Here are my impressions of the Park Hyatt Saigon:
I booked my 3-night stay at Park Hyatt Saigon via Bilt’s Home Away from Home (Virtuoso), where I utilized my $200 Bilt Palladium credit and added another $100 credit using Bilt Cash.
Check-in: Very much standard. It was a short wait to check in, but it was quick and professional.
Room: I received an upgrade to a 1-King Garden View, which I was told is quieter (since it’s away from the street). The room was very nice, and certainly comfortable for myself.
Breakfast: Breakfast was held at Opera, the Italian restaurant at the hotel. The big difference I noticed was how much busier it was at the restaurant compared to either Capella (no surprise considering the PH is a much bigger hotel). As pretty much standard, there was a very large buffet, and an a la carte menu available. I kept it simple and ordered omelets both mornings, and snacked on a bit of fruit.
Dining: I visited a couple of the venues at the hotel.
Square One - The signature French/Vietnamese restaurant. They do provide set French and Vietnamese menus, but I decided to mix it up and order a Vietnamese starter (the mango and crab salad), and French entrees (duck breast) and dessert (chocolate soufflé). Everything there was delicious, and well worth the use of the $100 Bilt credit.
2 Lam Son - The martini bar at the hotel. I stopped by my last night for a nightcap. Only stayed for one drink. The atmosphere felt very much hostess bar. While I didn’t stop there, the Park Lounge outside had live music and quite a few more people sitting there.
Service: Great overall, especially at Square One. Not as impressive as either Capella, but certainly met the Park Hyatt standard.
Overall: I had a very nice luxury stay at the Park Hyatt, and its location in District 1 puts you close to many of the tourist spots in Ho Chi Minh City. While I would certainly recommend staying here if you’re interested (and if you’re trying to work on Hyatt nights), but I’d also consider other hotels for my next visit to HCMC.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HF664yTcjM6J37Do7
I sense your 'difference in enthusiasm' compared to the Capella stays. At least, that duck and souffle looked worthwhile!
When it came to booking this, it seems cash rates were the better option than points redemptions. I see that the average cash rate is closer to $300/night and the average points-per-night is about 20K (so 1.5 cents per point, not great, not terrible). I suppose if you had the B$300 to burn, then using their platform to get the additional $100 property credit turned what would have been a $900 out-of-pocket down to about $500 net, plus any additional incidentals on-site. That's pretty good for 3 nights at a 5-star hotel, even in SE Asia.
I have not made it to Ho Chi Minh yet, but would like to visit. If not the Park Hyatt Saigon, where else would you recommend staying there? I see there's The Reverie (on Amex FHR); Vinpearl, a hotel within the tallest building there, Landmark 81 (part of Marriott's Autograph Collection); a JW, a Hilton, etc. The going rates seem to be about $200-300/night for most of the higher-end options. (Of course, for something more luxurious, I see there's a Six Senses at the nearby Con Dao island, but you'd need to take a short domestic flight there...)
@1990_ yeah, the Park Hyatt is really nice, but there’s nothing that made it especially memorable. Coming from Capella Hanoi, pretty much any hotel was going to be a letdown.
I had thought about Vinpearl, but with it being mt first trip to HCMC I wanted to be more central. Maybe I’ll consider that my next visit (the prices actually seemed reasonable with Bonvoy points).