel had refunded the points for one night of the stay to my GP account.
Basically, they did everything I would have asked for in compensation, and without even telling us they were doing it (except, of course, for moving us, which they could hardly do without telling us). This is good service.
Anyone can make a mistake. What tells you more about a business is how they recover from one.
We arranged a pickup by the hotel's car for my friend on 2/10 and for myself on 2/11. This is at quite a premium (40 USD + tax + service charge, vs. ~4 USD for a metered taxi), but neither of us wanted to deal with the chaos of getting a taxi at SGN after traveling for many hours (26 hours in my friend's case).
When my friend arrived, there was no hotel car meeting him. Fortunately his brother lives in Saigon, met him at the airport, and had a cell phone. My friend called the hotel, only to be told that the reservation had been cancelled. He was in a panic, but exhausted (he's in poor health to begin with, and 26 hours' travel doesn't help), so he agreed to take a room at rack rate, intending to sort everything out in the morning. The hotel sent a car to pick him up, and he got to bed, in a standard room, about two hours later than he should have.
I sent the hotel a strongly worded e-mail of complaint, emphasizing that I had communicated extensively about the arrangements and that this was very poor service for any guest, but especially for a Diamond member.
Pretty bad, right? But what impresses me is what the hotel did to make it up to us. They sent me an abject e-mail of apology. They hand-delivered a similar letter to my friend. They moved us to a very nice suite for the duration of our stay (which they might have done anyway based on my Diamond status, I suppose). They never charged us for my friend's ride from the hotel. No charge showed up on the folio for the first night, which I took to indicate that they had found the award reservation. Then tonight I discovered that the hotel had refunded the points for one night of the stay to my GP account.
Basically, they did everything I would have asked for in compensation, and without even telling us they were doing it (except, of course, for moving us, which they could hardly do without telling us). This is good service.
Anyone can make a mistake. What tells you more about a business is how they recover from one.
Feb 19, 2008, 1:59 pm
#48
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sydney
Posts: 5,769
I also agree this property does try to make your stay painless.
But a word of warning.rthey are very strict with who is in each room
we were 2 diamonds and one freind
the 2 diamonds were in the one room and the friend in the other diamonds room. they constantly refused to give the second room comp breakfast until i changed the name on the res and put my friend in the double diamond room and me in my room.
But a word of warning.rthey are very strict with who is in each room
we were 2 diamonds and one freind
the 2 diamonds were in the one room and the friend in the other diamonds room. they constantly refused to give the second room comp breakfast until i changed the name on the res and put my friend in the double diamond room and me in my room.
Jul 17, 2008, 3:22 am
#49
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 1
Park Hyatt Saigon
Hey, food and wine lover, check it out! Just did some searches on Google about my favorite chefs and found mfwsaigon.com, the website is about the Master of Food and Wine Saigon event hosted by Park Hyatt Saigon from 3rd to 6th September 2008.
" Experience a four-day culinary extravaganza hoted by Park Hyatt Saigon...."
Seem like its gonna be glamorous event happening in Ho Chi Minh City finally, as it gathers many famous chefs from around the world inluding my favorite ones: Master Chefs Greg Doyle and Grant King, I have experienced their cusine during my trip in Sydney at their own restaurant, Pier, that was the best dinner I haven't had for years, although the price was expensive as it costed me around 500 usd dolar for 2 people including wine.
Not sure how much is the ticket for the six-course Gala dinner as well as all the programs of the event, if any one knows please share with me... Meanwhile I can check and find out.
The other famous chefs participating in this event are Kiyomi Mikuni, Ron Blaauw, Gotfried Schuetzenberger ..
" Experience a four-day culinary extravaganza hoted by Park Hyatt Saigon...."
Seem like its gonna be glamorous event happening in Ho Chi Minh City finally, as it gathers many famous chefs from around the world inluding my favorite ones: Master Chefs Greg Doyle and Grant King, I have experienced their cusine during my trip in Sydney at their own restaurant, Pier, that was the best dinner I haven't had for years, although the price was expensive as it costed me around 500 usd dolar for 2 people including wine.
Not sure how much is the ticket for the six-course Gala dinner as well as all the programs of the event, if any one knows please share with me... Meanwhile I can check and find out.
The other famous chefs participating in this event are Kiyomi Mikuni, Ron Blaauw, Gotfried Schuetzenberger ..
Oct 12, 2008, 4:24 am
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,533
Review of FFN reward stay, October
I joined the Hyatt GP program, and did some mattress runs just to get some free nights here. I find their rack rates to be a bit out of touch with the Asian market, though. $290++ ($330-$340 ai), seemed a bit much.
Upon check-in, I was greeted by the office manager. Check-in was quick and easy. I was upgraded to a pool side (with patio) room. These rooms go for an additional $100 per night.
The room was fairly nice, but I found the bed to be very hard, and uncomfortable. They had one down topper on the bed. After waking up with an aching back the second day, they ended up putting two toppers, which helped somewhat. They tried hard to fix the problem, but all beds in this property have this same bed, which to me is just unacceptable.
I got a nice bottle of wine, 9 chocolates, and a daily fruit bowl. Especially on a reward stay, I thought this was very nice.
Also included was continental breakfast in the Opera restaurant. I wish they had offered an upgrade to the hot breakfast, but it was not. They have a nice meat case, where they have about 6 different cheeses and the same amount of meats. They also have a great bread and pastry section, as well as 6 or 8 different juices. I did spot one small cucharacha on the food line, but not in the actual food.
I found the hotel staff very friendly. The managers and concierge spoke English well. I did have some serious problems when calling the customer service line from my room. They seemed to have very minimal English, and this happened many times. I don't expect the room cleaners and door openers to be proficient, but if you answer the customer service line, you should be able to speak English a bit better.
The only other problem I had was the smoking stench when entering the hotel in the afternoon and evening. The lounge is to the right, when you enter, and wafts all over the lobby. I even smelled cigars one night, which is a good way to chase customers away.
Upon check-in, I was greeted by the office manager. Check-in was quick and easy. I was upgraded to a pool side (with patio) room. These rooms go for an additional $100 per night.
The room was fairly nice, but I found the bed to be very hard, and uncomfortable. They had one down topper on the bed. After waking up with an aching back the second day, they ended up putting two toppers, which helped somewhat. They tried hard to fix the problem, but all beds in this property have this same bed, which to me is just unacceptable.
I got a nice bottle of wine, 9 chocolates, and a daily fruit bowl. Especially on a reward stay, I thought this was very nice.
Also included was continental breakfast in the Opera restaurant. I wish they had offered an upgrade to the hot breakfast, but it was not. They have a nice meat case, where they have about 6 different cheeses and the same amount of meats. They also have a great bread and pastry section, as well as 6 or 8 different juices. I did spot one small cucharacha on the food line, but not in the actual food.
I found the hotel staff very friendly. The managers and concierge spoke English well. I did have some serious problems when calling the customer service line from my room. They seemed to have very minimal English, and this happened many times. I don't expect the room cleaners and door openers to be proficient, but if you answer the customer service line, you should be able to speak English a bit better.
The only other problem I had was the smoking stench when entering the hotel in the afternoon and evening. The lounge is to the right, when you enter, and wafts all over the lobby. I even smelled cigars one night, which is a good way to chase customers away.
Aug 27, 2009, 6:28 am
#52
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: All the wrong places..
Programs: SQ TPP, BA Gold, Hyatt Life Glob, SPG/Marriott Life Plat,
Posts: 3,371
Aug 28, 2009, 12:32 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SEA (previous locations: DTW, TLV, EWR, BOS)
Programs: AS: 75K; DL/NW: Plat; DL SC: Lifetime; Hyatt: Diamond; HH: Gold; SPG: Plat;
Posts: 3,383
Aug 29, 2009, 6:47 am
#56
Join Date: Sep 1999
Programs: AA EXP, SPG PLT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton GLD
Posts: 974
I was inquiring about the IC. I actually just booked it at their Asia Sale rate (about $153 USD). Lowest I have seen the Hyatt is about $180 USD. Nice to see some competition for the Sheraton which continues to push extremely high rates (lowest is consistently about $205 for dates I have checked).
Oct 24, 2009, 4:34 am
#57
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BKK/NRT
Programs: BA*G, UA1K, SPG-P, HH-G, GP-D, IC-RA
Posts: 783
I just moved from IC Asiana to PH Saigon today. It was a quick 3 min taxi ride. One could easily walk without luggage. Last night, I paid AP rate of approximately $150 ai, which was the cheapest rate available. I am not sure if I got upgraded as RA at Asiana, but the room was very nice and larger than my PH deluxe room. Looking at the floor plan on the door, there was not a smaller room than mine on the same floor(9F) at Asiana. Honestly, I would prefer my room at Asiana to the one at PH I got assigned today. PH might have an edge on colonial decor if that's what's expected. I am paying $224.40 ai today at PH Saigon. I would choose to stay at stylish IC Asiana Saigon outside Hyatt's FFN period.
I got updgraded to a deluxe room by the swimming pool. My room has both AC and a fan on the ceiling. A large bottle of Malbec was waiting for me in the room, which reminded me of my last visit to EZE a few months ago. The bathtub is surprisingly small, probably good size for an elementary kid. But that's okay, I only take a shower.
I was told I could take only coffee and tea for breakfast. I had to remind the receptionist that I was a diamond, and he told me breakfast could be added for free after checking with the manager. He did not say my breakfast was limited to continental. Having read this thread, I started wondering if I had to pay some extra for hot breakfast. I hate double-checking on what's so basic that anybody working at the front desk should know. Chocolates and cookies are nice and delicious. I am glad I did not see the Hyatt brand shampoos here.
I got updgraded to a deluxe room by the swimming pool. My room has both AC and a fan on the ceiling. A large bottle of Malbec was waiting for me in the room, which reminded me of my last visit to EZE a few months ago. The bathtub is surprisingly small, probably good size for an elementary kid. But that's okay, I only take a shower.
I was told I could take only coffee and tea for breakfast. I had to remind the receptionist that I was a diamond, and he told me breakfast could be added for free after checking with the manager. He did not say my breakfast was limited to continental. Having read this thread, I started wondering if I had to pay some extra for hot breakfast. I hate double-checking on what's so basic that anybody working at the front desk should know. Chocolates and cookies are nice and delicious. I am glad I did not see the Hyatt brand shampoos here.
Last edited by kats; Oct 24, 2009 at 4:42 am
Oct 27, 2009, 3:13 am
#58
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: All the wrong places..
Programs: SQ TPP, BA Gold, Hyatt Life Glob, SPG/Marriott Life Plat,
Posts: 3,371
I did two stays at the PH Saigon last week. First stay I got a very nice Suite up on the 7th floor, second time I got a Deluxe on the third floor with direct access to the pool.
I also went over to see the IC, more out of curiosity after friends of mine who live in Saigon told me they were having no end of problems over there and had been struggling to get local contractors to fix some of them, which include leaking pool, internet not working, badly finished rooms etc. It would appear that the rush to get the place open by the magic 09/09/09 was not the best idea.
In fairness I thought the IC was quite nice, and particularly liked the Residence Suites. However, I prefer the Sheraton and Hyatt, which has grown on me recently.
It was quite amusing to be recognised by quite a few of the staff at the IC as they previously worked at the Sheraton.
I also went over to see the IC, more out of curiosity after friends of mine who live in Saigon told me they were having no end of problems over there and had been struggling to get local contractors to fix some of them, which include leaking pool, internet not working, badly finished rooms etc. It would appear that the rush to get the place open by the magic 09/09/09 was not the best idea.
In fairness I thought the IC was quite nice, and particularly liked the Residence Suites. However, I prefer the Sheraton and Hyatt, which has grown on me recently.
It was quite amusing to be recognised by quite a few of the staff at the IC as they previously worked at the Sheraton.
Mar 6, 2010, 1:06 am
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
Any updates on recent stays at the PH?
Also appreciate any tips on what the rate should be- on the hyatt website looks to be around 485 USD which is a bit out of line...
Will be travelling later this spring.
Also appreciate any tips on what the rate should be- on the hyatt website looks to be around 485 USD which is a bit out of line...
Will be travelling later this spring.
Mar 6, 2010, 4:11 am
#60
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: All the wrong places..
Programs: SQ TPP, BA Gold, Hyatt Life Glob, SPG/Marriott Life Plat,
Posts: 3,371
I was there for a couple of days two weeks ago. Booked a room for first night and used a Suite upgrade then used a FFN/NBT for the second night and they just merged the stays so I got a fabulous suite for 2 nights.
I have never paid anything approaching US$485 to stay here, in fact usually half that or less. It's a nice Hotel, but not worth anything like that sort of money.
They have just opened a nice new bar there called 2 Lam Son. For those who are familiar with the property it is further around on the right hand side past the Park Lounge and the Business Centre. It actually looks out on to Hai Ba Trung rather than Lam Son Square, and the outside entrance is on Hai Ba Trung. It's open until 2am which is a bit of a result in District 1/Dong Khoi area as most shut at 12-1am.
I have never paid anything approaching US$485 to stay here, in fact usually half that or less. It's a nice Hotel, but not worth anything like that sort of money.
They have just opened a nice new bar there called 2 Lam Son. For those who are familiar with the property it is further around on the right hand side past the Park Lounge and the Business Centre. It actually looks out on to Hai Ba Trung rather than Lam Son Square, and the outside entrance is on Hai Ba Trung. It's open until 2am which is a bit of a result in District 1/Dong Khoi area as most shut at 12-1am.