Review: Park Hyatt Saigon

So did they provide gluten free items for high tea, and if so, were they tasty?

@ knlprez -- That was the plate I showed; I didn't try the little sandwich, since I didn't know what the non-wheat ingredients were, but the egg, prosciutto, etc. were good!

Nice review, and it makes me miss my Hyatt globalist status. You mentioned that the suite upgrade was because of status, and so I take that to mean no upgrade cert was needed?

@tiffany Thanks for the update! Looked great, and always nice to see establishments cater to diet requirements!

Hi Tiffany,

Really looking forward to this series. I'm always excited to read your stories.

FYI, food poisoning almost never is from the last thing you ate. It could be from the meal before the one where you felt sick or from anything in the days prior.

Here is a chart from the FDA showing how long it will take to see symptoms for each type of stomach bug: https://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm103263.htm

I agree, this is one of my favorites! You're so right that the rooms don't photograph all that well but much better in person. Overall, such a great experience!

Nice... I am currently booked for a 3 night stay at this hotel for our winter break trip. In my case the cash rate was $270 a night plus tax and fees so I redeemed points and upgraded it to a suite using my globalist suite award. This will be followed by a 4 night stay at Hyatt Nam Nghi Phu Quoc Island which I booked using the prestige 4th night free benefit. What's unique about this hotel was that the 2 bedroom ocean view suite was considered as a standard suite so I was able to upgrade into that using a suite cert. I am still wondering if that was a glitch (Hotel barely started accepting reservation when I booked it last year) but I gladly took it and ran.

@Tiffany was the wine provided of good quality and I guess you did not have any of the wine because of a lack of time to enjoy it (the Champagne afternoon tea reminded me of my time at the Ritz Carlton London and this setup could give them a run for their money).

@ Erica T -- Oh for sure. In this case, I'd label it more as "general upset" than "food poisoning", but that 1-6 hours for "Unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated meats, potato and egg salads, cream pastries" also sounds about right.

@ Jimmy Gottfredson -- The suite upgrade was a combo of the Privé rate and the Globalist status; I'm not sure if having only one would have resulted in the same suite, but I didn't use a cert here.

@ tjp74 -- Sounds like a great trip! Nam Nghi review should be up on Sunday or Monday, but that's not a glitch. 🙂

@ Stanley -- It wasn't a wine I was familiar with, so without having tried it I unfortunately can't answer that. It was too late when we got in the first night, the second night we all felt too poorly, and then it was WAY too hot on our last day to consider mid-day red wine.

I stayed in the same suite using my free night certificate back in March. It was indeed not photographed well, but it was really really nice. I also like their key card!

Hi Tiffany,

What about local food in nearby local restaurant or street food such as pho, banh xeo, bun bo hue, bun riew, nem nuong, etc.

Did you have a chance to try these local food?

I was there about a month ago and had a similarly lovely time. Will be back in a few months (thanks to the Cathay Vietnam-US fares; I chose Saigon as my starting/ending city).

As a globalist, I was upgraded to the same suite as Tiffany--without using an instrument. My friend on a guest of honor booking got a larger king room, but not a suite.

@ Tiffany, not sure if they did this for you, but did they wheel around that little cart at the pool and make the cocktails right in front of you? We thought it was charming!

@Tiffany thanks for the reply. I understand. One does need to be in the mood to enjoy wine. Hopefully, the Champagne was good.

PH still looks in top condition, but it seems the last renovation took place in 1995. Those bathrooms are Sheratons....

The Reverie Saigon is where people who know where to stay go for.
You wouldn't regret.

I stayed here about a year ago and it’s probably the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. I was also able to get in before Hyatt changed their cash+points prices so it was a solid points value at the time. Glad you enjoyed it. I’m dying to go back.

I really enjoyed my stay there last year. The breakfast buffet was great. In particular, the croissants were excellent. On par with any croissant I’ve had in France or Quebec.

Hi Tiffany,

Thank you for a great review. Just a quick question regarding the price for tea. If I am understanding correctly, that says 950 Vietnamese Dong for two? Obviously, prices in Vietnam are definitely much less than in N. America however I would think that they would raise the prices in the hotel due to the majority of foreigners staying there?

@Matthew it's 950,000 Dong

Thanks for this review Tiffany. I am planning a trip to Vietnam next year, was the weather muggy at this time of the year?

Thanks for the memories, one of which I will share!

I stayed at this property (PH Saigon) during my 2012 Year-end Asian Escapade. I arrived just before New Year's eve and got sick like a dog -- a bad case of influenza. The next day, I loaded myself with pills and decided to just sit outside in that "theoretically outdoor seating" that no one seems to be using now, but was quite popular back then. I requested blankets to bundle up on reclining sun lounger, even though it was hot and sunny, but it felt good. In the evening, still in the same place, one of restaurant waiters came out to ask me if I wanted anything to eat. I must have looked awful because before I responded he said that he knew exactly what I needed! He disappeared and returned with a mildly spicy-hot seafood-based soup, half a baguette loaf and hot tea. He helped me prop up to eat then left. That is when it happened. With just my first spoonful of the soup, my whole body suddenly felt very warm; then as I ate more of the soup I got progressive warmer and then outright hot and started to sweat so profusely I was completely drenched when I finished the soup. But the amazing thing was that after the soup, I had right there and then quite LITERALLY sweated out the nasty bug that had sidelined me since I arrived!

Was it just a coincidence or was I given a miracle potion? I have no idea, but the waiter was sure it was the latter. I thanked him with a huge tip, went to my room to clean up and change, came back downstairs and hit the bar-end of the 'tearoom', before going outside in the hot weather to join the year-end festivities that were by then in full swing, with Chinese-made moppets and motorbikes all over the place!

A truly memorable experience. It's been so long I am toying with the idea of including Ho Chi Mihn City in next year's Escapade, but I would for sure stay at the new Hilton Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, which is scheduled to open in Q4 2019. Back in 2012, Hilton had no presence in Vietnam, not even in Hanoi. Several Hilton hotels are now scheduled to open in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang.

G'day!

Hi Tiffany,

First of all, love your new-ish headshot!

And thanks for the extensive review, it brought back many happy memories I have of this place. I stayed here about 5 years ago, was using a DSU and was further upgraded one suite category to a beautiful Executive Suite, which I believe was the same Suite type that you got. I see that the hotel has done some refurbishments and changed the carpet and furniture.

Also the breakfast! Wow, what a breakfast. Granted the selection wasn’t extensive but everything was high quality. And I really loved the made to order hot items from the separate menu. The staff actually encouraged us to try as many dishes as we’d like.

Thanks again for the review and I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

all that for 45$ per person? im assuming 99k vdog? seems like a good deal

@ Penny -- We had all of those (and more) throughout our trip, but not as many in Saigon because of feeling icky. We did go to a cute local restaurant that I can't remember the name of, but maybe @ Minh or @ David W do?

@ Matthew -- Yep, @ Kai is right, it's 950,000 Dong, which is I think reflective of the fact that there are many foreigners staying there. It's cheap for a hotel high tea, but pricey for Vietnam.

@ will -- It depends on the area. Saigon was hot but not painfully muggy, Hoi An was swelteringly damp, Hanoi was fine.

that does look really nice. I stayed at the Sedona Suites Grand Tower around the same time which has spectacular views and is similarly well-located. I was on the 40th floor in a very spacious 1 bedroom apartment. The place is only about a year old. But you definitely had a much better breakfast spread.

@Tiffany:
The upset stomach was probably from any ice. from any raw vegetables being rinsed off with water. Or even from brushing your teeth.

@Tiffany, thanks for another great review! It was great to see the “back of house” housekeeping and engineering teams acknowledged for their excellent work. Thanks too for describing the GF accommodation at tea.

I really enjoyed the Park Hyatt Saigon. I much prefer this style over the ultra modern versions like the Park Hyatt Bangkok. My Lam Son suite stay was in 2016. The decor is the same. Incidentally, Lam Son refers to the hotel address in Lam Son square which was named after a 15th century Vietnamese revolt against the Chinese and not to the disastrous military campaign in Laos by ARVN forces in the Vietnam War.

Nice review, Tiffany. I read it with interest, because I used to have an office in that building. Back during the Vietnam war, this building was called the Brinks BOQ (bachelor officers' quarters), housing American and some allied officers. The rooms were not quite as luxurious then 🙂

I visit Saigon once or twice a year. I have stayed at PH Saigon once. I love Park Hyatt's across the world; absolutely my favorite mainline loyalty hotel.

That said, I was not impressed. They put me in a super tiny room as a globalist, maybe because I was staying with another non globalist family group?

The breakfast is PATHETIC. Tiffany is very kind here with her mild comments about it. I love PH breakfast buffets... with a cost structure like Vietnam, this should be the best in the world, it is far from it. Park Hyatt + Asia should = awesome breakfast; it is not. Check out PH Bangkok if you want to see what a breakfast should be (higher cost structure btw)

The breakfast should be called PorkFest... it is all pork... cheap pork. The hotel is too cheap to buy some seafood or anything but pork. And it was just super crowded and hectic and when they get really busy they kick you to upstairs.

Is it a nice hotel? Yes it is, but vastly over-rated by the blogosphere. Great place to use your free night certificate... but I would not go out of my way to stay here. On a cash rate basis you should go over to the renaissance riverfront (Marriott), its quite nice.

Thanks for the great review (and pics), Tiffany! Haven't visited Vietnam yet but am already a fan of Hyatt, so if we ever visit Saigon, I know where we'll stay. 🙂

I love this hotel, and have stay many times. It is one of my favorite properties in the Hyatt portfolio. And I have no idea why DaKine would say the breakfasts are pathetic. They are quite wonderful, in my opinion. I have never had a bad experience yet at the PH Saigon and can't wait to go back again some time soon.

I have stayed there and had a great time. Loved the pool and afternoon tea. I thought the breakfast was fine, but I din’ Eat meat at breakfast. Lovely fruit and eggs. Did you stay at the Hyatt near Hoi An in Danang?

I had a very disappointing stay here in February;
The first room we got had a badly chipped bathtub and the walls were showing signs of big water leaks. Add to that, the room hadn’t been dusted or vacuum cleaned for a long time! We were then told the room was put “out of service” for repairs but somehow they still managed to allocate it to us. Good service recovery with a suite upgrade which was as good as Tiffany describes.
I found the breakfast to be one of the best I’ve had in hotels, but was very disappointed by the pool area. Lounger covers were in a bad state and staff were really not attentive. It left me with mixed feelings. I can see that if you only experience the bright side, it can be a fantastic hotel, but unfortunately we didn’t just get that.

@ Hong Konger. My googling indicates the Park Hyatt Saigon was built in 2005, and last renovated in 2015. It appears your info re last renovation in 1995 is incorrect, and it doesn't look like the hotel hasn't had a renovation in 24 years.

@mommatraveler: I hear you, it's a nice enough hotel... with the cost of labor in VN it should be amazing.

I went to breakfast for 3 days and said "what meat/breakfast can I eat that is not pork?" Never got answer to that because there was never anything but pork.

Because pork is super cheap... and fundamentally they are cheap people that own/run this hotel, so that is what they feed their guests.

Wow. The most detailed hotel review ever. Loved it. Thanks Tiffany.

@rick
I have no idea when it was built or renovated, It just looks very unimpressive for the timeless feel PH normally give. Felt like a Sheraton to me.

Better Colonial feel in Sofitel in Hanoi,
Raffles in PP,
and in HCMC i would choose for a first time American one of the following:
Rex, Continental, Majestic or Caravelle.

for true luxury, the Reverie, as mentioned in my original comment.

Hope you are trying the vietmanese iced coffee its great

Also highly recommend The Reverie! Pure opulence.

Interestingly, we stopped in at the Park Hyatt Saigon for afternoon tea one day a few years ago. I had tossed up whether to stay at the Park Hyatt, or at the HCMC Intercontinental Asiana. The decider was my status with IHG - so we could book a room knowing that we would be upgraded to a suite for our 5-day urban break.

We also got mild food poisoning. It's always difficult to blame a particular meal, but I had my suspicions it was from our afternoon tea at the Park Hyatt.

You can read a review of the Intercontinental Asiana room stay here: https://www.2paxfly.com/2016/02/16/intercontinental-asiana-staff-attention-make-it-a-little-gem-in-saigon/

And our Suite stay here: https://www.2paxfly.com/2016/10/10/not-all-hotels-are-the-same-intercontinental-saigon-the-second-time-around/

I'm not sure what happened to the person who kept commenting about the low quality pork at breakfast but there plenty of options. With the kitchen staff right there you could pretty much order whatever you wanted for breakfast. As long as they are not too busy they will make it for you. Both of their chicken and beef Pho noodles are quite good.

As for the Reverie hotel, sure it's great if you are into golden fixtures and staff who don't know left from right....

For your information - the hotel was built on the site of the BRINKS BACHELOR OFFICERS QUARTERS, not a hotel. There is a much overlooked plaque along side the driveway which commemorates the blowing up of the building by the NAV during the war.