The Hilton Mandalay is in the soft-launch stage presently and I've had the opportunity to stay there for 2 nights with some friends.

This hotel was previously the Mandalay Sedona Hotel (opened in 1997), owned by a Singapore conglomerate. It recently changed hands and is now owned by a Myanmar corporation and managed by Hilton. Over the last few months, the hotel was closed for a refurbishment and has recently re-opened late last year. At the point of writing, the reviews on TripAdvisor are overwhelmingly negative. Perhaps it's because of this that I've set my expectations low, but I'm glad to say that I wound up being impressed with my stay.

First Impressions

The hotel is gorgeous, no doubt about it. The impressive driveway and its water features makes for a grand entrance. The white-washed exteriors and the signatured-styled roof decor gave it a really distinctive character. The lobby, with its neutral tones, provided a sense of refined elegance. It is apparent that much thought has gone into the interior design. Dotted with plenty of oversized cabanas, the pool area features an abundance of landscaping horticulature that gives it a resorty-vibe. There is also a sheltered whirlpool at the far end to relax in. Very nice.

I believe they removed the hoardings in the lobby only a few days before my stay because the furniture was still covered in plastic wrap. During my stay, the restaurants (at the opposite end of the check-in counters) were still under renovation and hoarded up.

No there isn't a problem with my camera. The lights and the aircon were not working at that time. No issue in the rooms though.

See how the there's still plastic wrap on the furniture :D

Very classy walkways.

Location

Location wise, it's great. The location of comparable hotels such as the Mandalay Hill Resort isn't as ideal because the latter is situated too much to to the northern part of the city. The Hilton Mandalay, however, is right in the centre of the action near the Mandalay Palace. 

Room

My room was well-appointed and very, very clean. There were no visible trace of dust in the room despite its age (which fortunately didn't show as well). My Hill View Exec room with Balcony provided impressive views of the Mandalay Palace and Mandalay Hill. The bustle of traffic outside of the hotel added to the experience, but it wasn't too disruptive with the balcony closed. Guests would have the option to choose Hill-view rooms or quieter ones facing the pool. There is also an option to choose between rooms that come with private balconies and terraces too. Rooms were well appointed. Toiletries were Crabtree and Evelyn branded.

View from the room - overlooking the moat of Mandalay Palace, with the dignified Mandalay Hill and pagodas in the distance.

Dining

We had our breakfasts in a connected wing of the hotel that is actually part of a Mercedes-Benz showroom. Breakfasts were nothing to shout about, and my experience wouldn't be a good indicator of how the resturaunts would fare in the future, not at this point anyway.

It was a buffet breakfast spread.

Exec Lounge

The executive lounge was helmed by staff who were eager to serve. The selection of alcohol was limited, and the red wine was pretty awful. There was a small selection of hot food and canapes, which size of offering I assumed corrsponded to the level of occupancy of the hotel. The lounge, which closes at 9pm, was practically empty the entire time I was there. It's a delicate balance to manage food wastage and guests' expecatations, I suppose.

Pool

Being one of the first guests of the hotels defintiely has its perks becasue I had the whole pool to myself all the times I was there! It was pretty hazy the mornings that I swam, but it clears up by early-afternoon. The staff stationed at the fitness centre was also quick to deliver towels.

Service

While the staff in the hotel were more than willing to help, the service was a little rough at the edges. However, this is something that I am sure will improve with time. I spoke to the bellhop and he mentioned he was from the Sedona previously.

Overall

If there is anything I would fault, it's the unbelievable presence of mosquitos on the hotel grounds. It's really, really bad. It's so bad, it risks overshadowing all the positives I've mentioned above. There were clouds of these pesky bloodsuckers in the lifts, on the fruits / utensils (!) in the the buffet breakfast spread, and in the rooms even though the balcony door was shut... practically everywhere! The thing was, I've not really encounted a mozzie situation this bad in other parts of the city. I have really no idea if the hotel can do anything about it, honestly. There was no point in choosing a balcony or terrace room because you would want to keep the doors shut 24/7. Neither would you want to chill in the cabanas, lest you want to end up with spots all over. It's a shame.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic hotel with so much potential! It is to me, an oasis of calm in the equally beautiful, beautiful city of Mandalay. I would highly recommend a stay there. Just bring along your mosquito repellant.

Four night stay and then one night stay a few days later.

Sort of hit or miss with this hotel.  Some staff understand English well and some pretend and give bad information.  

Service was good in person but lacking in some areas such as pool side, room service requests, housekeeping.

Mosquitos not as bad as the previous review but I did get bit in the room a couple times.

First check-in I tried to go to the EL but they insisted on getting my passport at the front desk first.  Second check-in I was welcomed back as a loyal Silver member.  Seemed he had his minerals confused.  Half way through the check-in he stopped the process so he could welcome the airline crew checking in.  This was the assistant manager.

Room

First room was 458 on the executive floor with hill view and small balcony.  Room is okay and has a musky odor.  Don't choose this room as there is some ducting on the exterior building that gives off an intermittent noise like a bus idling.  Bed is medium firm and comfortable.  Wifi signal was poor maybe being at the end of the hall.  Some TV channels would randomly stop working.

Second room was 303 and had a large terrace and view of the hill and palace.  about the same size as 458 but view from bathroo

Service

Again, hit or miss.  I tried to find out wher the ferry left for Mingun and they tried to have me book their taxi to go there.  I just wanted to know where the jetty was and after 45 minutes of trying to explain I only need the location and I'll take grab.  They gave me the wrong information and I missed the once a day ferry (end of 26th st).  I also wanted to go to Monywa and they had a hard time finding answers and wanted me to take their taxi at $100 where the minivan was $6 and Grab showed a fare of $28

Nobody ever came poolside to ask about drinks or food and had to go in the hotel and ask.  Once served they never came back to ask if anything else was needed or clear plates.  

Dining

Breakfast was pretty decent but tour groups stay here and after 9 it is more reasonable.  Service was good.

Had the Aussie burger and the chicken cajun pizza.   Pizza pretty good.  The meat in the burger was just terrible.  Dry and loaded with some kind of filler.

EL - nothing during the day except nuts and cookies with soft drinks.  Cocktail hour 530-730 with bottles stashed behind the reception desk.  No self pour. Four types liquor.  They use a jigger that I think is 1/2 an ounce so a double is an ounce so I would order two doubles.  Never did get them to pour without measuring.  Very small with 5 or 6 tables I think but never was more than half full.  The food was always something brown with the ever present cajun potatoes and the veggies cooked just to the point of almost being mush.

Location

Good location and easy to use Grab to get anywhere.

Overall

Unless I need points or stays I think I might choose another location.  They need to improve service and reliability of information.

Price was okay at $95/nt first stay and $85 the second.  SEA