Back from Vietnam, and finally have some time to comment on the rest of my first stay at the Sheraton Saigon, as well as on my second stay after we went to Nha Trang and Hanoi.

So I sent an email to Andy Belmonte, Executive Assistant Manager and Director of Rooms to thank him for the wonderful upgrade, and he asked to meet with me at the Club Lounge to say Hello and to thank me for being a Platinum. Andy is a very nice guy and after he handed me his business card, he told me to contact him if I needed anything at all. I told him how I have been very impressed with his staff and he said that they do strive for operational excellence, and that feedbacks from Platinum members are taken very seriously.

The rest of my first stay was uneventful, as I enjoyed the lounge quite a lot, as a place to rest from all the hectic trips around Saigon - the staff recognized me as I walk in and they bring out my favorite Vietnamese iced coffee in the afternoon. We left 2 big suitcases at the bell desk before leaving for Nha Trang and Hanoi since we wanted to travel lighter, and there were no issue, and with less luggage, we took taxis to and from the airport.

Andy Belmonte meant it when he said that I can contact him for anything at all ^ I was in Hanoi when I emailed him to ask to see if we can check-in early (around 13:00PM) on our return and "it would be so nice if we could get another suite upgrade"

Andy responded quickly with "no problem with the early check-in" and "sure, we can organize another suite similar to the one that you had earlier ^^^

When we returned from the airport, we went straight up to the Club Lounge on the 21st floor to check-in and our room keys and paperwork were waiting for us, and the staff brought out another iced coffee for me The staff in the Club Lounge (and there are quite a few people working there) constantly amazed us with their friendliness and hospitality.

On the next to last day, I needed a fairly big box to pack all the souvenirs that my wife bought and all the gifts that we received, and the Club Lounge attendant immediately found me exactly what I wanted. In light of the large amount of luggage that we now have (1 large suitcase, 3 22" roll-aboard suitcases, and 2 fairly large boxes, I asked for the attendant's opinion regarding airport transfer. He agreed with me that a taxi, even a taxi van, would be difficult, so he arranged for the hotel's luxury van to take us to the airport at 3:30AM in the morning at the cost of 3,750 points (we had a 6:00AM flight). It was 3,750 points well spent, as my luggage were picked up by the bellman from my room and loaded onto the van before I even completed the check-out process! The drive to the airport was smooth and worry-free, which is what we wanted to cap 2 fantastic weeks in Vietnam!

There is NO question that I will be back at the Sheraton Saigon when I return to HCMC. The location cannot be beat as everything is within walking distance (including some really fine restaurants of all kinds). Even without the suite upgrades (which I am grateful for and which no doubt made the stay memorable), the hotel's staff (housekeeping, bars, security, and Club Lounge) made a difference. No wonder that the Sheraton Saigon is rated as the best hotel in Vietnam (the Park Hyatt nearby may take issue with this point and I will give it a try next time to formulate my own conclusion )