Well that’s a bit harsh, but the Sheraton Hanoi is definitely one of the shabbier Sheraton’s I’ve stayed in. Nothing disgraceful but it’s definitely looking a bit worse for wear and could do with an upgrade. The Sheraton Hanoi is at Westlake, which is a rather long 17km in circumference. It’s an Asian lake, so if you’re thinking crystal clear blue water, better think again. There’s supposedly some nice things to see around it, including Tran Quoc Pagoda, Vietnam’s oldest pagoda, and one of Vietnam’s four sacred temples. I didn’t see either. It looked a bit grungy to me (the lake that is), and didn’t really entice you to walk around.
Anyway the rooms at the Sheraton Hanoi are pretty average, not bad, not great, you’re not going to settle in and take a selfie of yourself in the hot tub with a view of the city and they’re ageing like Kelly Clarkson got fat. Rapidly and with no notice at all. Still, more than suitable for getting a good nights sleep, shower works fine, staff are friendly, if a bit incompetent (more in a bit on that), and the hotel surroundings are so-so. It’s pretty much what you’d expect a Sheraton to be like in Hanoi if you know anything about Vietnam and Asia.
My one gripe was when I asked to find some medicine the concierge basically drew a blank stare and told me nah you can’t get that, without even bothering to ask or call anybody. I called up the hotel manager and got them to at least make some calls and that seemed to give the concierge a bit of a hoosle up.
Overall the Sheraton Hanoi is about a 4-star hotel at best. Food was ok, pretty good breakfast that gets busy the later you go and no major complaints, although it’s nothing to write home about.
See our Hanoi Destination Guide here.
