Mai Hotel Hanoi

We booked this through Hotwire and as others have stated the rooms are not what are portrayed. The rooms were clean enough but very dated and dark, you could certainly find better places to stay for the same money. Staff were nice but spoke little English. Our safe was broken (and the rusting battery compartment told me it had been for some time). Mostly the room pictures online are just deceptive and the place needs a good refurb and maintainence. Location was good but I recommend you look elsewhere for your accommodation. The laundry was also hugely overpriced at 1$ per garment, so we used a local service up the street.

Stayed here one night before my trip to Sapa. Arrived late in the night and left early in the morning. The staff was friendly but the room (single superior) was nothing like the pictures. It was more like 50 shades of brown in grandmas apartment. Would benfit from some other colours :D Also on Agoda it said that it would have a balcony, it didnt. Not even any windows. But for a 4 hours sleep it was ok, the room had a bed and a bathroom. I didnt have time to have breakfast but it looked ok from what I saw. Would I stay here again, no.

We stayed at Mai Hotel for a total 5 days during our trip to Hanoi in late Sep 2015. The hotel has just been taken over by a new management team (a few months old) and they're currently undergoing a re-branding exercise, along with physical renovations, to update their rooms and facilities. With the current set-up, the rooms might feel a bit dated but interestingly, we also felt that the hotel has an undeniable old-world charm. This is especially fitting when visiting a country like Vietnam that's obviously growing at a tremendous pace, creating a collage of old cultural identity and new economic prosperity. Each room in the hotel has a special "theme". We originally booked a standard double room, only to be upgraded to a deluxe suite during check-in. We stayed in 2 different rooms over the whole period and our favourite was definitely the "Silver Room" (it's anything but a room). It was massive, with a huge bedroom and separate lounge area. For the price we paid, I doubt we could find it anywhere else. Both rooms we stayed in were nicely furnished, beds were comfortable, and the wifi worked perfectly! Breakfast is served from 6:30 to 9:30 AM daily, with a good selection of local and western cuisine (available as a buffet as well as made-to-order). The highlight of our stay was an invitation from the hotel staff for us to join their "Mid-Autumn Festival" staff party. We were treated to a delicious dinner, followed by a karaoke session (very popular in Vietnam)! Everyone made us feel really welcome and we had a great time. We've traveled extensively and stayed in lots of different places but getting invited to a staff party at the hotel we're staying at was definitely a first for us. We simply loved the experience! All in all, Mai Hotel is a great option for those visiting Hanoi. The rooms are decently priced, hotel staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and tourist attractions are easily walkable from the hotel. Highly recommended.