When Bad Hotels Happen to Good People

Stop Five Hanoi,  25/04/2015 - 31/05/2015
Written by Her

Despite our effortless travels around the rest of Vietnam, our arrival in Hanoi did not go quite as smoothly as we had hoped. It was bound to happen at some stage. In truth, we blame those who jeered with talk of champagne backpacking for Jinxing us! You know who you are!

The most important hotel on our trip was the one we had pre-booked for our 8 week stay in Hanoi. Despite hours of research, a string of good reviews and plenty of positive communication with the hotel manager prior to our arrival, disaster still struck when we arrived in Hanoi. We had arranged a car with our would-be hotel to collect us from the airport and take us the 1 hour journey to the centre of Hanoi. All went without a hitch until we were dropped at a completely different hotel...

Our bags thrown out on the ground and, through broken English, we were told there was no room at the hotel we booked. We would in fact be spending the night at their sister hotel. Although wholly unimpressed, we were too tired to argue so we spent the night in a room complete with a rock hard bed, sewage stench and at least one inquisitive gecko! The next morning, after a lack luster breakfast of jelly and fruit, we were transferred to the hotel we had actually booked.

Our chosen hotel (which shall remain nameless), is advertised as a 3 star hotel in the centre of the Old Quarter. The online pictures show airy rooms with large windows, some with balconies, large double beds and luxurious bathrooms. The hotel has a restaurant, an onsite bank machine and a buffet breakfast. We had booked a superior room with a/c, modern décor, en suite, minibar and, to top it off, an in-room laptop & DVD player. Sounds great for an 8 week stay!

While we had been warned, we had not yet experienced the fact that some Vietnamese hotel pictures online can often be a far cry from the real deal. When we were shown to our room, you can’t imagine our disappointment. Constructed from some kind of prefab material and located on the very top floor of the building the room was VERY hot. The wallpaper was peeling, the bathroom was tiny, damp and had the dirtiest looking shower I’d ever seen. 

The sockets sparked when we plugged in the laptop. When we moved the pillows at the head of the bed we found holes in the wall with exposed wiring. The window was tiny which only matched the tiny size of the room. Worst of all, there were insects roaming freely around the top of the desk, lockers and minibar area. We killed 8 between us without denting their population! 

Needless to say we immediately asked to be moved or upgraded but were told that the hotel was full. Unfortunately for us this was the week of Reunification celebrations, a national holiday in Vietnam and thus incredibly busy. We spent a couple of hours in the room trying to convince ourselves everything would be fine before deciding that we would be insane to stay! We checked out there and then, paying for 2 nights. We are still in a battle with the hotel over the balance of the booking fee. Luckily for us, they did not have our credit card details - be mindful when you are booking!

After both researching online and walking the streets viewing countless tiny hotel rooms, we finally decided on a suitable alternative. At some added expense (totally worth it in hindsight) we checked into the Rising Dragon Legend Hotel  - almost directly across the road from our original hotel. We have been here ever since!

The Rising Dragon has a chain of Hotels in the Old Quarter. Ours is the newest, therefore the most modern and with the most amenities (It is central, has free wifi and its own laundry service). Admittedly it doesn't look very different from its competitors from the outside, it is excellent.

We have a decent room, small but perfectly functional with a nice en suite (including a rain shower head would you believe). We have a flat screen TV, minibar, daily house keeping and an amazing cooked breakfast of french toast, pancakes or pho each morning. Our room has only a tiny window (a lot of hotels in built up cities have no-window options which are slightly cheaper), but it is comfortable and most importantly its very clean - even to my standards!

As an added bonus, the staff are excellent. Young and enthusiastic, they have even helped us improve our Vietnamese by translating paragraphs and writing out verbs. They have also found us private guides, students to teach and, according to them - as long term guest we are considered the hotel's 'top priority'. What's more, it genuinely feels that way. Having viewed at least 14 other hotels in Hanoi, it seems we were incredibly lucky to have found our current address and we intend to stay here as long as our budget will allow!

Our Hanoi story has a happy ending but buyer beware. I've put together a list of tips that may help you in your hotel search (these apply anywhere in Vietnam): 

• Room prices are not fixed, always ask for a discount. 
  
• The price the hotel quotes you initially is never for the most basic room in the hotel - ask for that. 
• Try not to give out credit card details unless absolutely necessary. 
  
• Never choose a hotel based on the photos. Always read reviews, particularly the bad ones. 
• Most importantly - bring laminated copies of your passport that you can hand in to any hotel's reception. Every hotel we have stayed in has asked to keep our passport for the duration of the stay - we have found that everyone has been quite happy to take the laminated copy instead. It looks more official than a photocopy, it gives them peace of mind and allows you to hold on to your precious documents (same goes for renting a moto). 
• Try to have a hotel pre-booked when arriving to a new city (even if only for one night). We see countless backpackers wandering around, straining under the weight of their packs in the midday heat - generally in search of a hotel! In our opinion this can and should be easily avoided. 
  
• Pay in cash when you can. Most hotels charge a % fee for paying by card when your stay is up.

Happy Hunting!