Minerva Premium Hotel — Hotel in Hà Nội

On first impression, nothing set the Minerva Premium Hotel apart from its peers. It was in the middle of a nondescript road, flanked by small businesses on both sides, opposite a tiny coffee shop and a narrow restaurant.

The hotel slowly grew upon us. The rooms were bright and clean, the staff always smiling, warm and welcoming, and the breakfast spread superb. However, it is during times of crisis that the hotel and its staff rose to occasion. As travellers hailing from a blessed land with no natural disasters, a typhoon was not in our planned itinerary. Even with local disaster warnings abound and gentle though firm reminders from staff regarding impending heavy storms, happy-go-lucky travellers like us did not expect the incoming calamity - strong winds, heavy rain, power shortages, falling trees, and, most horrifyingly, a sudden lack of dinner.

The general manager of the hotel (Mr Steve Doan) was endlessly kind - in helping to locate restaurants and convenience stores that were still open. When a nearby hotel’s in-house restaurant turned us away due to an overwhelmed kitchen, he found another restaurant (business as usual in Vietnam: still operating in the middle of a typhoon), took our orders, sent a staff member to the restaurant to pick up our dinners and delivered them to our rooms. He spent most of the evening and night physically present in the lobby, assisting lost travellers and answering queries patiently.

The same could be said of the staff members - Sun whom we first met - was very warm and welcoming and made a lot of recommendations of attractions and food places; Ling and Dat who attended to all breakfast guests daily with a smile; Peter who braved the harsh conditions to pick up our dinner, provided umbrellas and raincoats to all, and continuously cleaned the front; and Jamie who tracked flight changes proactively and somehow arranged punctual transport to the airport despite multiple traffic obstacles.

In many ways, this was an unforgettable trip in a beautiful country, made even more impressive by the Minerva Premium Hotel and its staff. Unfortunately the rating scale only goes to 5, but this hotel and its staff...

We stayed for 3 nights at Minerva Premium Hanoi. Everything was comfortable and very good. We stayed in the room with balcony. The street where the hotel is located is not so busy like the other main streets in Hanoi, and it is within walking distance from the famous pho stall, the Hoan Kiem Lake, water puppet show, old quarter, St Joseph Cathedral etc. You can easily walk to the old quarter from the hotel as well. The train street and prison are also within walking distance.

Sound proofing from the noise of the street was good, but you could still hear light sounds from the road, which was really cool. The super king bed, blankets and soft pillows were really comfortable and we slept really well like it was home. Our bathroom was very spacious and came with both a shower room (- with shower head and rain shower) and a bathtub. Television is a smart TV with Netflix (- using your own subscription) and youtube.

Room was cleaned everyday, and water replenished.

Breakfast was a decent selection of buffet but they have made to order hot food such as sandwich, eggs and noodles. The Vietnamese black coffee at the hotel was so good.

Hotel staff were very polite and helpful, and were always trying to ensure the comfort of our stay. The check-in was extremely well managed. We reached the hotel at 610am in the morning, and so our room was not available yet. We managed to complete the administrative matters of the check-in almost instantly and the hotel initiated that they would inform us of the room availability via whatsapp. This was very good common sense and we really appreciated that as we were able to leave our luggages at the hotel lobby while we explore Hanoi. When we got back to the hotel to collect our key, the luggages were already in our room.

Tip 1: You could really find everything near the hotel. Just across is a very decent Vietnamese restaurant called MET where we had 2 meals. You can get good quality souvenirs beside this restaurant and even luggage suitcase around the hotel. There are a few small marts and 2 bigger ones nearby.

Tip 2: Remember to sign out from your Netflix and Youtube account before...

Our family stayed a total of 8 nights at Minerva Premium Hotel during our 30-day journey across Vietnam, from the North to the South. We stayed here in three separate periods – the first 3 nights, another 2 nights in the middle, and the last 3 nights before flying back to Denmark. Every time we returned, it truly felt like coming home.

We booked a Connecting Room, which was extremely spacious, fully equipped, spotless, and neatly arranged. Every detail in the room was thoughtfully cared for. The hotel also helped us design our travel tours, stored our luggage for two weeks while we were in Ho Chi Minh City, and when we came back, our luggage was already neatly placed in our new room – an impressive and rare level of service.

What stood out the most was the attention to detail and genuine hospitality. From the security guards, bellboys, and receptionists to the housekeeping, laundry, and restaurant staff – everyone was friendly, polite, and professional. The restaurant staff not only served us attentively but also often checked in on us, sometimes offering small complimentary treats for the children.

Even the laundry service was remarkable: very reasonable prices, clothes returned fresh, neatly folded, and carefully wrapped – something I have not experienced at other hotels.

When it was time to leave, the staff lined up outside and waved goodbye until our car was out of sight. That warm gesture will stay in our hearts forever.

We usually don’t eat much at hotel restaurants, but here the food was delicious and suited our taste, especially at the sky bar on the top floor, with a beautiful view and great atmosphere.

During this trip, after having an unpleasant experience in another city, returning to Minerva Premium Hotel made us feel relieved and happy – “Oh, thank goodness, we’re back to the place where we feel truly welcomed and well taken care of.”

If I could rate this hotel, I would give it nothing less than 5 stars for absolutely everything. A heartfelt thank you to all the staff – you are truly amazing and made our stay...