Amari Vang Vieng

The room was huge, with the usual amenities, a quiet AC, and a very large bed. The soft mattress and extra-plump double pillows made for a good night’s sleep. The shower had good pressure and flow, but the temperature swung from very hot to cold, possibly because of the mixer tap. There’s plenty of breakfast variety, so you won’t go hungry. The lobby and breakfast room are both massive, and there’s also an event space where a conference was taking place during our stay. Reception staff were pleasant and helpful. The hotel is centrally located, with eateries and bars within walking distance. It doesn’t face the Nam Song river directly, but the infinity pool and upper-floor rooms overlooking it have fabulous views of the river and karst mountains. We had a good stay in Vang Vieng thanks to Amari hotel.

The room was clean and large, and the food was acceptable, with Western options. The service was excellent and friendly. One of the best things here is the view of the mountains, river, and rice fields, especially at sunset. In the morning, sunlight reflects on the green trees and the black-white stones on the mountains. Paramotors fly around in the morning and evening like a flock of birds. I recommend a room with these views.

The staff were fantastic, but the hotel didn’t live up to Amari Vientiane. Tour groups filled the place, and nights were noisy, with guests ringing doorbells and talking or shouting loudly. There was construction noise all day. They did move us to upgraded rooms, but the facilities weren’t as clean as we’d expect from an Amari brand. At $120/night, you can certainly find somewhere better. Amari Vientiane in the capital of Laos, though, is truly fantastic and one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in.

The view and location are great, and the hotel is otherwise nice. Staff are pleasant, though they don’t always follow through. We were there during major renovation work on a whole floor, and there were no quiet rooms. The hotel website said noticeable noise from 11am-3pm, while signs on arrival said 10am-5pm. In practice, the pounding started at 8 and continued until we complained at 6pm. We could hear it three floors down in the lobby. No compensation or discount was offered at first. The only option was changing rooms, and they even suggested one beneath the construction. Guests also weren’t warned ahead of time so they could rebook. I suggested the hotel stick to the 11-3 hours published on its website and make sure the crew follows them every day. Managers should personally check that quiet hours are respected, and guests who weren’t informed should get a discount. Free food and drinks at check-in would also be a good way to make up for the disruption. The picture is the notice inside the hotel, and the video was taken at 8am. They later said they were offering a discount by “allowing” us to check in an hour early, but didn’t mention it until the second day. That felt very disingenuous. As a final follow-up, the kind manager offered us a few things as compensation and contacted the contractor herself to make sure the noise stayed within the hours. I really appreciated that, and she was very sorry about the disturbance. I just wish this had happened when we arrived instead of after we complained.