Hanoi Elite Hotel

The location is great, though the hotel itself is down a narrow alley with scooters and motorcycles parked outside. My main issue was the lack of an elevator. There are six floors, reached by fairly narrow stairs. Staff carried our bags, but after a day of sightseeing, climbing the 85 steps to our fifth-floor room was still a lot. The listing mentions free breakfast but doesn’t say that it’s only included with a more expensive room, or otherwise costs 100,000 dong per person ($4). It should also make clear that there’s no elevator. The rooms themselves were on par with similar hotels, and the place seems nicely remodeled.

Tracey at reception was wonderful and deserves to work somewhere better. The location was also great, but that’s about all I can say in its favor. We booked two nights, stayed one, then left. Our first room smelled so bad we were moved to another, which had a little less mold. Both rooms had mold, and there were termite bait traps attached to bits of woodwork. There were damp containers in the wardrobes. The fridge had been broken for ages; I got it running, but only after moving the bed to reach the power. Cars can’t reach the front door, so we had to carry our bags up the street.

The location is the best thing about this hotel. Food, coffee, haircuts, massage, pedicures, Circle K, beer and entertainment are all just steps away. I didn’t find the late night noise from the party street a problem. I’m heading to the airport now in a car the hotel arranged for 250k. I got a good price through a Webjet package with flights and insurance. Staff, including Tracey, were friendly, professional and helpful, and my room was cleaned nicely. The bathrooms looked modern and stylish. The mattress and towels were thin, and there are stairs to climb, but it was okay for me.

The service and management were a serious problem for us. The receptionist was often away from the counter, and there didn’t seem to be a clear staff structure. One person seemed to handle the bellboy, room service and night manager duties. When we raised concerns, management was blunt and dismissive, and staff shouted, ignored us or shut us down, even after we showed photos. I was there with my parents, both over 70, and they showed no concern for them. The stairs felt unsafe, and we had to move my parents to a lower floor because of them and the condition of the room. The hotel charged us another 3,000,000 VND (about USD 120 / INR 10,500) for this “upgrade.” The ordeal took 4-5 hours late at night and spoiled our peace of mind. They wouldn’t cooperate even when our travel agent got involved. Both rooms we booked were awful. They were cramped, shabby and smelled strongly of mold, with visible leak marks on the walls and ceilings. The bathrooms were worst of all: black fungus on the shower curtains, broken tiles with black grime around them, and blood stains on the curtains when we checked more closely. Towels were gray rather than white, torn and worn, with loose threads and dark spots. The beds were average and not properly cleaned. In one room the basin was clogged, and we had to fix it ourselves. There’s no elevator, and the stairs are steep and especially difficult for older guests. Getting to the hotel was unpleasant too. It’s far from the main road, so vehicles can’t reach the entrance and guests have to drag luggage through a dirty, dark alley. A dumpster right by the entrance smelled awful. At night we saw people hanging around, drinking and smoking weed in the alley, and there were no streetlights. I would warn families and older travelers away. We skipped breakfast because of the hotel’s unhygienic condition. It only starts after 7:30 AM, while most tours begin around 6:30-7:00 AM, which wasn’t convenient. This was meant to be a vacation, but it became a traumatic experience. I’ve traveled in several countries and this was the worst hotel stay of my life. The management seemed pathetic, the rooms unhygienic, staff rude and unprofessional. I don’t understand the five-star reviews; the negative ones were accurate. I’m sharing this in detail so others don’t go through the same thing, and I’ve posted photos to support my claims. Don’t book here. It could ruin your Vietnam trip.