Originally Posted by
zzap
I’m surprised there’s not more of a critical review of this property here. Not sure if I’m staying at another property with the same name, but I can say my experience at this property has been extremely poor.
- The check-in process operates at a glacial speed, moving you from the lobby to the 22nd floor club lounge, to your room. It took 35 minutes just to get checked in.
- I was pre-upgraded to a club room in the 22nd floor prior to check in (noticed in the Bonvoy app). Despite a range of suites being available via the app, I was denied an upgrade to a suite. I asked if any complimentary suite upgrades were available: no. I asked if I could upgrade via cash or points, and was bluntly told by the lounge check-in agent that to get a suite I would need to go into the app and book it on there; they couldn’t offer me anything. This seems rather odd, sure non-Bonvoy guests request cash upgrades all the time? It sounds like the lounge agents aren’t empowered to make any room changes.
- I found the room to be incredibly hot. The AC was set to 18 degrees and fan on high but there is no way the temperature has dipped below 23° my entire stay. I slept with the dressing gown on me in lieu of the blanket because I was literally sweating under the blanket. Doesn’t make for a comfortable stay, and on principle I resent properties whose guest set-point temperature isn’t honoured.
- Is this property really only a few years old? The design is tragic and it is really showing its age — there are scuff marks on just about all the walls. Attached a pic of the wall and floor at the mezzanine breakfast.
I just got back to my room at 16:32 and the room hasn’t even been made up! I went to the club lounge to have a whinge, and they asked if I’d like a drink. I asked for some sparkling water — and sure enough, they don’t have this either. 🙄
I’m inclined to agree with (gasp) Loyalty Lobby’s views: this property sucks.
I actually had a lengthier write-up prepared to post but lost the copy. Boneheaded of me, but it better represented some of the mixed feelings I had about the hotel. I want to mention that the AC set-point temperature was inaccurate as per zzap's post. Setting the AC to 20 C made the room feel more like 24 C. I also wanted to say that housekeeping staff did a wonderful job each day, providing us with like 8 bottles of water when they noticed we drank all the bottles, and neatly arranging and tidying our personal items that we had strewn across the tables, couches, and countertops. The rooms we stayed in felt very clean and was thoroughly cleaned every day. Additionally, I wanted to make note of the location of the LM Saigon. It's a reasonable 5-10 minute taxi ride from plenty of District 1 attractions and amenities, and a 4 minute walk (through an unglamorous side/construction access road) to Le Thanh Ton street (Japan town). The immediate area at the rear of the hotel is not nicely developed yet and still in phases of construction and demolition. Shimizu and the Japanese consortium are building a Line 1 Metro station located immediately behind the LM Saigon. I am sure that the area will look very nice and the location will be amazing in a few years when the Metro and the surrounding neighbourhood is finally finished. However, as of now, it's still a bit rough looking, but on the other block, Japan town on Le Thanh Ton is filled with many nice restaurants, bars, clubs, and vice activity in the evenings, but still safe and clean. If you stay at the LM on a rainy stormy day, I highly recommend ordering delivery from Pizza 4P's just 5 minutes away on Le Thanh Ton, rather than getting in-room dining or eating at a hotel restaurant.... Online ordering is a breeze (can pay with credit card) and the food arrives promptly and fresh and hot, and affordable.