Hotel de l'Opera - MGallery Hanoi — Hotel in Hà Nội

Review is a few months overdue, but better late than pregnant.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the staff was friendly when checking us in. Once getting our room key and taking the elevator up to our floor, we were met with an intense and nauseating odor of fresh paint throughout the hallway. When we tried to open our door, the room key didn’t work, which we understand can happen. However, while waiting for the elevator to go back down to get our key repurposed, we noticed a huge hole in the middle of the very dirty hallway carpet. Having stayed in various other properties by Sofitel, I was quite shocked to see this sort of visible damage.

After a hot and long day of walking around, we decided to check out the pool only to be disappointed by its tiny size. This is understandable given the age of the building, however, the temperature was beyond freezing, which meant that we couldn’t fully enjoy the facilities.

On a positive note, we had great service and dinner in the hotel restaurant, which in fact ended up being our favorite meal while we were in Vietnam. The food was really good, but definitely on the pricier side, especially in comparison to other dining spots in the area, but is a Sofitel hotel restaurant after all, which one expects to pay for quality.

After dinner we checked with the concierge about getting a car/taxi to the airport in the morning and were assured that there would be plenty of cars waiting and we wouldn’t need to book anything. We asked how much the cost would be and were told ₫260,000. The next morning, we asked the same question to confirm the cost, as we were using the rest of our paper bills to take care of the charges to our room. We were assured that the cost would be ₫260,000, and we left that amount (+tip) aside. It wasn’t until we reached the airport that the driver attempted to charge us nearly double - ₫510,000, then we finally settled on ₫410,000. It wasn’t the cost that was so shocking to us, but more the miscommunication from the Sofitel staff (after inquiring twice) and we trusted the fact that their team would choose a quality company to get us to the airport. Clearly this was not the case. We could've just got a car on the street and had the same experience, but that's not what we were paying a hotel for.

Another positive note was that our beds were very comfortable, and we had a good night’s sleep. However, the shower mostly sprayed very cold water and it wasn’t until the morning that we got any hot water and even then, it only came in short spurts.

Having stayed in several Sofitel properties, I had high expectations for this hotel or any location that is been permitted to use Sofitel’s name. Sadly, this was without a doubt one of the worst experiences we had on our two-week trip. We reached the hotel to remedy the situation, as we wanted to give their team first crack following up to see what might be done to rectify the situation. Sadly, they responded by offering us a complimentary upgrade at their property. Needless to say, we won't be...

Hotel del l'Opera Hanoi was our first stop in a 3 week's adventure through Vietnam, and we could not have been happier with the hotel's service and amenities.

We stayed in a two twin-bed suite on the 2nd floor with outward-facing windows. There was virtually no level street noise that came through the windows, and we found the room very comfortable and accommodating to our needs. The furniture, including the chairs, beds and couch, were all very comfortable and the perfect size. The bed was incredibly soft and comfortable and led us to great nights of sleep coming off long-haul flights from the USA. We compared every bed we stayed in previously to this one.

The breakfast offerings were great. You had a choice of a la carte or buffet, but the buffet had plenty of offerings that I never felt the need to order a la carte during our 4-day stay.

The pool was an excellent way to erase the heat of the day from sight-seeing, but besides the oval mirror in the ceiling, it was nothing to write home about. The lounge chairs outside the pool were very nice, but be careful of the circular wicker egg-shaped chairs. They are not very stable and can easily tip over.

As for the service of the staff, impeccable! The attention to detail by the staff is a very noticeable difference from that of hotels in the US. Every day we were greeted by the front desk by our last names and were asked how we were enjoying our stay.

We did have a slight incident during our stay, but it was handled by the front desk and management team masterfully. Housekeeping accidentally knocked my Sonicare diamond toothbrush off the vanity and failed to work correctly. I could piece together what happened due to the toothbrush cover being on the floor when we returned. After speaking with the front desk, they immediately called the manager, who confirmed with his team what happened, apologized, and did everything in his power to make things right. Our resolution was agreed upon, and he asked me about my stay: where we were going next, how we were enjoying Hanoi, etc. The transition from the business at hand to a sincere conversation about our travels was customer service at its finest. I can easily see that it would be handled with compassion and ease if a similar situation arose.

I cannot thank the staff at Hotel de l'Opera Hanoi enough for a perfect way to start our vacation. They made a lasting impact...

Negative review of the hotel

Our stay at this hotel left a very unpleasant impression. The rooms are in terrible condition—old, poorly maintained, and seemingly neglected for years. The TV is an ancient relic, and the smoke detectors are yellowed with age. The walls have patches of plaster but were never painted, making the place feel like an unfinished renovation project.

The bed was not actually a double bed but two single beds pushed together, with the headboards at different heights, making it extremely uncomfortable. The entire interior was tasteless and chaotic, with mismatched elements. The dark, oppressive color scheme, empty white walls with rough plaster patches, and an old, outdated carpet made the space feel anything but cozy. The bathroom fixtures were outdated, and there was an unpleasant sewage smell. To top it all off, the ceiling was covered in cheap purple wallpaper.

The only decent thing was the hotel entrance, but even that didn’t save the overall experience. The main entrance door looked like something from a public restroom at a gas station—plastic, old, and damaged.

This hotel does not match its advertised star rating, and the price is at least four times higher than what it’s actually worth. One particularly frustrating issue was that our passports were taken during check-in and then forgotten about—we only got them back the next day, and no one even informed us.

The location is central, but it does not feel safe in the evening. The surrounding area has a sketchy atmosphere, and we strongly advise against walking around at night—especially for solo female travelers.

Overall, this hotel is completely overpriced and does not deserve its star rating. We are extremely disappointed and do not recommend...