After long bus ride into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from Pnom Phen, Cambodia, without a doubt I was looking forward to checking in to the InterContinental Asiana Saigon to kick back and relax before exploring Vietnam. After I made the initial reservation, I was able to make a successful BRG claim for my stay which was in a King Superior Deluxe corner room on the 14th floor.
The InterContinental Asiana Saigon ranks #4 out of 351 on Tripadvisor for best hotels in Ho Chi Minh City.
Location
The Intercontinental Asiana Saigon is centrally located within the business district of Ho Chi Minh city as well as some of the best high-end shopping, museums and close to many embassies.
You can get to the most essential areas by walking, but for about $2-3, you can get to any part of the city with a cab or Uber (Uber has recently started to service Ho Chi Minh City and actually costs less than using a street cab). I expected the street it was located on to be hectic, but traffic during the day was not as bad as in other areas of Vietnam, where crossing the street is impossible.
The exterior of the hotel is simple and looks like any other sky-rise office building in the area, but once you walk into the lobby you're greeted with elegant interior decor and a spacious lobby area. When you step in through the lobby doors, in front of you is the The Library lounge, to the left is a walkway leading to various shopping, and to the right is concierge, IHG Ambassador check-in and a restaurant.
There are two different check in areas in the lobby, one for IHG Ambassador members and one for all other check ins. I went ahead and checked in at the Ambassador desk and was informed that with my status I would be receiving several perks during my stay.
Having IHG Platinum Elite status came with the following benefits during this stay:
- Complimentary Wifi
- Laundry Service for 2 Garments
- Pressing Service for 2 Garments
- Welcome gift that included a fruit plate and a card
- Lounge access including free breakfast
I was also informed that I would be receiving an upgrade to a King Bed Superior Deluxe Room, however that was the room I had booked. When I mentioned that that was my original reservation to begin with she said that it was not as it was showing up as a non-superior Deluxe Room on her system. After I had a chance to check my reservation and saw that I was correct, I went back and told them of the mistake, but they insisted it was not showing up on their system however after seeing my confirmation email they decided to comp my Club Lounge access which was fine with me because we were given a corner room which had great views!
The rooms in the hotel are easily accessible with a set of elevators within the lobby area. From there you can access the gym, outdoor swimming pool and Club Lounge with a swipe of a room card.
The hallways leading to the rooms have beautiful photography of Vietnamese culture and everyday life.
King Bed Superior Deluxe Corner Room
When we walked into our room, we were greeted with a basket of fresh local fruit and a greeting card welcoming us for our stay in Ho Chi Minh City as well as a fully stocked mini-fridge.
The room had simple decor with earthy hues in the color scheme and because a lot of white was used, it made the room feel very airy, clean and spacious. The large floor to ceiling windows also helped make the room feel less boxy and since we are a here during rainy season, we had quite the lightening show that lasted for a few hours on and off.
By being on the 14th floor, we had a spectacular view of the city and had a chance to get a good look of the cityscape of Ho Chi Minh City. Certainly not a bad way to say good morning to Vietnam!
The king size bed was very comfortable and cozy (with the air conditioning blasting) even though the temperature outside was hot, humid, and wet. The nightstand had an iPhone/iPod Speaker dock with radio and the hanging lamps above that worked as great accent lighting.
There was also a flat screen TV with wireless speakers that functioned as a DVD and Blue Ray player if you wanted to watch a movie. If you really wanted to, you can lounge on the recliner to watch a movie, but the bed was much for comfortable.
There is a glass desk which is connected to a wooden credenza with a storage unit that you can lock up; we were not given a key for it, but I assume it's available upon request.
The closet space was a good size and had 3 areas---two available to hang clothes and a third one which houses an electronic safe, iron, slippers and laundry bags.
The bathroom was also quite spacious and bright with a separate walk-in shower and bathtub and also a long vanity area as well.
The spacious walk-in shower included a rain shower head which was nice and relaxing. It was nice to stay in a luxury hotel for once that did't have a window between the bathroom and bedroom!
The bathtub was large which was nice, but it's position made it impossible to use the vanity area for anything except for placing towels on.
The Lounge & Breakfast
The Club Lounge at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon is on the 19th floor with an even better view of the city than from our corner room. There are four different areas where you can sit back and relax with a cup of tea, coffee, soda, beer or cocktails with delicious snacks.
The Club Lounge was absolutely solid at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon. Every day from noon to 2 p.m. the lounge offers afternoon tea with tasty bite-sized treats like eclairs, macaron, and tarts as well as savory canapés and local foods.
For cocktail hour, which begins at 4 p.m. you can order from a selection for beverages from beer, wine, mixed drinks, fruit drinks and sodas. The canapés during this time vary from seafood spring rolls, shrimp cocktails, pasta, quiche, bite-size bahn mi, dim sum, locals specialities, salad, fresh fruit and a selection of desserts.
I really enjoyed that they mixed up the type of food they offered in the Club Lounge because we had the chance to sample food we have not had before. Oftentimes it seems like you are only offered western style canapés, but most of what was available at the Club Lounge was Asian Fusion, though not necessarily traditional Vietnamese.
For breakfast, we had the option of either dining in the Club Lounge for continental breakfast or to dine in the downstairs restaurant, Market 39. As suggested by the desk agent we decided to go with Market 39 which is a buffet style restaurant with both Vietnamese/Asian fusion food and western food including sushi rolls, pho, omelets, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juices, and just so much more. One part I loved was that they would bring you fresh baby coconut juice still in the shell!
The Pool and Gym
The InterContinental Asiana Saigon has a gym with several tread mills, ellipticals, free weights and circuit machines. Normally I don't use hotel gyms that often, but hitting the gym after a week of long bus rides was a great way to reset. The treadmills all have iPod docs, but for older version iPods and they also have TV monitors which air several channels including BBC, CNN and Discovery Channel.
There is a glass wall looking out to the swimming pool from the gym, which can be a bit awkward if you're swimming because the swimming pool also has a glass sidewall. Though it can make for some awesome photo opportunities. The swimming pool is open until 9 pm and it may be tough getting a swim in during rainy season, but water is water so as long as there isn't a lightening storm, then why not right?
The Bottom Line on the InterContinental Asiana Saigon
My stay at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon from start to finish was very solid and thoroughly enjoyable. The room was exceptionally comfortable and new with nice finishes, with my favorite part being the view. The property itself in on par with among the nicest interContinental hotels and I would recommend anyone staying here during a visit to Ho Chi Minh City.
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