mingzie

Hi there Flyertalk,

I noticed there are plenty of $20-50 hotels in Vietnam, which seem to be clean, not too bad location (unlike other countries).

Is there any reason why you prefer to stay at say, Sheraton Saigon or Le Meridien Saigon at 10x the cost given how cheap another accommodation can be? It also seeems these are separate accommodations (not hostels or backpackers) with breakfast included.

Anyone have insight on whether these higher ranked accommodations are worth it for Vietnam in particular, or is it just scam.

Thanks.

nufnuf77

It really boils down to what you value. I stay at Intercontinental Hanoi westlake and Landmark 72, and have to say I am treated like a king. Similarly, my stays down in Park Hyatt Saigon and IC Danang have been nothing short of perfection. They dont get many Spire/Titanium/Diamond whatever your chain, and hence treat you very well indeed!
On the other hand if I don't have my lady in tow and need just a normal room (not a suite and lounge) I am perfectly happy in the 30-50 dollars night range.

Out of my Element

"is it worth it" is a question that only you can answer for yourself. It depends on your financial situation vs. your need for comfort and convenience and consistent product/

Obviously some folks think it is "worth it", because both options exist, but for you? Only you can say for certain.

cln

I was comparing different options in Vietnam as well... We don't really use the club lounge as we prefer to eat in restaurants with local food. The pools at the branded hotels also didnt look that appealing so i went for the independent hotels.

Ilove2fly

Somehow the locations for the brand name hotels do not appeal to me as I like to stay near local night markets or the old towns. Often time, the brand name hotels are in the city centers. That said, I would not stay in $20 hotels. I did once in Hanoi. It is 8+ reviews on Tripadvisor. What a disaster! However, I have stayed at a $70 a night hotel in Saigon and it was better than the standard Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inns in the US but not much better.

For one or two nights, why not, as long as you have AC and private bath.

Dr. HFH

Your thread title says "Vietnam" but then only talks about HCMC. HCMC and Hanoi are very different in terms of accommodations.

In Hanoi, there are lots of very small, very nice hotels in the center of the city, in the areas immediately on the north side of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. I have always found it far preferable to stay in the historic center of the city, -- very narrow streets, lots of interesting small shops, nice walk around the lake.

Fyd

I found the mark up for US brands in Vietnam to be very high over local hotels, especially Marriott.
You can pay for a higher category room, breakfast and drinks at a comparable independent hotel and still save money. Pick a well reviewed property where you want to be and save...
I did stay at some Accor properties and there prices were much more competitive.

GetSetJetSet

Staying at the JW in Phu Quoc for NYE, i'll let you know

tvhead

The small boutique hotels in hanoi are incredible. Much better experience than staying at a big western chain location. And so, so economical.

sethMCOflyer

For Hanoi I'd stay at one of the nice Boutique hotels in the French Quarter. There's a Sofitel in that area but everything else is a boutique.

For other places it really depends but there's a lot more "name brand" hotels in good areas where the name brands ones are generally further away from the tourist hot spots and aimed at business travelers.

Jimgotkp

Depends on the price difference and location for me.. like sethMCOflyer mentioned above I would go with one of the nicer boutique hotels in the French Quarter. Had a really great stay at one of these properties two years ago for around $50/night which included a free dinner for two.

ExpatSomchai

Maybe you Guys could share the names of the properties.

Long Train Runnin

I have traveled to Vietnam 20+ times in the last ~5 years. All personal trips ranging from 4 days to 3 weeks.

I would say that the mark ups on places like the Park Hyatt etc over there don't make sense.

I find the hotels in the 50 to 70 dollar range to range from perfectly fine to amazing.

Plus, in the off season there are some deals in the beach towns that can't be beat in some of the smaller beach towns like Phan Thiet. I stayed at a great hotel for like 30 bucks a night, and since it was "off season" the prices on the menu got cut in half. Which made beers 50 cents USD, and dinner 4USD.

There are some great values and great properties to be had in Vietnam for sure.

Also, if you really want to do some more exotic luxury brands lots of top tier Korean hotels have properties in Vietnam as well if you want to try a different kind of 5 star experience.

Although I would say overall its not worth it.

Dr. HFH

Elegance Hospitality has five properties in Hanoi. I stayed at Diamond, and it was lovely. Short walk to the lake. https://www.elegancehospitality.com/

Central90210

If you have any pointers for Saigon, that’d be much appreciated as well!