Having recently joined the Intercontinental Ambassador program, I decided to do my short stay in one of the Intercontinental Hotels in Hanoi. There are 2 Intercontinental in Hanoi, the older one is situated in West Lake while the newer one is in Landmark 72, a fairly new office cum hotel tower in Hanoi. Intercontinental Landmark 72 was just recently launched in September 2017 and they have yet to have their own website (the hotel website is currently hosted on IHG website). After 2 nights stay, I have only praises for this hotel while the only downside about this hotel is the location (which is quite a distance from the Old Quarters).
A quick glance on what Intercontinental Ambassador program is. This is a paid fast track program (USD $200) that automatically elevates you into the Elite Gold Status (which one attains after 10 nights stay). It offers additional benefits including:
- Guaranteed upgrade to a superior room
- Guaranteed late check out at 4pm
- In room arrival snack (sweet/savory or fruits)
- 1 in room movie per stay
- Bottled water
They used to offer 5000 points at sign up (equivalent to 1000 KF miles) but this has been discontinued. Renewal still comes with points (which can be used for hotel stay or converted to air miles). Do note that the above privileges are given only in Intercontinental Hotels (not other IHG hotels) but the gold status benefit is applicable group wide.
Intercontinental Landmark 72 is situated in Landmark 72 tower (a.k.a. Keangnam Tower) which is developed by a Korean company. The hotel is situated from levels 62 to 71, with level 71 being the Club Lounge and Fitness Centre. Being the tallest hotel in South East Asia, all rooms have unblocked panoramic view of Hanoi City! I booked a King Club room and as part of the guaranteed room upgrade, I was given a King Corner Suite at Level 70.
The moment I arrived, I was greeted by the friendly porter who helped us with my luggage up till level 62. Club floor guests will have a separate check in area in the Club Lounge in level 71. Check in was done at the comfort of the sofa and while waiting for the processing, snacks and drinks were served. Everything was done seamlessly while one lounges at the sofa admiring the unparalleled view the hotel offers. Once check in is done, you will be accompanied to your room by the lounge officer.
The Room
The King Corner Suite is located in a corner (as the name suggest) giving the room more windows for better view and brighter room. There is a separate living and dining area (from the bedroom) with a powder room in the living area. The bedroom comes with an oversized king bed (the extra length more than adequate to house my 1.89m frame). There is a study table with the connectivity suite and another TV (on top of the TV in the living area). The bathroom is large with a huge shower cum bathtub area with full height glass looking out into the city. There are no shower curtains but with no nearby buildings reaching the hotel’s height, I guess privacy is still maintained.
The room came with a mini bar (payable) but tea/coffee is complimentary. The coffee is supplied by Illy (using Illy Coffee Machine). I opted for savory snack on arrival and we were given pizza bread which was pretty good. On our second night, we were given a complimentary cake (this was given with compliments by Club Intercontinental and not part of the Ambassador perks). The cake was equally good and I loved the chocolate toppings especially! The beds and pillows were very comfortable where both of us had very good sleep throughout our stay.
The toilet is well stocked with amenities (which is topped up daily). We were given very large bottle (compared to standard hotel sized bottles) of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel on top of the usual amenities of cotton buds, shower cap, etc.
The Lounge
The Club Intercontinental was excellent and I do rate it highly. The opulent lounge itself is large and spacious with plenty of windows to allow natural lighting into the lounge. There are ample sitting areas within the lounging area and fairly big dining area. There is a computer station for guests use. There are many jars in different corners of the lounge containing cookies and nuts for the pleasure of guests. Being new, the lounge was very empty with my wife and I being the only guests most of the time.
Afternoon tea and evening cocktails are served in the lounge. Instead of buffet items, one gets an ala carte menu which orders can be topped up at leisure. The food quality was good with an ample selection of beverages (both hot and cold). Alcoholic beverages (including sparkling wine) are served during the evening cocktail. With the quantity and quality of food served, one can even forget about having dinner (after the noon tea and cocktail)! Breakfast offers some good buffet items complimenting an even more impressive ala carte menu.
*Afternoon Tea
*Evening Cocktail, Day 1
*Evening Cocktail, Day 2
*Breakfast
What stands out most about the Club Intercontinental is the team. Everyone was very friendly and went all out to make our stay extremely pleasant. They offered us suggestions on places to visit and helped us to make necessary bookings.
Facilities
Besides location, the hotel facilities is probably the other Achilles heel of the hotel. Being away from the Old Quarters, one will need to travel by Taxi or Private Hire Car (Uber / Grab). The Old Quarters is about 30 minute’s taxi ride from the hotel (with moderate traffic) and cost about 120k to 150k VND.
Intercontinental Hotel shares the premise with Hotel Calidas. There is an indoor jogging track, pool and table tennis in Level 7. The rest of the tower comprises mainly office and some restaurants. There is also a Lotte Cinema in the building.
For those traveling to Hanoi for R&R, this hotel is a good place to chill. Even though a little far from the Old Quarters, getting there is not exactly challenging as there are readily available cabs on hotel ground. The service is excellent and the hotel is still very new. I would strongly recommend going for the Club Intercontinental to enjoy the excellent Lounge.
That Time Of The Year! 