The Lotte Hotel Saigon originally opened in 2001 as the Legend Saigon Hotel. Following its acquisition by South Korea’s Lotte conglomerate, the hotel was briefly renamed Lotte Legend Hotel before getting its present name. Together with the Lotte Hotel Hanoi, it makes up the two-property operation of Lotte Hotels and Resorts in Vietnam. The 283-room hotel occupies a strategic riverfront plot in the heart of Saigon.

Booking Lotte Hotel Saigon

I had a hard time deciding on a hotel in Saigon, given how decently priced many options were. Whilst I hadn’t initially intended to book the Lotte, I finally gave in when I found that they were offering rooms for really reasonable rates at an enviable location! I paid the equivalent of VND 4,300,000 (£145) for my two-night stay.

Location

The Lotte Hotel is located in the central business district of Ho Chi Minh City District 1. The hotel is reachable within a 20-minute drive from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Within the immediate vicinity of the hotel are primarily office buildings and a few other international-chain hotels like Le Meridien, Hilton, and Renaissance. Most of District 1’s attractions are within walking distance of the hotel, including many of Saigon’s charming old buildings.

Notably there is a convenience store by the entrance of the hotel, along with a litter of coffee shops about 3-minutes away. Also nearby is the city’s Japan Town, which has a great deal of East Asian restaurants.

Arrival and Check-in

After my Vietnam Airlines flight, I headed straight to the hotel by the reputable Vinasun taxi. I arrived at the hotel at 16.00, following an interesting ride from the airport to District 1, where I noticed how changed Saigon has become since my last visit. On arrival, the hotel’s friendly staff directed me to the reception, where I was immediately offered a refreshing glass of watermelon juice. Very nice!

At check-in, I was offered a free room upgrade with a caveat – a river-viewing room but with twin beds. I honestly wasn’t bothered by that and so I gladly accepted! In addition, I’d have to mention that the lobby looks a lot more modern than the rest of the hotel. Perhaps, this is an allusion to a hypothetical future renovation?

My Deluxe Room (River View)

Bedroom

I was assigned a room on the 5th floor, right by the lifts and expectedly, with a river view. As soon as I entered the room, it was clear that the main focal point was the river. Whilst the river’s other bank hasn’t been developed too much, the view was gorgeous. Clearly visible from the room were the Ba Son Bridge and the incredible Landmark 81 tower.

As expected, the room is equipped with twin beds, along with a lounge chair on one side, as well as a desk. Despite the room’s outdated look, it was remarkably comfortable. The beds are on the firmer side but definitely better than the rock-hard bed at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel. I also appreciated the modern room control console on the nightstand, which made it easy to control the lights. Seriously, I don’t know why these control consoles aren’t a thing anymore!

Bathroom

Like the bedroom, the bathroom looked quite ancient. I was initially confused by the abundance of handlebars, but then I realised that I was assigned an accessible room. This only made sense given the short distance of the room to the lifts. Expectedly from such a room, the bathroom doors open outwards. Even so, I was surprised it is equipped with a bathtub instead of a walk-in shower, but that probably explains the out-of-place-looking plastic stool by the tub. 

Despite the look, the bathroom was very clean and spotless. I was impressed by the degree to which it is maintained and by the complete set of amenities on the vanity. For reference, the hotel used house-branded toiletries, which were decent. I also appreciated the automatic bidet toilet despite the fact that it is an older generation of them.

Dining

Breakfast was included in my rate and is served at The Canvas restaurant next to the pool. This restaurant is easily accessible, being located next to The Legend Lounge in the lobby. The breakfast was served in a buffet style, which was unexpectedly very nice and varied!

The selection was high-quality and encompassed local foods in addition to a few selections of Korean and Western dishes. For instance, there were things like Pho, Banh Mi, Spring Rolls, Gimbap, and Bulgogi, amongst a lot of others. I especially loved that they have Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which is always a treat! Trust me, before coming to Vietnam, I was not a coffee drinker 😉

The only part of the buffet I found disappointing are the juices, which weren’t fresh. Otherwise, I was very impressed with the selection of food! I was also impressed with the service, given how friendly and detail-oriented the staff was. The restaurant’s manager even came around to check if the food was alright! Nice!

Amenities

The Lotte Hotel has a single pool located in the back of the hotel. There is also a gym and a spa located in the same area. The pool has a circular shape and similarly looks quite aged. Despite that, they appeared to try their best to uplift its look, with a number of interestingly-looking modern sun loungers surrounding it.

Just next to the pool is also the small-ish gymnasium, which honestly looked really nice by comparison. There are a good number and variation of equipment, all of which looked very modern! Additionally, the gym reception is staffed and requires a sign-in.

Service

The staff mostly spoke English and were friendly and eager to please. Whenever I passed the lobby, I was unfailingly greeted by the hosts and they were all very quick to react if I needed a taxi or anything. Overall I was very pleased with the service at this hotel, especially given the price-range it competes in. Very well done!! Yay!

Overall

Overall, I had a very enjoyable stay at the Lotte Hotel Saigon. Whilst the room isn’t the most modern out there, it was very comfortable. Add to that, the great location, the affordable price, and the good service, I really couldn’t complain about anything. 

Read more from this trip here!