seks

Seems like there are only 3 properties:

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon
Le Méridien Saigon

This is more like a last min planning for a trip to HCM in mid Oct for 5 nights. I have a free Marriot ecert and points to burn so may as well take advatange of them. Which one would you stay at?

I only have Gold Elite status.

dayone

If the rates (points) were the same, I would rank them:
Le Méridien is more luxurious than the other two. The Renaissance and Sheraton are about the same, IMHO. The Sheraton has nicer rooms but the Renaissance is slightly better overall. Also, my company rate at the Renaissance includes breakfast in the restaurant, which is a multi-cultural buffet with fresh-made smoothies.

ESpen36

Le Meridien is fantastic! Highly recommended...and the executive lounge has an amazing view of the river and surrounding area.

ftrichard

Excellent. I stayed there during its soft opening a few years back and the lounge wasn't open then.

I'm back for two nights early October and I'm looking forward to the lounge. Hope to get the nice suite again.

SHLTP

Le Meridien has nice hardware room will (actaully excellent) but terrible service, esp in club lounge. Worst I've ever had in a Starwood property. Unable to make a simple coffee and dismissive when I complained ubtil I escalated to senior mgt

Gym too tiny. Sheraton has better location and excellent service but older property. I'd go for whatever cheaper as the issues cancel each other out.

RobOnLI

I've stayed at two of the three and walked through the third.

Le Meridien is first.
Renaissance is second.
Sheraton is a distant third IMO. This is the only one I never stayed in but did walk through.

-RM

ESpen36

I did not have the experience you are describing. I stayed at the Le Meridien in summer 2016 and service was impeccable--truly exceptional in the club lounge! I liked how they were attentive but not overwhelming. They stopped by once or twice to ask if you needed anything, but didn't bother you every 10 minutes like in some places.

Gym is a little small, but I'd rather run outside anyway, to see the sights. Pool deck has a spectacular view. Restaurant is good and has a discount for SPG members....it's a special program that seems to be almost exclusively at overseas SPG properties. Restaurant and room service food excellent.

Location is along the river...reasonable walk to/from the main attractions, or hop in an Uber. (you will get a sad look from the taxi company dispatcher on site, but Uber costs literally pennies USD, anywhere you want to go in the city, in a fancy black Mercedes....and no language barrier issues...just put your destination in the app and say "hello" and "thank you" to the driver)

dayone

I found the service to be a bit formal. Not off-putting, just a little much for my taste. Other people may have a different perception.

barracuda93

I haven't stayed personally in either, but talked to ex-manager from SPG (moved to IHG) who worked in Saigon. She said for hard product LM is the property to go, but service there is somewhat cold. If not LM, then Sheraton. Ren is bad.

darnold

I've been to all three in a plethora of different room types and over many visits, Le Meridien wins overall in my opinion. For my cheapest available bookings, it is where I keep coming back.

BUT if you can book the TOWER, Sheraton is the place to go. Tower rooms are all recent reno and just as nice as LM, and location is important in Saigon, especially for a first-time leisure visitor. It will really impact your overall experience of the city.

If you choose to stay at LM, you'll be Grab-ing much more frequently and won't be coming back to the hotel for pit-stops much. Bring a daypack. Don't be afraid to Grab down to Binh Thanh, Independence Palace, or Bui Vien and walk from there.

Neither Sheraton non-Tower nor Ren are worth considering at all.

mh3265a

I echo the general sentiments from earlier posters. The Le Meridien is the best of the 3 hands down! I haven't stayed at the Renaissance so I can't comment but was not impressed with the Sheraton. Felt the service there was lackluster.

spotfin

Just to make things more confusing, here is a vote for the Renaissance. The Ren treats plats very well and the last 4 times I stayed here I got upgraded to a big river view corner suite. Breakfast can be had at the lounge or the restaurant, the latter being the better option.
The gym is large, clean and features newer equipment. The lounge gets crowded in the evening and the offerings are average. Service overall is very good and the price is hard to beat.

FlyingFrZ

Visiting Saigon for the first time and currently booked at the LM.

Curious if the Sheraton Tower is worth an extra $100 a night over the LM?

mingzie

Hi guys,

Which of these two places do you think is better? I am booking 3 rooms (6 adults) and have to choose one of these.

The Sheraton is markedly more expensive than the Le Meridien. Is there any justification for this?

I value price (so Le Meridien is cheaper), lounge, breakfast (food and offerings most important)

Any help or opinion on which property wins out would be highly appreciated!

yorkboy24

After reading the various reviews here I went with the Renaissance rather than Sheraton (sorry I can’t comment on Le Meridien) just because I couldn’t justify paying more for the Sheraton. Also I didn’t like Sheraton’s approach with the Tower lounge access policy for Elites - you only get access if you book the Tower floors, which means paying even more unless you want access to their other lounge, which didn’t sound too good. Location of Sheraton is closer to centre whereas the other Marriott options are 10 mins walk away, which was fine for me. If I was booking in points then Le Méridien seems the best value for 5 nights.