Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint Hotel — Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

It's gone downhill since its opening.

1. Lost Laundry
2. excess laundry charges
3. Rooms in need of maintenance
4. Corners cut on amenities making them uncomfortable or unusable
5. Inability to get help beyond the most basic service, non-empowered employees, although friendly, lack basic ability to find solutions. Lacking central management.
6. Slow or unstable internet

Over the past 10 years I've stayed in Saigon on average twice per year for 2 weeks at a time for work. This charming hotel wooed me in around 2015 with it's chic decor, solid amenities, clean comfortable rooms, and great food. Over the years I've seen a steady decline in a few factors leaving me no choice but to find alternative accommodations for my next trip. Before I get into details I still believe you can have a great time here but know that if you need to dig one layer deeper on any issue you will be met with a blank stare and no resolution. Employees are friendly and kind but I do not believe empowered to help guests with anything beyond the most basic surface level service. Here is my list of grievances that although excusable on their own add up to my decision to look elsewhere.

1)Lost Laundry: my coworker had several items of her laundry not returned to her. When inquired employees just said "It was delivered". Yes, a bundle of laundry was delivered, but it was missing several pieces. No ability to dig deeper, no manager or higher authority available to help.

2. Our group booked executive rooms that include 3 pieces of complimentary laundry / day. At check out we were all charged daily for laundry. We were told we went over the allotment. I know for a fact I did not. When questioned the front desk clerk simply repeated that we went over the allotment. it was 4am and we needed to catch a flight so it wasn't worth arguing.

3. Issues across our team were: a) leaky showers, clogged sinks, poorly functioning a/c, chipped and peeling flooring and paint, flashing light bulbs. It was great when I first stayed in 2015, it appears little continued investment has been made to keep it nice

4. The GYM A/C stays off. It is typically quite hot when you enter. You can turn it on but It is slow to cool, so much so that I would frequently leave early due to over heating. Forget running on a treadmill, just go outside in the 90F as you'll at least get a breeze. The Sauna and Steam room stay off. This makes sense as it'd be wasteful to keep them running all day. Unfortunately it takes about 2-3 hours for them to reach ideal temperature. This makes it essentially unusable in the morning as you cannot gain access before 6am to turn it on. (I leave at 8am) On several occasions I would turn it on before leaving for dinner only to find that someone turned it off. I encountered this on my last trip and sent an email a few weeks ahead of this trip seeking some type of solution. I did not receive a reply. When asking the employees you will be told "You can use the sauna anytime between 9am-10pm" They apparently think it works like a shower, unfortunately it does not. Is lack of a sauna a deal breaker? No, but considering all the other issues I believe there are better options available in the area.

5. General lack of empowerment for employees. Let me be clear the employees are very kind, courteous, and I truly believe want to be helpful however they do not appear to have the tools or support they'd need to actually be helpful beyond the most basic surface level service. If you have any issue that requires attention beyond what is offered up front you will be out of luck. Can you have a good stay here? Absolutely! Just know going in that you are alone with any issues large or small.

6. The wifi in rooms appears to be universally slow or unstable on the 15th floor. Could be different on other floors but if the rest of the hotel is any indication they likely haven't made any investment in maintaining or upgrading this equipment.

I've probably stayed over 60 nights at this location and have had some...

Disappointing Stay – Definitely Not Worth the Hype or Price

Update: Front desk staff Nguyen and one more are extremely rude and far from what you would expect from a hotel in the Prime city centre area. Even upon checking out our experience was blemished by poor customer service.

Thursday afternoon, 20 March 2025, in Singapore — my wife spontaneously suggested a weekend trip to Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate our 1-year anniversary. I wasn’t entirely convinced, having heard that the city doesn’t quite match the charm of places like Danang — which, in my opinion as a Singaporean, is the best city in Southeast Asia.

Still, I went along with the plan and booked this hotel, thinking it would offer a great experience. It’s located in a prime area, adjacent to all the luxury brand boutiques — Rolex, Chanel, Fendi and more — so naturally, I expected a certain standard. Unfortunately, my stay was marred from the moment we checked in.

At reception, I politely requested a room upgrade (which I had already seen was available online). The front desk told me they couldn’t accommodate the request because they had already “prepared” the room for our anniversary — which turned out to be nothing more than a pair of towel swans and some rose petals. I could tell she could have gone above and beyond but her reasoning was disappointing. Not judging cos I got what I paid for.. Any extra is purely up to their discretion. But Honestly, who would choose those towel swans over a proper room upgrade?

It didn’t get much better after that. One evening, I asked the staff for directions to Bui Vien Walking Street — a popular and well-known destination in HCM according to Google. They confidently pointed me in the opposite direction of what Google Maps showed. I assumed perhaps they knew a faster or local route, so I followed their advice. Big mistake. I ended up walking much farther than necessary, only to realize they had sent me the completely wrong way. It was a waste of time and energy especially having to walk back (past the hotel) with my starving wife and another frustrating reminder of the lack of attention to detail here.

Now it’s our second day — as I type this at 12:46pm, I’m sitting at the pool. I came by about 30 minutes ago with a a few small beers from my room — just five cans, nothing excessive — and asked politely for a bucket of ice to chill them. To my surprise, I was told I wasn’t allowed to bring my own drinks and must order from the pool bar instead.

Nowhere in the hotel or pool area is this rule clearly stated. And in all my travels, I’ve never experienced such a rigid policy, especially at a hotel where I’m in a prime location (think Orchard Rd in SG). I wasn’t causing a scene, just trying to enjoy a quiet drink by the pool — and yet I was treated more like a rule-breaker than a guest.

They first brought a small mug of ice, which I politely rejected — then they came back with a bucket. As I’m typing this, I haven’t touched either, my beers are sheltered under my pool towel (which I truly hope is my entitlement). It didn’t feel sincere, it felt like they only brought it because I mentioned I would write this review. (Hi Mr. Long)

The entire experience left me feeling frustrated, disappointed, and honestly, a bit embarrassed. For a hotel that positions itself as a top-tier destination in such a high-end location, this was a very underwhelming experience. From misguided directions to inflexible service and a lack of basic hospitality, it fell far short of expectations — especially for such a special occasion.

Note to future travelers: If you’re expecting service to match the hotel’s luxury surroundings, prepare to be disappointed. For the price and location, there are likely better options elsewhere in Ho Chi Minh City — or even better, consider...

(Updated July 21, 2024)

Excellent staff and location; still awaiting changes on environmental protection

I have stayed at several Liberty hotels over the past 4.5 years in Ho Chi Minh City (sometimes weekly), and the staff are consistently excellent. They are genuinely kind, attentive, and responsive in managing needs and challenges.

Most recently, I want to call out several staff in the kitchen who ensured our dining experience was optimal. They include Duong, Binh, Tien, Thao, Quang, Thuong, Nhu, and Nhat Thao, and in the Executive Lounge, Tuan, Duyen, and Dung. In addition, Ms. Katie at the Front Desk helped send an item I forgot in my room via Grab to a cafe near the airport when I left. Such fantastic support deserves to be recognized@

Previously I also called out several staff: Tuan who manages the Executive Lounge, and Khanh Linh, Nguyen, Duyen, Minh, Tran, Thao, and Nhut at reception. They never fail to provide phenomenal support.

Regarding environment protection, Vietnam is rapidly trying to address pollution and plastic waste. The Liberty chain has not yet adjusted to global standards. The rooms offer two small single-use plastic water bottles and all shampoos and body washes come in single-use plastic containers.

As someone who travels to several provinces a year in Vietnam, I have noted hotels with fewer stars in less wealthy provinces provide glass bottles of water that can be refilled, and pump bottles in the showers and at the sink for soap, conditioner, and body wash. I have included photos from several other hotels in Vietnam. These include the Intercontinental, the Sheraton, the Melia, L'Ayla at Ninh Van Bay, Mia Resort, The Six Senses resorts, all Novotel locations, all Muong Thanh hotels, and several more.

I wrote to management at Liberty nearly 2.5 years ago and they said they would consider their options. But despite the follow-up from management 11 months ago (below), the rooms still have plastic one-use bottles as of July 2025.

As a chain of substantial size in Ho Chi Minh City, Liberty has the opportunity to set an example by meeting global standards. The hotel likely serves hundreds, perhaps over 1,000 customers daily across their chains. Their deeper consideration for the environment could potentially reduce significant amounts of waste and plastic that are polluting our oceans and will affect the health outcomes of generations to come.

The first two photos below are from Liberty (showing the plastic single-use bottles for shower liquids, and the plastic water bottles in the rooms which they recently changed to Aquafina).

The remaining photos are from other hotels in Vietnam that have...