Sofitel Saigon Plaza — Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Usually a big fan of Accor properties in South east Asia however unfortunately this hotel let me down quite a bit. For a price that is at least double, if not triple per night compared to most hotels in Saigon I was expecting a fair bit more.

Upon check in there was a huge hold made on my card which was a fair bit more the total cost of the stay. This “deposit” wasn’t explained properly and to make it worse I got a reminder on the 7th day of my stay that I needed to redo the deposit. Here I was thinking staying at a hotel for ten consecutive nights would reduce the need to do such processes however the protocols around deposits here were not only confusing but felt unnecessary and absurdly high for a credit card hold. This was repeated at check out which took far too long and was made confusing by the previous deposits. 4 different holds to my card.

Elevators: as other guests have said - 3 elevators for 200 rooms is not sufficient. Especially considering how slow the lifts are at this hotel.

Background music: A lot of work needs to be done to the background music at this hotel. Firstly the music throughout the lobby and lifts was extremely repetitive. I counted hearing APT at least 8 times in one day. Great song but doesn’t need to be played that often. Separate to the above during breakfast there was an issue with the background music in which two songs were being played at once and one of the playlists even ran through a Spotify free account (I know this because there were ads being played) - not sure if the professionalism of a hotel using free versions of Spotify for BGM playback.

The pool - this could do with an upgrade. The loungers were of 2 star hotel standard and felt like they needed a bit of TLC same with the tables and chairs at the pool bar and the clutter of random objects in the corner of the rooftop.

The rooms - pretty disappointing really. The lighting in the room was dark and was through lamps only. The room smelled of mildew most of the stay and the bathroom light flickered when turning it on. The toilet buttons stayed down when pressed. Really things that shouldn’t be an issue at a 5 star hotel.

The staff overall were friendly especially at the breakfast which was a highlight however I felt they could have had some differentiation in the menu. Every single day over 10 days they had the same items throughout the buffet with the exception of changing soup offering every two days. Again I’ve stayed at two star hotels who change up their breakfast menu more often.

If you’re looking for an Accor hotel I would personally choose the Hotel Des Arts around the corner which has upgraded and modern rooms.

The barber was amazing in the hotel and so was the suit shop however these businesses are not run by the...

Sofitel Saigon Plaza Sofitel Saigon Plaza is a wonderful hotel! We had the most delightful experience over four nights at this iconic hotel in Ho Chi Minh City where we were made so welcome from the moment we arrived in the beautiful air conditioned foyer, a grand and beautifully presented space.

The hotel is so convenient to all the major points of interest we were able to walk to the sites we wished to visit each day during our stay.

On our arrival we were taken to the eighteenth floor where, as ACCOR Diamond members, we were made very welcome by the fabulous staff in the Millesime Lounge, a beautiful space where we spent many happy times enjoying quiet breakfasts, afternoon tea and evening drinks and canapés.

As we had arrived early on our first day, we had no expectations of our room being ready, but the wonderful staff who were looking after us had arranged an upgrade and an early check in. Within half an hour of our arrival we were taken to our room on the sixteenth floor overlooking the bustling city with a wonderfully comfortable king sized bed and all ammenities we needed for a very comfortable stay. Many thanks to the fabulous house keeping staff who kept our room so beautifully made up each day.

It has always been our contention that it is the staff who make a stay so memorable, and this is another example. There are so many people we would like to thank for making us feel so welcome. Please forgive any names we have missed but we would like to say a special thanks to Huong (who had marvellous suggestions of places to visit), Evelyn, Zoe, Tram, Anna, Bao and Marcus who are all such delightful people and who looked after us so kindly in the Millesime Lounge along with the fabulous chefs, Hau and Tien.

We must also mention Tao, Bao and the other kindly wait staff at Le 17, where we enjoyed an excellent dinner and thank them for their kindness organising a special cake to celebrate our anniversary.

A special mention to Thy Trang as well for her help finding gluten free foods for breakfast in the Mezz on our first morning.

The provision of an early check in on our arrival was surpassed with our being offered a late checkout of 4:00 pm which was so greatly appreciated.

The Sofitel Saigon Plaza is an excellent place to stay if traveling to Ho Chi Minh City. It is a hotel that takes great care of all its guests and has made our stay in Vietnam an unforgettable experience.

A final touch as we left was the meeting with Eban one of the executive management team who came to the lounge as we were preparing to leave, to wish us well and to thank us for choosing the Sofitel for our stay. Such a kind gesture and very much...

Having recently reached ALL Platinum status for the first time, we had very high expectations of the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, however - especially considering the steep price - the hotel was quite a disappointment:

I was e-mailed in advance about preferences (pretty good start!): since I had 2 separate stays, I asked them to be linked, and about the possibility of an early check in. This resulted in an upsell attempt for 60$/night for club access during the second booking (even though that is complimentary for Platinum members, I basically paid too much for the first booking). After some back and forth, combining the two stays and the early check-in have been noted.

Surprise at our arrival at 13:10 for check in: "standard check-in time is 14:00" - and the stays were not linked either. No upgrade was given, instead, we received a room by the elevator (at around 14:10). Great loyalty recognition. Not.

Since it was New Year during our stay, we had been looking forward to watching the fireworks from the rooftop pool. However, the rooftop was closed for guests on New Year's Eve, it would have been necessary to buy extra tickets for 1.000.000 VND for a countdown party held there (one glass of wine included).

1st evening happy hour in the club lounge: No seat in club available, then seated at the very back, last beverage ordered never arrived.

2nd morning at breakfast on 2nd floor: asked by hostess "Do you have a table?" (I did not know the intention of a question like that - probably no availability - but my answer to that question can only be "I certainly hope I do").

2nd evening happy hour: sea bass no longer available.

4th evening happy hour: spring rolls no longer available, second beverage never arrived.

All 4 evenings, same menu for happy hour.

Not a single person wished Happy New Year.

Hardly necessary to mention: Shampoo in the shower shoots all over the place, the wardrobe door in front of the in-room safe was not sliding smoothly.

The rooftop pool is very nice, however the service there is very slow or not happening at all. Only house wine and one brand of beer (as well as non alc) provided as welcome drinks.

Only two consistently good impressions: housekeeping (especially turndown service) and the very attentive girl in the French outfit at breakfast.

Don't get me wrong: in general, it is a nice hotel. But there are many flaws that are unacceptable for the luxury hotel price...