Sao Mai Hotel Thanh Hoa

What reviewers say

Excerpts from public Google reviews. They are the reviewers’ opinions, not ours, and we have not verified them.

• ★ 23 years ago

  Poor and old hotel Rooms are not clean enough Furniture and all other facilities in room need an urgent renovation The location is great Some Reception’s workers need some basic English Swimming pool is out of the hotel Opening hours need to be checked in reception desk and get a free voucher for it ,as well.seems that it’s a public swimming pool for all, not only for hotel Guests If I need to choose, I will not come again over.

• ★ 012 years ago

  I was a little surprised to find so many overseas reviewers of this hotel. I stayed at the invitation of the People's Committee and during my time in Thanh Hoa and Thanh Hoa Province I didn't see any other westerners, apart from in the new luxury hotel (forget the name, but like Sao Mai the finish lets it down) and I suspect that he was the manager. ||Despite now being the third largest city in Vietnam, Thanh Hoa has little to offer the tourist. There is a reasonable beach (Sam Son) which had rather a nice traditional hotel, which might be a better choice. Thanh Hoa is basically an industrial city that has developed quickly, but is somewhat lacking in amenities. Apart from Vietnamese visitors, the only other people in the city appeared to be Korean factory managers, some of whom I am told stay at the Sao Mai.||Sao Mai was certainly built to impress and the rooms are huge and well appointed. Excellent value compared with Saigon, or Hanoi. It had everything you would expect of a luxury hotel, toiletries, large tv, etc., etc. But the hotel has had little maintenance and the rooms are looking a little shabby. Other reviewers have commented that it feels dirty, but I suspect this could be more to do with wear and tear than a lack of attention to cleanliness, although it could be.||I had breakfast on the VIP floor (which may have been the same place that everyone eats it, certainly there were plenty of 'VIPs' eating their breakfast). Whilst nothing special, it was better than I am use to in budget hotels in Saigon and Hanoi. I also ate in the restaurant, which was full on Sunday lunch time with Hanoi based day visitors. The food was pretty good, to be honest and I rather like some of the local specialities.||I wasn't aware of any staff speaking English and believe their mediocre customer service skills were more a reflection of their lack of English and complete shock at seeing a westerner in Thanh Hoa.||On Sunday night local youths congregate outside the hotel, revving their motorcycles and pepping their horns, like it was the only thing they got for Tet. Mercifully it ends pretty early, but I had to get up early, nevertheless it was only mildly annoying.||If like me you are a business traveller to Thanh Hoa I think Sao Mai is a reasonable choice. But I really cannot see a reason for tourists to stop off in this Province and suspect they would be disappointed with the hotel.

• ★ 015 years ago

  I paid $30 per night for 2 nights and it was well worth it for a change (after spending some nights in more budget accomodation on my trip). The room was on the 11th floor, was very spacious and modern, and had fantastic views across the city. The breakfast buffet was asian focussed but was varied and plentiful. The staff can't speak english (except for one receptionist) but that was half the fun in trying to organise things. The swimming pool was clean and large enough to do laps. The attached restaraunt gets very busy but I found the food tasty and safe. The restaraunt manager speaks excellent english and he spent a lot of time chatting to me. Thanh Hoa is not a big tourist destination, so if your budget can afford it, this is a nice place to stay.

• ★ 013 years ago

  I have just spent a month at this hotel and was very pleased. The staff was very pleasant, the rooms are large and overall it is great value for the money. I work in the tourism sector and promote responsible tourism and was disappointed in this aspect od the operations. There is no linen policy, housekeeping changes the prepackaged soap and shampoo everyday [despite efforts try to explain, albeit in English] and the lights and AC remain on despite the removal of the card.||It is centrally located and within walking distance of several good restaurants. And the market is just beside the hotel for those interested in buying fresh fruit.

• ★ 013 years ago

  The room I stayed in was large, very large by Vietnamese standards, with 2 queen size beds and 2 armchairs.||||Breakfast was an all-you-can-eat buffet, with a variety of items to choose from and all well made.||||Cleaning needs to be done better - some litter was left under one of the beds. ||||I do not think I would look elsewhere in this city for a place to stay.

• ★ 013 years ago

  You can hop off the train on the main north south line and walk 10 minutes to the Sao Mai. It's friendly, welcoming, comfortable, with great breakfast, and above all great staff. Good internet, large rooms too. A little noisy early morning, but for a 30 dollar a night 3 star, it's a nice place, and somewhere I look forwrd to staying.

• ★ 014 years ago

  The hotel is standard for a smaller city in Vietnam. While probably not the highest "starred" hotel in town, it is centrally located, and within easy reach of just about anything in town. Since its service is basically on par with what I paid for throughout my travels in Vietnam and the region, I only marked it as an average hotel, although this is by no means bad, and I would stay here again if I returned to the area.||||Pros:||* Tennis court||* Pool||* Very good breakfast buffet (wide selection, all you can eat)||* Affordable||* Centrally located||* Good mattresses and sheets||||Cons||* Hotel is aging, so expect to find small tears, cigarette burns, etc. on some of the furniture and carpeting||* Staff does not really speak English

• ★ 012 years ago

  A big hotel which is on the way to loose its name.In the last six weeks we visited many hotels (about 30), but this hotel belongs to the most dirty ones. The carpet in the room, but also the cooker in the room. Corridors and elevators. Beside this, it is hard to find somebody to communicate in English. The room is the largest we ever had but as said, it is not clean. Just the stairs outside are clean. Somebody is cleaning there the whole day. Poor management?