Collection O Le Grand Hanoi hotel – The Sun

The staff were quite friendly, and the room was quiet, which are the positives. The pillows were unbelievably hard, though the bed itself was comfortable. The showerhead was fitted wrong, so I had to hold it to shower. There’s construction next door from 7am, and it’ll wake you up. The bathrooms smell like a sewer, especially with the door closed, and the window is bolted shut. There was mold in the bathroom, and most rooms smell musty. Cleanliness needs a deep clean and more attention. They don’t take cards, so expect a 10-minute walk to an ATM. Also, there are several nearly identical Google Maps listings, and I went to the wrong one, 5 km away. It’s badly overpriced, probably twice what it should cost. It feels like they only want your money, not to give you a good stay or protect their reputation.

The construction right beside the hotel was horribly loud, from early morning until late at night. I know it isn’t their fault, but with so little sound insulation, they should have mentioned it. The rooms were filthy, with dust, dirty sheets, insects, and cockroaches. They kindly agreed to move us, calling it a nice upgrade, but the next room was basically identical, just without a cockroach. I rarely leave negative reviews, but this was too much. One of the worst hotels I’ve stayed in, and I don’t recommend it.

I only booked a hotel because I was arriving late and felt sick. It was 2am when I found hair on the bed, damp sheets, a musty wet smell, and rock-hard pillows. I was exhausted and unwell, so I thought I could sleep until 11, but construction in the room above started at 6:30am and made that impossible. I hoped for a hot shower before getting on with the day after about four hours of sleep, but the hot water ran out after five minutes. At checkout I wanted to ask about a lower price, but reception spoke very little English, didn’t ask about my stay or even look at me, and just showed me the amount to pay. I wish I’d stayed in a $5 hostel instead of this $50 hotel. One of the worst places I’ve stayed.

The name should be SAIGON SUN APARTMENT, but the hotel appeared as O Le Grand Hotel - the sun. Agoda, Booking, and Google Maps all showed different addresses and directions. I was looking for it at 23:00, wandering around because I couldn’t find the place. I’d messaged beforehand and got no reply. Without the latest Google review from a girl who mentioned the real name, I might have ended up homeless. The older positive reviews that Google marks most useful don’t tell the same story as the newest ones. I confronted them about the wrong name and address. They apologized and said they had changed the name, but couldn’t explain much in English. They said they’d given me a superior room instead of the standard one I booked. Even so, the room wasn’t good: mold, dust, hair on the bed, and a bathroom window that wouldn’t close. The street and cleaners were very loud and woke me up. I’ll attach photos of the actual place and what it looks like.