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MicheleT866

Sydney

2036

Nice rooms but book train tickets & tours elsewhere

Name: Nice rooms but book train tickets & tours elsewhere
Item: Hanoi House Hostel & Travel
Rating: 3
Author: MicheleT866

Review of Hanoi House Hostel & Travel

Reviewed November 28, 2012

We recently spent 5 nights at Hanoi Guesthouse & are still not sure why this place is ranked so highly. Upon arrival the receptionist questioned why we would want to stay 5 nights in Hanoi as "there is not much to see" & suggested we take a tour to see "some of her country". We explained one night does not suit us as we were in Hanoi for photography & wanted to get to know her city better. She offered us complimentary breakfast & the chance to freshen up. After breakfast we were told our room was not available as the current guests had a sick baby & couldn't leave. We were shipped off to another hotel where the rooms were nothing like we had booked & paid for. Of course the sick baby excuse may have been legitimate but we have since heard Hanoi Guesthouse overbooks rooms with the intention of referring you elsewhere. When we were finally allocated our room back at Hanoi Guesthouse, it was spacious, clean & situated at the back of the building, so was quiet. No complaints there. We were not happy that every time we walked past reception we were asked what we were doing & had we thought anymore about booking tours. The reception staff kept warning us about scams with booking tours & train tickets with other companies but then proceeded to overcharge us on our return train tickets to Sapa....We recently spent 5 nights at Hanoi Guesthouse & are still not sure why this place is ranked so highly.

Upon arrival the receptionist questioned why we would want to stay 5 nights in Hanoi as "there is not much to see" & suggested we take a tour to see "some of her country". We explained one night does not suit us as we were in Hanoi for photography & wanted to get to know her city better. She offered us complimentary breakfast & the chance to freshen up. After breakfast we were told our room was not available as the current guests had a sick baby & couldn't leave. We were shipped off to another hotel where the rooms were nothing like we had booked & paid for. Of course the sick baby excuse may have been legitimate but we have since heard Hanoi Guesthouse overbooks rooms with the intention of referring you elsewhere.

When we were finally allocated our room back at Hanoi Guesthouse, it was spacious, clean & situated at the back of the building, so was quiet. No complaints there.

We were not happy that every time we walked past reception we were asked what we were doing & had we thought anymore about booking tours. The reception staff kept warning us about scams with booking tours & train tickets with other companies but then proceeded to overcharge us on our return train tickets to Sapa. Hanoi Guesthouse recommended TSC even though we requested beds on Livitran (following good reviews). The receptionist made several calls (or did she?) & then told us that there were only 2 beds left on TSC (we found out later that beds were available on Livitran as they emailed us following an earlier enquiry). We were charged $90 each return (inc booking fee). The TSC website quotes the price as $70 return. This means that Hanoi Guesthouse charged a $20 booking fee per return ticket. Quite excessive I think. When we questioned HG they gave a number of excuses including the fee is the high season price. A fellow passenger in our cabin paid only $64 though (inc booking fee).

If you choose to stay with Hanoi Guesthouse we suggest you book train tickets / tours elsewhere. We are disappointed as we trusted HG especially seeing they themselves warn you about scams.More

Date of stay: November 2012

Dear Guest,

We are glad to hear that you are pleased with the quality of our guest room. We sincerely apologize that we have failed to impress you with train ticket service. Please allow us to explain about the difference of train ticket price:

The first reason: It is the peak season at the time you booked the ticket, moreover those ticket has been booked close to the departure date => we had to book the ticket via intermediary agent (the tickets were sold out in the company) so the price is more expensive than regular price and you have also been informed of this before booking the tickets by our staff.

The second reason: We were suggested by our previous Guests reasonably that the pick up and drop off service from hotel to the train station and return is really necessary for Guests to avoid any trouble, any inconvenience for our Guests so this reasonable suggestion is applied on all train ticket bookings booked with our hotel. In this case, the price you paid is not only for the train ticket but also included the pick up & drop off service (from our hotel to the train station and return - 2 ways). In addition, we had staff escorted you every time to make sure you have a smooth journey. Unfortunately our staff did not explain to you clearly before booking the ticket so you did not know the pick up and drop off service are included in the price. We sincerely apologize for the negligence of the staff did not explain a particular way so made the inconvenience caused but this experience has been passed to all staff from now onwards that it’s a mandatory to consult Guests' opinion if they would require to pay this service separately to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings occur again.

Please rest assured that our most concern is your satisfaction. We always try our best to work hard day and night how to bring our Guests as the best service as possible because we deeply understand that our existence absolutely depend on your satisfaction.

Thank you so much for your valuable time to read our reply.

We look forward to welcoming you again in the near future.

Your faithfully
Hanoi Guesthouse Team

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amokaddict

Barcelona, Spain

3515

Reviewed November 27, 2012

Big and comfortable room

The staff was nice and the room big and comfortable (we had the honeymoon suite). Some of the lights were not working and the wifi signal was poor, but in general the room was ok and good value. Breakfast was good although the room where we had it was not to big and we saw other guest waiting in the morning (so if you'd be in a hurry because you are leaving, try to be the first one there!). Anyway, the room was nice and we enjoyed our experience there.
Restaurant Tip: Go and try the bia hoy! (there are many street places around the Guest House)

Date of stay: November 2012

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sp_my_sg

Singapore, Singapore

Reviewed November 26, 2012

Good hotel with friendly staff

The taxi pick-up from airport is smooth. We were welcomed by a refreshing drink upon arrival.
Discussed and finalized a Bai Tu Long Bay trip (since several recommended operators for Halong Bay trip were fully booked) at the travel desk. The staff (a young lady who's already a mother of two!) was very attentive and patience on every possible choice for the cruise.
The special deco in the room was a big surprise!
Breakfast was OK, a food and a drink per pax which is sufficient to me.
Location is superb, with the "best food at cheapest price" NewDay restaurant just few steps opposite it.
Though we didn't get additional night of stay (readers, please book earlier as this hotel is quite famous), the staff arranged another hotel which picked us up after the BTL Bay trip at no extra charge.
Generally, a decent hotel that will enrich your Hanoi experience!

Date of stay: November 2012

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j_lifer

Singapore, Singapore

73127

Reviewed November 25, 2012

Disappointed

To start things off, I think the guesthouse have a few locations? Anyway, the one we stayed at was on Ma May street. Location is the only best thing about this Guesthouse.

I was actually recommended by friends to stay at Hanoi Guesthouse. We reached late in the evening and only intended for a place to stay the night, hence, we booked a standard room. It was the smallest room ever, ever. To be fair, it was really cheap and the other room categories might be nicer and bigger - I have no idea. My friend who recommended raved about the staff of the hotel but I feel that they are a bit pushy for sales. Ala carte breakfast (only 1 choice) was also so-so.

The highlight of the stay was actually the Yin & Yang restaurant opposite the Guesthouse. They serve the BEST pho ever especially the wine stew beef pho.

Room tip: Just don't book the standard room.

Date of stay: November 2012

Ask j_lifer about Hanoi House Hostel & Travel

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Dear Guests,

Thank you for your recent visit Hanoi Guesthouse.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the disappointment you experienced with regards to the room that was small with you. We are truly sorry that we missed the opportunity to create a positive experience for you on this occasion. Actually, there are different types of room to suit different Guests need. We hope to have another opportunity to offer you the more suitable room.

We were particularly concerned to read of your comments with regards to breakfast menu. In fact, there are more than 20 choices included food and drinks for breakfast menu (Complimentary breakfast) and Guests are welcome to order more than one. It is regretful that you did not let us know your require.

We are looking forward to welcoming you back!

Your faithfully
Hanoi Guesthouse Team.

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Maurice C

Taree, Australia

8593

Reviewed November 25, 2012

Real treat of high western standard at great price.

We were surprised with the room quality and friendly staff - better than expected. Nice big rooms with great street views, complementary breakfast, clean bathroom.
Has luggage storage for free and laundry service for a few dollars. Can arrange tours of Vietnam - no problem, and they had a car at the airport with our name card to meet us. Made our Hanoi experience above our expectations.

Date of stay: November 2012

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SARA O

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Reviewed November 24, 2012

Don't stay anywhere else

We started with a bit of trouble as Lonely Planet had their old address listed. We were supposed to be picked from the airport by them but we could not find the driver. Once we finally got to Hanoi Guesthouse (on 85 Ma May) all our troubles melted away. The staff greets you immediately with a welcome drink. They apologized so many times about not being able to find our diver.
We booked the honeymoon suite as a joke and it was only $9 more than the other rooms. They decorated the bed with rose petals and teddy bears! We also had a large bathroom and patio. Not sure about the other rooms but this was great. No need worry about street noise as Hanoi shuts down around 11.
They also helped us call our tour agent even though we had not booked through them directly.
Breakfast was included and if you got the veggie omlet you got your money's worth. It's nothing fancy but it does the trick
I would stay here again, if they have room, they seem to be quite busy!

Date of stay: November 2012

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Nice rooms but book train tickets... - Hanoi House Hostel & Travel

Nice rooms but book train tickets & tours elsewhere