Viet Lotus Saigon Hotel

I’ve stayed at Lotus Viet Hotel many times, including before its renovation, and was there for two nights this time. Reception and the luggage handlers are still friendly and helpful. But ants showed up in the room, and the air conditioning seemed to do what it wanted: it would be cold, then switch to warm air in the middle of the night. The restaurant was extremely busy with several tour groups staying there, so finding a table was difficult. There are only two lifts, and the waits can be long. Service was good overall, but I’ll probably stay somewhere else next time.

The reception staff made a strong impression, especially the two young men who helped sort out our luggage. When I left my wallet in the lobby, someone promptly alerted me, even though it had several currencies inside. One thing the hotel should address is food: with so many people staying, there really ought to be vegetarian choices at breakfast and throughout the day. We could barely find anything beyond fruit and bread, and keeping vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes separate would respect guests' preferences.

Breakfast was a real bright spot, with plenty of variety and a generous spread. The front office gentleman was also kind enough to print a document for us when we were leaving. The stay had some frustrating moments, though. We had asked for two rooms side by side, but were told at check-in they couldn't arrange it; we ended up on separate floors. On the second night, the toilet had a problem. More than an hour after we reported it, no one had come, so we had to call again. It was eventually repaired late that night.

The room was clean, which mattered most to me, and the city view from the window was lovely. Staff were helpful and friendly, including when the air conditioning still wasn't working after 45 minutes and they quickly moved me to another room. There were some things needing attention: a few lights didn't work properly, the drain was slow, and parts of the room seemed to be coming apart. Breakfast was fine, though items that ran out weren't replenished. Even with those issues, I was comfortable and had a good stay.