Not sure if HGI's are worthy of master threads but I couldn't find any info about this hotel on the boards and figure at some point, someone will ask for opinions between the HGI and the Hilton Opera.
Was in Hanoi last week and the price differential between the two was about $50 so I figured I'd save some money and went with the HGI.
This is a recently opened property (01APR13), I believe the building itself is a renovation of a previous hotel but not sure about that. Location is about 3 blocks south of the Hilton Opera (and very close to the Hanoi version of Ngon restaurant which everyone on the Park Hyatt Saigon thread is crazy about) so location really shouldn't be much of a consideration. My fixed taxi was 350k from the airport and 370k back to the airport which I believe is standard. Make sure to have the address written out though since it's such a new place I'm not sure most cabbies will know it.
Rooms are fine, typical HGI rooms, although the bathroom has a window facing the room and for some reason the blinds are in the room itself rather than the bathroom. Heads up if you're sharing a room with someone and don't want them to open the blinds to see your naughty bits.
The big problem with the room though is the noise from the street. There is a balcony which, although the glass door to it is locked, it's not completely sealed so a LOT of noise comes through. Very noticeable when you're sitting at the desk, not too bad once in bed but lighter sleepers might need earplugs. Alternatively you could request a room away from the road, the view isn't so great that you'd be missing anything.
Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, they followed me out the door my first day to make sure I knew where I was going. They were also shocked that I was taking the bus to get around town (it's easy and cheap, the routes are integrated into Google maps and it's 5k dong per trip).
Breakfast is a step up from US versions of HGI although not near the level of full service Asian properties. Still, it's more than adequate with pastries, fruits, cheeses, rice and noodles, bacon, sausage, yogurt as well as an egg and noodle station so you can start your day off with some pho.
No lounge obviously so no evening cocktails but booze and food are extremely cheap (there's a fun beer hall just about 2 blocks away) in Hanoi.
But the best thing, for me, was the laundry. It's supposed to be easy and cheap to get laundry done in Vietnam but I couldn't find anywhere that had a fast enough turn around. There is a Western style washer and dryer in the hotel with detergent available in the lobby. It was very nice to be able to do my own laundry and have it done in a couple of hours.
In summary I'd say a $50 difference is just about worth it, less if they fix the noise or it's quieter on the non road side. If the price differential between the HGI and Hilton Opera is closer to $20-$25 it's probably worth staying at the full service hotel.
Was in Hanoi last week and the price differential between the two was about $50 so I figured I'd save some money and went with the HGI.
This is a recently opened property (01APR13), I believe the building itself is a renovation of a previous hotel but not sure about that. Location is about 3 blocks south of the Hilton Opera (and very close to the Hanoi version of Ngon restaurant which everyone on the Park Hyatt Saigon thread is crazy about) so location really shouldn't be much of a consideration. My fixed taxi was 350k from the airport and 370k back to the airport which I believe is standard. Make sure to have the address written out though since it's such a new place I'm not sure most cabbies will know it.
Rooms are fine, typical HGI rooms, although the bathroom has a window facing the room and for some reason the blinds are in the room itself rather than the bathroom. Heads up if you're sharing a room with someone and don't want them to open the blinds to see your naughty bits.
The big problem with the room though is the noise from the street. There is a balcony which, although the glass door to it is locked, it's not completely sealed so a LOT of noise comes through. Very noticeable when you're sitting at the desk, not too bad once in bed but lighter sleepers might need earplugs. Alternatively you could request a room away from the road, the view isn't so great that you'd be missing anything.
Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, they followed me out the door my first day to make sure I knew where I was going. They were also shocked that I was taking the bus to get around town (it's easy and cheap, the routes are integrated into Google maps and it's 5k dong per trip).
Breakfast is a step up from US versions of HGI although not near the level of full service Asian properties. Still, it's more than adequate with pastries, fruits, cheeses, rice and noodles, bacon, sausage, yogurt as well as an egg and noodle station so you can start your day off with some pho.
No lounge obviously so no evening cocktails but booze and food are extremely cheap (there's a fun beer hall just about 2 blocks away) in Hanoi.
But the best thing, for me, was the laundry. It's supposed to be easy and cheap to get laundry done in Vietnam but I couldn't find anywhere that had a fast enough turn around. There is a Western style washer and dryer in the hotel with detergent available in the lobby. It was very nice to be able to do my own laundry and have it done in a couple of hours.
In summary I'd say a $50 difference is just about worth it, less if they fix the noise or it's quieter on the non road side. If the price differential between the HGI and Hilton Opera is closer to $20-$25 it's probably worth staying at the full service hotel.