📍Novotel Saigon Centre: An Honest Hotel Review 2024.

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WONDERING WHETHER STAYING AT NOVOTEL SAIGON CENTRE IS WORTH IT?

One of the gateways to Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City. While it’s not the capital, the world-renowned destination, formerly known as Saigon before it was renamed after the country’s revolutionary leader, it is the nation’s largest city and a quintessential part of any trip to this spectacular Southeast Asian country.

Whether learning about the horrors inflicted upon the Vietnamese during the Vietnam/American War and the adverse effects of the infamous Agent Orange, roaming the rooms of the elegant Independence Palace, sending loved ones back home a postcard from the Saigon Post Office or joining a half-day tour to the Chu Chi Tunnels, there’s plenty of incredible sights to see and activities to undertake in this bustling urban landscape.

And when it comes to accommodation options, the city has no shortage of exceptional stays. If you’re searching for mid-scale luxury accommodation within walking distance from most of Ho Chi Minh City’s top-rated attractions and a short Grab ride to many other ones, here’s why I think Novotel Saigon Centre is a solid choice after spending 5 nights in this modern highrise.

BOOK IT!

Novotel Saigon Centre.

  • 4-star luxury hotel.
  • 4.3/5 from 2774 Google reviews.
  • Great location in the heart of the city.
  • Semi-indoor pool.

Novotel Saigon Centre: Review Overview.

This detailed review of Novotel Saigon Centre explores the highlights of my stay at this 4-star hotel and aspects where I felt it could improve to enhance the guest experience. I cover the room’s design and atmosphere, the facilities available, such as the swimming pool and dining options, and its location to popular attractions and what people it would be most suitable for.

Is Novotel Saigon Centre Worth Visiting?

Novotel Saigon Centre is a fantastic option, especially if combining comfort, luxury, affordability, and location is a priority, as it offers gorgeous upscale rooms and is within walking distance of many of Ho Chi Minh’s top tourist attractions, such as the War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace, Saigon Post Office, Saigon Opera House and many more.

The only noticeable downside to this otherwise excellent hotel is the temperature of the pool’s water, but if you’re willing to forego that swimming in it isn’t as pleasant as you would think given Vietnam’s propensity for unrelentingly humid weather, which didn’t seem to heat it up to any capacity, then it is otherwise well worth visiting.

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Rooms.

General Overview & Room Amenities.

  • 247 rooms & suites.
    • Superior, Deluxe, Executive, Executive Suite.
    • City views.
  • Premier Lounge access for guests staying in Executive rooms.
  • Flat Screen TV.
  • Safe.
  • Minibar.
  • Room service.

Our Room. – Superior Room.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • The rim lighting on the oversized headboard/artwork panel was a unique and elegant centrepiece and did an excellent job elevating the luxuriousness of the room.
  • Even though the wooden accents were prominent, I appreciated that it didn’t overpower the room.
  • The TV/table unit provided plenty of bench space, and the wardrobe next to the window had lots of hidden and open storage space and window and a neat place to put luggage.
  • On the far side, the couch was super comfy and the table attached to it was great so sitting and having a snack.
  • I loved the floor-to-ceiling windows capitalising on the view and allowing plenty of natural light to stream in.
  • There were not many tall buildings right next to the hotel so the view didn’t feel enclosed.
  • The bathroom was gorgeous and I adored the split barn doors, not just for their unique visual appeal, but also because they occupied less space in the hallway when open.
  • The shower included my favourite feature, a glass window looking into the room. Only instead of having a curtain to pull down for privacy, this one had a switch that turned it from see-through to frosty which was much cooler! Plus, it had a two-way shower.
  • I also loved that the mirror above the sink shared the same halo lighting that the bedboard had, maintaining the design principles between the two spaces.

Cons.

  • As the couch was open-ended on one side, I felt like it should have been facing towards the window so it could capitalise on the view, while still providing a seating area facing inwards, as all I wanted to do was relax on it and look outside.
  • It is also a little cramped on that side of the room.
  • The view outwards was nice, but looking down at street level wasn’t the most appealing part of the city.
  • The toilet was only the second of the twelve hotels I stayed at in Vietnam that didn’t have a bum gun, so if you like them, this place doesn’t have it.
My room at Novotel Saigon Centre.
The bedroom and big window were great.
The table and shelving in my room at Novotel Saigon Centre.
It’s comfortably spacious.
The couch and bed in my room at Novotel Saigon Centre.
The couch was facing the wrong way.
The gorgeous bathroom in my room at Novotel Saigon Centre.
I loved these niqueubarn doors!

Facilities & Services.

  • 2 Restaurants.
    • Food Exchange. – All Day Dining.
  • 3 Bars.
    • 167 Fabourg Bar.
    • OnTop Bar. – Rooftop bar.
    • Premier Lounge – For guests staying in Executive rooms.
  • Semi-indoor swimming pool.
  • Inbalance spa.
  • Fitness centre.
  • 7 Meeting Rooms.
  • Car park.

Semi-Indoor Swimming Pool.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • This pool is unique. It seems more like an indoor facility and is decorated so, but it’s actually simultaneously an open level between floors, which is a confusing concept. So while most of it is undercover, a sixth of isn’t, so when the sun is directly overhead, there’s a sunny spot, and when it rains, it has its own water feature! Plus, you can look up through the hole to the hotel’s other levels, which is cool and unique.
  • There are lovely views overlooking the street.
  • It has a separate shallow wading pool for kids.
  • There are rinsing showers in the pool area and proper showers and toilets in the bathrooms.

Cons.

  • The water was cold! Even though Ho Chi Minh City was obnoxiously hot, the water wasn’t getting any of the heat! It was easily the most unpleasant to get into and took me a while as I am reasonably temperature-sensitive. Another lady tried repeatedly to hop in but couldn’t get past her knees! This can be attributed to it also having rained heavily which may have cooled it down more than usual but I can’t say for sure. All I know is that when I was staying at Ibis Saigon Airport, I was able to comfortably get into their rooftop pool shortly after sunrise and stay in for a while, which is a stark difference.
  • The bathrooms have low ceilings for some reason.
  • One day, it smelt terrible. We found that someone had left the seeds from an eaten durian on a seat there, which is not the hotel’s fault, but it wasn’t pleasant none-the-less.
  • Because of the way the pool occupies the space on the level it’s on, only one of the three lifts goes to the correct level. The others go to the level above, and then you can make your way down there, which is a bit confusing.

Food Exhcange Restaurant.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The seating for the regular restaurant was closed. To compensate they made a makeshift restaurant in a spare area. Because of this, some of the offerings may have been limited from their usual offerings, but I can only go by my experience.

✔️ Pros.

  • Breakfast: Reasonable amount of Western & Vietnamese dishes.
  • Dinner: They didn’t have any vegan options on the menu but were fabulous about catering to my diet. When they made a mistake they were very good about making amends and even though I eat soup on occasion, it’s not one of my favourite dishes. However, this one was the best dish of the kind that I ever had, so kudos to the chef!

Cons.

  • Breakfast: Not many vegan options. Had to ask which dishes were suitable for me.
  • Dinner: Some of the options weren’t available.

OnTop Bar.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • Gorgeous rooftop bar with gorgeous open-air views overlooking the city!

Cons.

  • Accor Live Limitless members of a certain status get free welcome drinks, but they wouldn’t let us use them at this bar.

Other Resort Pros & Cons.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • They began refurbishing the reception during my stay. Luckily, the noise didn’t permeate through the floors, so the restaurant, pool and my room were also quiet.

Cons.

  • The refurbishment caused slight inconveniences catching the lift, where I would have to catch two lifts to go between the ground floor and the other floors.

Staff.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • Staff members were excellent, and always friendly and helpful.
  • They did a fantastic job working around the reception and restaurant renovations and letting us know that the work for the latter would be disruptive to their regular operations.
  • A special shout out to the waitstaff and chefs in the restaurant who went above and beyond organizing an alteration to one of their menu items to ensure it was vegan. It was the best dish of that kind I’ve ever had and one of the top ones I had throughout the trip.

Location.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

✔️ Pros.

  • In an excellent location in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, so it is within walking distance of many of the city’s attractions such as the War Remnants Museums, Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh Markets and much more.
  • Only 1.5km from the Saigon Railway Station.
  • If you don’t like riding on the back of motorbikes and don’t feel comfortable using the Grab app to order yourself a vehicle, you could probably see most of the city’s best stuff on foot!

Cons.

  • Very busy roads.

Overall Impressions.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

My 5-night stay at Novotel Saigon Centre was fantastic for the most part. While the makeshift restaurant didn’t allow me to enjoy the hotel to its full scale, and noisy work commenced on the reception mid-way through, which didn’t bring down the overall experience, those are temporary misgivings.

My room was a beautiful, quiet and comfortable retreat for the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh, and included some striking design elements that I loved. The floor-to-ceiling window was one of my favourite aspects, as was the glass bathroom wall and barn doors, along with the oversized backboard featuring halo lighting.

The restaurant waitstaff and chefs who went out of their way to adapt their menu for me went above and beyond, and their efforts were greatly appreciated as that was the best soup I’ve ever had and some of the best service too. 

However, while the rooftop bar and indoor swimming pool were also gorgeous, not being allowed to enjoy the complimentary ALL-Accor Live Limitless drinks up there was sad as there were stunning views overlooking the city while the water in the pool was too cool to stay in long.

That said, the hotel’s location within the city was fantastic, and I was able to see many of Ho Chi Minh City’s top attractions without needing to hail a Grab motorbike, which allowed me to see more of the city and appreciate it in a much more intimate way.  

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Who Is The Hotel Most Suitable For?

  • Novotel is a fantastic option for a wide variety of travellers.
  • Solo travellers, couples, families, and groups looking for mid-scale luxury within walking distance of many of Ho Chi Minh’s most popular attractions.

Novotel Saigon Centre: FAQs.

Does Novotel Saigon Centre Have A Pool?

Yes. While it is categorized as an indoor pool, I would simultaneously say it is also an outdoor pool, as you can see the exterior of the building and the sky directly above it and it is exposed to the elements. But because it is also indoors, the water

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Conclusion: Honest Novotel Saigon Centre Review.

Novotel Saigon Centre has many things going for it. Its location to Ho Chi Minh City’s most popular tourist attractions is excellent, plus it has beautiful luxurious rooms, a gorgeous rooftop bar and a unique semi-indoor/outdoor swimming pool, making it a fantastic choice of accommodation in a place abundant with great options.

If you plan to visit Ho Chi Minh City, consider looking at these other posts.