Hanoi Lakeside Premium Hotel

TL;DR: The rooms are servicable for a budget price (c. £30-£35 per night), but the web listings and descriptions of a "luxury" experience feel misleading. We suggest checking the room you are assigned before handing over any money. We left a day early (due to concerns detailed below) but, had we not already paid for our full stay at check-in, we may have opted to stay elsewhere entirely. FULL REVIEW Airport Pickup: We were disappointed with the airport pickup add-on service, as we could not find anyone waiting for us upon arrival at the airport and had to call our contact multiple times before someone was directed to find us (the website described this service as "hassle free". The driver was also using their phone (on Instagram reels) throughout the trip. This service may not be operated directly by the hotel themselves; however, this is unclear on the website so we feel it is reasonable to note these issues here as they are advertising this to guests. Save yourself the hassle, and just use Grab. Room advertised/provided: We booked a "deluxe double/twin room" on the hotel website but were given a "deluxe studio apartment" upon arrival. Be aware that on Booking.com the hotel listing appear to use the same mix of photos for all room options, making it very unclear what the different room types are. 3 of the 71 Booking.com photos showed the type of room we were provided. The deluxe studio rooms are situated to the rear of the hotel and feature an unsual, long layout. In the bed area, they have a screen concealing a fire exit doors behind a mattress sat on a raised floor rather than a bed frame as shown in other rooms. This differs from the other rooms which are laid out like a conventional hotel room with a balcony, and a bed frame. The way we were provided a different type room than the one we were provided; the mix of room photos on booking.com; and the dubious use of terms like "luxury" and "sound proof" on the website, made us feel that we were misled about the kind of room we should expect. Safety concerns: In the first room we checked into, the fire door was unlocked and we were unable to lock it. This made us feel very unsafe, so we requested a different room that was like those shown in the majority of photos on booking.com. We were moved to another deluxe studio apartment. Thankfully the fire door did lock in this room, but the front door was a bit loose in its frame and was largely made from glass meaning a curtain needed to be drawn for privacy. Our concerns and noise (details below) led us to move to another hotel after our third night. Luggage storage before check-in: Upon arrival, there didn't seem to be a secure luggage room on the premises, and we were told to leave our luggage in the hallway of the hotel reception. We placed them behind the desk as the receptionist had gone elsewhere, and found them moved into the hallway when we returned later in the day. It seems quite poor for the hotel not to have a secure room to store luggage, and to expect customers to leave bags in a public area near the front of the hotel. Noise: It is very easy to hear noise coming from other floors, the elevators, and outside (despite the website describing all the rooms as "sound-proof"). We slept very poorly one night due to a dog whimpering loudly nearby. We appreciate that noise is not always avoidable in a busy city, but rooms should not be described as sound-proof. Staff: The redeeming quality of the hotel are the staff who were friendly and helpful. The rooms were acceptably clean, and we were offered to have the rooms cleaned each day. We found a cockroach after our first night, but the staff were apologetic about this and dealt with the issue right away. We had no further issues with cockroaches. Price: Overall, the hotel room itself was serviceable for the price we paid (c. £33 per night). Booking.com seems to suggest this price is a heavily discounted one, so be aware that the rooms do not justify a higher rate, in our opinion.

Stayed for one night. Was keeping my options open for my stay in Hanoi and after one night at this hotel I did move hotel for somewhere better and more comfortable. The staff are lovely, they make it. They’re very sweet and let me check in early which I was incredibly grateful for. However, the place is totally different from the photos, it’s a lot older in real life and needs a lot of sprucing up. It wasn’t very clean as well, I am fair haired but I was finding black hairs everywhere. The location is great in the city which is good. You have to walk through a massage parlour to get to your room which is a bit of a pain. Is not a normal hotel lobby. Also my room was on a floor where it was only my room on that floor and the space outside my room and infront of the elevator was very dirty. I could survive one night but think it should be half the price and wouldn’t be able to stay any longer.

Ok one thing you will quickly realize about booking.com is the actual and the reality in Vietnam are poles and I mean poles apart! This hotel was my first experience in Vietnam and I learned a very quick lesson. The place is fine, there is nothing wrong with it, don't not stay, just realize it's not really a "However many stars they say" it's an old hotel, you drag your suitcases past some really weird massage parlor, with dudes getting a foot massage as you head to the lifts. The rooms and I can only speak for the rear are old, and to be fair sleeping on a mattress on the floor for a week, was awful, it's was cramped and not the kind of place you want to spend more than an hour in. The fire exit is a sliding panel behind your head as you sleep, bit it's quiet. Again if you want a room you can wake up and chill in, this place isn't it. Staff are insanely friendly and helpful, they make the place bearable. Again it's not a bad hotel at all, it's just NOTHING like it looks like on Booking.com Note. You are smack bang in the middle of the old town, if you want madness this is the place for you.