Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi earned two distinctive honors this month, being named one of “Asia’s Top 30 Hotels” by readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine and also being selected as Hanoi’s No. 1 business hotel by the editors of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. The US-based magazine praised Metropole Hanoi’s “old-world colonial charm” and its outstanding personalized service, saying, “Everyone goes above and beyond to make you feel special.”
The five-star Metropole Hanoi was one of only five properties in Vietnam to appear on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2021 list of the “Top 30 Hotels in Asia,” and was further commended for its “spacious and richly appointed” guest rooms.
Meanwhile, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific’s editors tapped Metropole Hanoi as the “Best Business Hotel in Hanoi,” noting that this year’s awards “reflect a broader range of experiences than ever before.”
“These two awards serve to highlight that Metropole Hanoi, in good times and more challenging times, rises to the occasion. We look forward to continuing to provide world-class service, luxurious comfort, and memorable experiences to all who pass through our doors,” said Metropole Hanoi’s General Manager William Haandrikman.
Opened in 1901, Metropole Hanoi reigns as the Grand Dame of Vietnamese hospitality and is one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic hotels. The 364-room property in 2009 became the first hotel in the Sofitel portfolio to acquire the “Legend” distinction. The historic Metropole Wing features comfortable and opulent suites named after Graham Greene, Charlie Chaplin and Somerset Maugham, each of whom stayed at the property during their time in colonial Indochina.
Famous Metropole guests over the decades have ranged from Chaplin and Greene to Catherine Deneuve, Angelina Jolie and innumerable heads of state. The hotel’s popular “Path of History” tour, conducted by a hotel historian, showcases a look back at this illustrious past, including a visit to the underground bomb shelter that protected Joan Baez, Jane Fonda and others from air raids during the US-Vietnam War.
The hotel is also home to a number of celebrated restaurants, including Le Beaulieu (French high end), Spices Garden (Vietnamese), and angelina (cocktail bar, whisky lounge and rustic New World cuisine), as well as venues like Le Club Bar (home to Metropole’s famed Afternoon Tea experience and evening jazz), La Terrasse (a Parisian-style al fresco cafe) and the Bamboo Bar (for bespoke cocktails in the courtyard).