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 Value for Money  4.4
 Rooms  4.4
 Cleanliness  4.7
 Location  4.6
 Security & Safety  4.6
 Service & Staff  4.9
 Food / Dining  4.0
 Total  4.5

"charming old-town-hotel"

User Rating:  4.8
Reviewer:   Sandro A. of Bern, Switzerland
Reviewed:   November 11, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Pilgrimreservations.com)
Traveled:   November 2008     Type:   Single
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
very nice, clean boutique hotel.
staff very friendly, nice situation.
only a bit a pitty that standard rooms don't have a window

"Can't go wrong"

User Rating:  4.9
Reviewer:   Mel S. of Perth, Australia
Reviewed:   October 27, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Bedbreakfastreservations.com)
Traveled:   September 2008     Type:   Family
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
Great hotel, excellent staff. Very helpful with bookings made in advance, all went smoothly. We had a massive room with balcony overlooking street, very entertaining.

"Excellent hotel"

User Rating:  5.0
Reviewer:   Brendan P. of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Reviewed:   October 5, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Instantworldbooking.com)
Traveled:   September 2008     Type:   Family
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
Hotel Elegance 3 is superb! The staff were very welcoming and invariably friendly. The room we had was spotless and spacios enough for our requirements (2adults, 2 children). Elegance 3 is NOT a business hotel, and does not provide a conference room, gym nor a lap pool! It does provide genuine Vitenamese hospitality, such as a welcoming drink and a farewell worthy of royalty.

"Sweaty and over-charged"

User Rating:  2.7
Reviewer:   La Rubita D. of San Francisco, United States
Reviewed:   August 26, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Instantworldbooking.com)
Traveled:   August 2008     Type:   Other
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
Stayed here on business and found the room clean and in working order. Enjoyed the Hang Bong location very much, but my stay was not a smooth one. The only window in my room was directly in to the hall by the elevator (not into the elevator shaft as my 2 colleagues room were, but into the hall, so no natural light). I found it somewhat disconcerting that people would be walking by just the other side of the lace curtain, so I kept the solid curtain closed all the time. The included breakfast was a big step down from the buffets included at the Elios in HCMC and Mui Ne Sailing Club, both hotels in the same price range.

The wireless worked fine, but the air con in the public areas was nowhere near cold enough. We sweat through our shirts at breakfast one morning, and afterwards were careful to take the one table directly under the vent. I traveled with 2 coworkers, and we tried to meet in the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon to work on a presentation, but it was too hot to do much but stare at our laptops, despite the feeble AC. So we had to do another meeting in one of the rooms, which was uncomfortable because there was no place for 3 people to sit around a table.

All the power in the room requires a key inserted in a slot to work, even the air con. So at the end of the day, the room was a hot, humid mess that took some time to cool down. Also, there was no way to charge a camera battery or laptop when not in the room because the outlets don't work without the key in the slot.

I was not happy with the checkout process and feel we were unjustly overcharged. We planned to leave on a Sunday 11pm flight. They told me that in order to keep the room until our 8pm departure for the airport we had to book the room until Monday morning, which I agreed to. On Friday mid-day we told them that our travel plans had changed, and we were leaving one day early, at 8pm on Saturday. We fully expected to pay for Saturday night as well because of the late checkout time, but they forced us to pay for SUNDAY night as well. The reason was "the confirmation email states in writing that reservations canceled within 48 hours require full payment." No amount of mathematics would convince them that 2pm Friday was more than 48 hours from Sunday night. They were quite pissy about it, making a big show of contacting "the reservations department" (a guy sitting at a low desk right beside us) and making phone calls before telling us there was nothing they could do.

When we checked out the next night, the front desk woman (who before that had been helpful about volunteering to call taxis for us) actually scolded me saying "See! You must pay for tomorrow night because you did not follow the terms you agreed to!" Completely ungracious and unhelpful.

Finally, the waiter in the restaurant made a couple of comments about me and my male co-workers that I brushed off at the time as limited English + trying to be friendly, but were in fact not what you want to hear as a woman business traveler. I'm sharing them here because retelling the extra night payment story has renewed all my annoyance with this hotel. "Your husband is very handsome." "That's my coworker, not my husband." "Oh, not your husband." Later when the 3 of us shared some pizza and beers at our failed business meeting in the restaurant, the same guy was very clear that "not-my-husband" was also paying for my part of the pizza and my beer. 3 of us were staying in 3 different rooms, so nominally this was about making sure the right room got charged. But grrrrrrr.

"“A Real Gem”"

User Rating:  5.0
Reviewer:   Hessel L. of London, England
Reviewed:   August 24, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Instantworldbooking.com)
Traveled:   August 2008     Type:   Family
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
We stayed six nights on a recent trip to Hanoi, and I can highly recommend this hotel.
The rooms are absolutely spotless, very comfortable and very inviting after a day out sightseeing.
Daily fruit plates, offering a different choice of fruits everyday, are a really nice touch. Breakfast was excellent, with a good menu selection and really quick service.
The staff are faultless, nothing is too much trouble and everything is done with a smile.
Just wish I could take this hotel with me whenever I travel

"Bravo Hanoi Elegance 3 Hotel !"

User Rating:  4.8
Reviewer:   Mai N. of San Jose , CA, United States
Reviewed:   May 22, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Instantworldbooking.com)
Traveled:   May 2008     Type:   Active/Adventure
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
This was my first time booking with a 3 stars hotel ever... But, I'm glad that I have done it. The experience with Hanoi Elegance 3 hotel was memoriable, the entire staffs are very caring and even going out of their ways to make my trip better. The hotel staffs are honest and everything are trustworthy in this hotel. Convieniently located near to everything that I want to see and do. I have made some new friends while staying there and I would highly recommended to future travelers whom are going to visit Hanoi. Please make your reservation with the Elegance3 in Hang Bong... You won't be disappointed at all. Many Thanks to the staffs at Elegance3.

"Staff was Great"

User Rating:  4.7
Reviewer:   Tom L. of St Paul, United States
Reviewed:   March 26, 2008  (see hostel reviews from Hosteltraveler.com)
Traveled:   March 2008     Type:   Active/Adventure
1 2 3 4 5
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Comments  (English):
THe hotel was excellent but what impressed me most was the staff. The staff was excellent. They were attentive and very responsive to my needs. This was a business vacation and inter-country travel. They made the stay very smooth. I'll use them again with out hesitation.


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