Mayflower Hotel Hanoi — Hotel in Hà Nội

Overall 3.5 out of 5 We booked this small hotel for our arrival night at about $73 on Agoda. I'm glad we didn't stay the rest of the trip just because the location wasn't as good and the room felt a bit run down. Loved the balcony and the staff were helpful and a good way to save a little money while still getting the balcony. For context, we (couple) moved to the Oriental Suites and stayed in their balcony suite instead. Rooms 3/5 Stayed in a Balcony Suite. Room has potential but hasn't been maintained as well as other places I've stayed. Bathroom leaking water from the shower area, very small bathroom, small sink bench as well, room size fine for a few nights if you're keeping luggage on the floor. Balcony light blown and awkward spot to boil the kettle. But it was quiet at night, had a very spacious balcony area, lift worked well and included complimentary water and wifi. Service 4/5 transfer collection from the airport was a bit of a stuff up, with us being instructed to wait somewhere that didn't exist (Column 12?), due to this the driver was probably delayed so buy the time we were found and goods int he car, he sped through Hanoi while texting like a bit of a maniac. But hotel staff were helpful and friendly, showing us up to the room and assisting me with my esim when I wasn't sure what my number was. They were upfront with charges and had a reasonably priced transfer service, even if I wasn't staying with them). Location 3/5 Was i the old quarter but at the top area. Location is subjective but I preferred being around the bottom area, closer to the lake. From this hotel to the bottom area is about 10 minutes, so not a killer but consider the heat and traffic conditions when you think about how that 10 minutes...

I was about to give this place 5 stars, having no idea why anyone would be so picky when all of the necessities are provided. The thing that killed the experience was the skinny young thief who sat at the desk in the morning when we were preparing to leave after our second night there. We went to the breakfast area where other people were enjoying fruit that was set out and I got one (flavorless) dragonfruit slice and the nice lady asked if I wanted to have pho (turned out to be the most basic and small pho). I said okay, as it was included at other hotels and there was no stated price on the displayed paper. The young guy stormed in and said we couldn’t eat breakfast because our stay did not include that. He said the pho is 100,000 dong. Maybe it is, but his attitude is hostile. I ordered one pho only and my wife and I shared it. When I got to the front desk to pay the guy handed me a bill that included 400,000 dong for pho. He had tried to pressure me to pay extra as if we ordered 2 bowls of pho 2 different days. No wonder this hotel can offer cheaper prices, because it steals the difference back this way. If this is not the owner’s plan, then fire this young thief who must be pocketing the irritated guests’ money and making never want to return. The location is not great either. This part of Hanoi has the sidewalks blocked by scooters and other things, so you will walk right by speeding cars and scooters the whole time, stepping in muck. As a result, the excursions stressful. I recommend finding a hotel closer to the lake with the...

The good: Location is good and Wi-Fi was decent. Free water in the room. That’s about all though.

Unfortunately this hotel believes it is okay to market a room with a window to the hallway (which smells like piss and mildew masked with cheap perfume) as a “superior window room”. Imagine my surprise when I show up, having specifically chose this hotel and room because I didn’t want an interior room, to an interior room with a “window” to the nasty smelling hallway. I figured a mistake had been made and asked if I could just have a refund and go elsewhere since they had no other rooms available. They said they couldn’t refund me, so I decided to stay the night. In the morning a girl, presumably the manager, informed me that I was actually placed in the correct room. That the superior room was just a regular interior room and that a superior window room had a window to the hallway. Feels pretty like a pretty disingenuous business practice to me as I imagine when someone hears superior window room, they picture a window to outside and the booking website listed window as a feature. If it hadn’t have smelled with no way of airing it out I could have lived with it, but this place smelled worse than any 2$ a night hostel bathroom I’ve been in. The photos of this property are very generous compared to the actual room I stayed in. It’s a lot more run down than it appears in the photos. The walls in my room were pretty dirty too.

All in all I’d say save your money, there are much nicer places in Hanoi for...