Rising Dragon Palace Hotel

The room was basic and small, but very clean, and breakfast had plenty of options and was great. The hotel is in a great area, and the staff were incredibly helpful. Thuy was amazing: she arranged a walking tour at the last minute, booked our airport car, shared recommendations, and took really good care of us.

The location was excellent, and we slept well because the beds were comfortable and the hotel was generally quiet. Breakfast was good, though crowded, and it ended much too early. The rooms shown on booking.com were misleading. The “superior room” we were first shown was tiny, shabby, and windowless, nothing like the photos. It seemed standard rather than superior. We complained and got moved to a better room, but had to pay extra. Even that room, which looked more like the photos, was very worn. The hotel itself is shabby: broken plastic frames on the lift walls and cluttered, messy corridors. We felt the receptionists asking guests to review the hotel in front of them at checkout may explain its better reviews. It’s an awkward position to put guests in.

The location was good and the rooms were clean, but the night staff member Duke left a lot to be desired. Our cruise plans changed and our flight was late, so we needed another night. He tried to charge a higher rate even though the same price was still available online. When I showed him, he said he’d ask his boss and let us know when we got back from the cruise. It was 2 AM after a long day, so I left it there. When we returned, Duke said his boss had agreed to the original price if we gave the hotel a perfect score on the booking site. I was offended and said we’d check out in the morning. At 8:30 AM, we came down for breakfast and found many empty dishes, even though breakfast was meant to run until 10. At checkout I asked for my bill, and the girl at the counter asked me to fill in a survey. After I gave a low rating, she asked why. I explained, and she apologized and offered a discount on the bill. I declined. I’d never before been offered a discount because of my rating, and I was still disappointed by the night staff’s careless attitude. I’d steer clear and recommend others do the same. I moved a few hundred meters and had a fantastic experience. I was tempted to let it go, but that didn’t seem fair to the hundreds of customers who rely on reviews when booking.

Breakfast was decent, not a huge spread but enough to get the day started. Our AC didn’t work, but after we called the front desk they had us moved to another room within five minutes. The hotel was really clean and nice looking, and the front desk was super helpful arranging onward travel. They even gave us a free ride to the train station. I’d highly recommend staying here.