Majestic Hotel*****
Our brief comments: 
We like the Majestic! It's not to everyone's taste, but it retains the atmosphere and service of Saigon in its heyday during the 1940s more than most period hotels. If you're into history or nostalgia (or both), it has a lot to offer.
The Majestic is one of the best-renovated French-colonial hotels in Vietnam. The highlights are the original wooden floors, an antique lift and Art Deco motifs and fittings. The hotel operates with sustainable tourism in mind and has been granted an important environment award.
The Majestic is on a corner at the bottom of Dong Khoi Street, facing the Saigon River. During the French occupation the road was known as 'Rue Catinat'. Rue Catinat became the place to be seen for the French and Vietnamese smart set, but gradually declined to become a centre of sleaze and seedy bars during the American War.
Like the rest of the area, the Majestic fell into decay, but was rescued by a $5½m US renovation in 1995.
Graham Greene wrote the first draft of 'the Quiet American in the Majestic, his preferred hotel. A few metres northwards on the other side of Rue Catinat is the Grand Hotel, the building that provided the inspiration for the flat for Fowler, his central character. A little further north is the Palais Cafe, where Fowler played quatre cent vingt-et-un with Lieutenant Vigot of the Surete.
The exterior, lobby and reception area are vintage French colonial in design. Nearby, the ancient lift still clanks to the fifth floor past stained-glass Art Deco panels. The rooms retain their original characteristics. However, the accommodation has kept up with the times - safety boxes, sprinklers and smoke detectors, satellite TV are in all rooms - even the French-style plumbing works (most of the time, anyway).
Rooms are spacious and comfortable. Fixtures and fittings are good quality, and the bathrooms are a cut above average.
The Catinat Lounge faces the river and serves snacks, beverages and wickedly tempting selection of patisserie. The main restaurant is the Cyclo Cafe. It offers an international buffet breakfast and à la carte lunch and dinner menus. The Serenade Restaurant and the Merry Pool Bar on the top floor specialise in Western and Vietnamese cuisines respectively.
A central courtyard area has a pleasant swimming pool with a poolside bar, and there's a fully equipped gym.
Feedback from our clients has been generally positive in rhe past, but recent complaints about the construction of a swimming pool have prompted us to lower the Majestic's ranking, hopefully temporarily. Another complaint that pops up occasionally is traffic noise on the riverfront road - if you're a light sleeper, a room overlooking Dong Khoi or the garden might be a good idea.
However, with the above caveats in mind, it's good value for a historic building and a refreshing change from nondescript conventional hotels.
Room facilities (? = awaiting updated information from the hotel):
Room Categories |
Superior |
Deluxe |
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Majestic Suite |
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| Number of rooms |
68 |
24 |
20 |
7 |
3 |
Air-conditioner |
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Satellite television |
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Shower or bath |
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Bath with shower |
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| Bath + separate shower |
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Personal safety box |
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Coffee and tea facilities |
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| Laptop connection |
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| Free broadband access |
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Extra bed |
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Child's cot |
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Room size (m2) |
30-35 |
37-42 |
46 -67 |
73 -90 |
126 -150 |
View |
pool/city |
river |
city |
river |
city |
Additional room facilities:
Hotel facilities:
Pool |
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Non-smoking floor(s) |
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Pool bar |
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Non-smoking rooms only |
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Fitness/health centre |
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Vietnamese/Asian restaurant |
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Sauna |
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International restaurant |
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Massage |
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Patisserie/coffee shop/cafe |
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Jacuzzi (in Suite rooms only) |
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Business centre |
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Additional hotel facilities: same day laundry and baby-sitting services.
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