Army Hotel***

Our brief comments:
Built around 1960 and renovated twice since (the latest being three years ago), the four-storey Army hotel has one of the best locations in Hanoi. Apart from the nearby five-star establishments, it's also the only hotel with a swimming pool in the city centre. About five minutes walk from the Hoan Kiem Lake, it's located in a quiet back street near the Opera House and the History Museum. As its name suggests, the hotel is owned by the Vietnamese military - hence the occasional appearance of a soldier or two.

The accommodation is in three wings around a pleasant garden surrounding the pool - the fourth side of the rectangle in the pool's changing room and sauna. Although there's no pool bar as such, drinks and snacks can be ordered from a counter in front of the changing rooms.

The Army Hotel's rooms appear to be in four categories - Standard, Superior, Deluxe and Suite. In reality, the first three are all the same standard and price, the difference being configuration and furniture. Our preference for Haivenu clients is the rooms in the front wing - they overlook the pool and garden, and have balconies.

The 'Not Suite' rooms (the hotel's categorisation) are a good size, some Vietnamese-style with traditional furniture and others with more modern fittings and fixtures. They're fairly basic, but clean and comfortable with standard bathrooms.

The restaurant is small with a limited menu. The recent introduction of a buffet breakfast has been a big improvement. It's not yet perfect, but it's far better than the 'tick the box' set breakfast system that preceded it. As for other meals, some of our clients have been concerned about the quality of cooking and presentation, but as most customers opt for the delights of the multitude of restaurants within easy walking distance, that's not a problem.

Feedback from clients is mainly concerned with the indifferent service provided at the Army Hotel, and particularly the receptionists. However, the manager has recognised the problem and is taking steps to impress the importance of being welcoming and friendly.

That said, the Army Hotel provides comfortable accommodation at a very affordable price, with peace and quiet as a bonus. If you want a city centre location, pleasant surroundings and a good pool, and can put up with limited facilities and a somewhat sniffy attitude from some of the staff members, you'll find it hard to beat.

(Inspected May 2006)

Room facilities:

Room Categories	Not Suite	Suite
Number of rooms	56	13
Air-conditioner
Satellite television
Shower or bath
Bath with shower
Bath + separate shower
Personal safety box
Coffee and tea facilities
Laptop connection
Free broadband access
Extra bed
Child's cot
Room size (m2)	32 to 36	55
View	garden/pool	garden/pool

Additional room facilities: none

Hotel facilities

Outdoor pool		Non-smoking floor(s)
Pool bar*		Non-smoking rooms only
Fitness/health centre		Vietnamese/Asian restaurant
Sauna		International restaurant
Massage		Patisserie/coffee shop/cafe
Jacuzzi		Business centre

*Snacks and drinks can be ordered from a counter in front of the changing rooms

Additional hotel facilities: ADSL (broadband) connection in the lounge