After 2 fantastic nights at the InterContinental Landmark 72 which I have just shared, I move over to the Pan Pacific for my final night in Hanoi. I was considering between the Hilton and the Pan Pacific and decided to went for the latter even though the price is much more than what I would like to pay. I figure that this will be a good opportunity to clock one more brand for my GHA Titanium status requalification. I do not know when I will stay again at another GHA property and time is running out to do so. I will also be able to fully pay for my stay with Discovery Dollars. The Pan Pacific Hanoi is located near West Lake and Truc Bach Lake. It comes with a really good view of them. The location is much more suitable than the IC for visiting the old quarter.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I book a rate directly from the hotel for this stay since it is cheaper than from Discovery. For GHA properties, it always makes sense to compare rates from both the hotel website and GHA as they could be different. For my 1 night stay, the base level standard room cost me around 102 USD after tax. That is nicely covered with my Discovery Dollars which I emailed ahead to inform the hotel that I would like to use. I came here for a stay to clock one more brand before the end of the year. I need a total of 3 to retain GHA Titanium status. I was also pre-upgraded to the Studio Suite on account of my status. Early check-in and late check-out are also available if needed. Excellent elite treatment. Pan Pacific Hanoi has a total of 309 rooms and suites spread across 11 categories. Some of them are service apartments which will be great for long-term stays. All rooms and suites here come with a bathtub.
| Rooms | Pacific Club Access | Bathtub | Room Size | No. of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | No | Yes | 35 Sqm | 180 |
| Premier Lake View | No | Yes | 35 Sqm | 24 |
| Pacific Club | Yes | Yes | 35 Sqm | 44 |
| Studio Suite | Yes | Yes | 42 Sqm | 17 |
| Premier Suite | Yes | Yes | 48 Sqm | 1 |
| Executive Suite | Yes | Yes | 65 Sqm | 3 |
| Presidential Suite | Yes | Yes | 287 Sqm | 1 |
| One Bedroom Premier Serviced Suite | No | Yes | 65 Sqm | 23 |
| One Bedroom Executive Serviced Suite | No | Yes | 60 Sqm | 16 |
| Two Bedroom Premier Serviced Suite | No | Yes | 90 Sqm | 9 |
| Two Bedroom Executive Serviced Suite | No | Yes | 90 Sqm | 1 |
Checking In
I arrived at around 4pm and it took around 30 mins from the IC. The hotel sits in a prime location and is at the edge of West Lake. This location is ideal for checking out the attractions in the old quarter. Upon arrival, the bellboy immediately came over to help me with my bags and the doors. I appreciate that he check if anytime is left behind in the car as well before we left. The entryway was pretty nice and lovely just in the typical Pan Pacific decor with a nice grand open-concept lobby in the atrium but yeah the place is aged. Check-in was quite a mess and the staff wasn’t very professional. It felt like they do not know what they were doing and you need to prompt them for information. They did not go thru the usual stuff and did not even tell me how to connect to the wifi. I was offered a welcome drink voucher for being a GHA Titanium member and could have them by the Song Hong Bar by the lobby.
Although I was offered a late checkout without asking or prompting for one. That’s a nice touch and commendable. I did not end up taking advantage of it given my early flight. The staff were genuine and kind. I was ushered to the lift with the bellboy then took over and showed me to the suite. The rate that they use for the Discovery Dollars was 23454.908 which is even better than the spot rate on the day. I’m always full of praise for the FX rate GHA use for D dollars. It is constantly close to the spot rate.
Studio Suite
I was offered an upgrade to one of the Studio Suites and this represents a three-tier upgrade. That’s excellent. Recognition is great here and that is better than the standard GHA Titanium upgrades. I was assigned suite 1630 on the 16th floor, one of the highest floors in the hotel since they only have a total of 17 floors. It was a short walk away from the elevators. Even before reaching the suite, the common areas were already showing signs of how dated this place is. This place should have been renovated long ago, they wasted a golden chance to do so during the pandemic. The suite comes with an L-shaped entryway and the space was nicely designed. However, I hate the decor of the place which is so old and dated. The studio suite is kind of on the smaller side and only measures 42 Sqm. Furthermore, the dated layout doesn’t fully utilise the space as well. It is always still nice to have a separate living room away from the bedroom.
The cosy living room is mainly in a narrow rectangular configuration, you have a couch that stretches along the wall and a coffee table at the side of the wall along the window. Together with the armchair on the other side, the layout was lovely. Again with how old the place is. I felt the suite was very musty and dusty. I had an itch after resting on the couch.
On the coffee table, you can find the typical GHA titanium welcome amenity that consists of some nuts as well as a fruit platter alongside bottled water.
The TV is on a chest opposite the sofa. The TV seems to be on the smaller side for a suite. This is also where the minibar can be found. It consists of some packets of coffee and tea as well as a kettle and a mini fridge. The fridge is left empty for use. I would have expected them to provide a proper coffee machine for use, after all this is a suite room that goes for around 235 USD a night.
The best thing about this hotel and the suite is the view. Given the unique location of the hotel, the suite comes with a mighty view of both the West Lake and the Truc Bach Lake. This is my favourite part of the room.
The bedroom and the living room are separated by an actual door. Upon entering, you can find a wardrobe on the left and it comes with all that you might need for your stay from bath slippers to a safe, bathrobes and plenty of hangers.
Straight ahead is the bathroom and then to the right is the main space of the bedroom which is largely in a squarish configuration. You have a TV on top of the chest once again, which is almost the same as the one in the living room. It is on the smaller side and very old. It does come with a good number of channels. Along the side of the window, you can find the working desk which is equipped with a proper ergonomics office chair. Quite a good setup for working and this is also the only spot in the room where you can find power outlets. The Wi-fi is easy to connect to and fast in the room. The room comes with an equally amazing view of both lakes. How lovely is this?
The plush king-size bed is found in the middle of the room and flanking it are nightstands on both sides. This is where you can find controls for the lighting and the air-conditioning on one side of the bed. Despite turning down the air conditioning all the way down, the rooms take a long time to cool down and remain stuffy. I hated that there aren’t any power outlets by the bed. This is by far the most important aspect that I mind in a hotel room.
The bathroom is well from the 1990s. It comes with a single sink and also toiletries provided are from Roots Aroma Therapy. The bathroom comes with both a separate standing shower and a tub. I hated that the shower only has a wall-mounted shower head and it is not removable. This is the worst possible setup. It’s been a long time since I see one of these. Bottles of water are provided.
Executive Suite
Something really weird happened when I was dining at the restaurant in the evening. The duty manager came over to introduce himself and apologised for not offering an upgrade at check-in and says that they prepare another suite for me but the front desk was unaware of it. That got to be a first. The offer to switch the room. I was actually hesitating since it is already in the evening and I will be leaving early the next day. However, it would be a opportunity to check out something else.
My new executive suite was on the eighth floor. It measures 65 Sqm and is just a level below the presidential suite. It is a two bedded suite and has two room numbers. The suite is made up connecting two different rooms with a living area in the middle. You can enter the suite from either side. This would be great for huge groups for gathering. There are three main parts of the suite and let me introduce them. Upon entering, you have a narrow walkway that either branches out to the bedroom or the living room. One of the bedrooms comes with a king-size bed and the other is a queen. I would believe that the hotel can customize it based on your liking. Let me first share about the living room which is in a triangle configuration. You can find a dining table for four on the side and then a couch along the wall in the middle.
It faces the balcony and the television is on the other side of the living room which again is on the smaller side. The location of the placement also meant that you have to view it from a weird angle.
The balcony offers a good view of the surrounding area. The direction that it faces means that you can get a nice view of the surrounding area that consists of both lakes and the neighbourhood streets.
Both bedrooms are almost identical I will only share one of them. Along the corridor leading to the bedroom, you have the wardrobe as well as the bathroom and they are almost similar to the Studio Suite that I had earlier.. bathroom it’s almost similar to the studio sweet that I had earlier. While the water pressure and temperature control are excellent, I didn’t get a comfortable shower due to the wall-mounted shower head and how squeezy the showering space is.
The bedroom is quite cosy and of a good size. I use the one with a plush king-size bed and on both sides of the bed, you have night strands. A central remote control allows you to adjust the settings for the lighting and the air-conditioning. Again, no outlets can be found by the bed.
While everything else is extremely old and dusty, the bedding and mattress were rather good. They offer great back support and I had a good rest. You can also find a TV on the chest opposite the bed as well as the working desk to the side. This is the only place in the room where you can find power outlets. Wifi is easy to connect to and fast in the suite.
Pool
The pool and the gym are located on the fourth floor and the pool is open from 6am to 10pm. It is quite lovely and comes with a unique design. The pool is sort of an indoor pool with a roof that is retractable. This allows the facility to be used all year round and during the cooler winter months as well. The regular size makes it conducive for doing laps. However, the design of the place and the roof also mean that you don’t get much direct sun. I didn’t get a chance to use it given my short stay but it was crowded when I went to get a look. It seems to be popular among the guests.
Gym
The gym is located just to the side of the pool as well on the same floor and it is of a good size. You can find all sorts of equipment from weights to treadmills and bikes. They are open 24 hours a day.
Song Hong Bar
The Song Hong Bar is the hotel’s signature lounge bar located just off the lobby. It is great for a short drink or meet-up. It is open from 7am to 9pm. This is also where you can claim your welcome drink and I came here to enjoy them in the early evening. The vibes are good and comfortable. Great place since the weather is suffocating in Hanoi.
There is a menu that you can choose from for the drinks which includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings. It is quite a good value since you can get two cocktails. The vibes are good and it’s a comfortable environment.
We got the Mimosa and the Mojito and they were great. Although they could have served the drinks with some nuts or something, that would be a nicer presentation.
Ming Restaurant
In the evening we came to the hotel’s Chinese restaurant for dinner since it was rather late and there isn’t much around the hotel. The Ming Restaurant is open for lunch from 11am to 2pm and dinner from 5.30pm to 10pm. They also do a dim sum brunch on the weekends. It was quite a last min decision since we were craving for something Chinese. The restaurant was quiet in the evening. GHA Titanium members do enjoy a 25% discount here too. You can find the menu for the restaurant here. We got a couple of dishes and had them with white rice. Most of them are excellent and I especially love the cod fish and the braised pork belly. It goes so well with white rice. You can’t miss out on the eggplant as well. The cod fish was perfectly fried.
The whole meal cost around 65 SGD after the discount. Quite good value for money.
Conclusion
I paid around 102 USD for this stay after tax. Given that I had booked it rather last minute, it is quite a good rate. I am pleased to get one additional brand out of the way for qualification. The hotel has an excellent view and location in Hanoi which allows you to explore the city easily. Sadly, that is where the good things end. The hardware is simply awful and dated. Despite the excellent elite treatment, I can’t put down my seal of approval for this place. It is way too tired, old and musty vibes of the place didn’t make me comfortable. They are way overdue for a makeover. I will not be back unless the place has gone thru some sort of renovation. The highlight for GHA members in Hanoi would be the Capella but that is almost 3 times the price of this.
Seeing The World In Steps 
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