Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Saigon (Park Room Garden View) - Fantastic Location with Great Cafes and Restaurants Around

[Update: Park Hyatt Saigon to become Category 5 from 28 March 2023 and free night certificates (Category 1-4) will no longer be applicable here.]

One of the greatest things about the World of Hyatt program is the ability to earn free night certificates each year. Members can earn a free night certificate (Category 1-4) after consuming 30 eligible nights in a calendar year, and another free night certificate (Category 1-7) after consuming a total of 60 nights. I have been a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite and Hilton Honours Diamond member for many years now, but being a Globalist member in the World of Hyatt program is still pretty new to me. As I have a number of free night certificates expiring in early 2023, I have decided to redeem them at the luxurious Park Hyatt Saigon (which is a Category 4 property) for a weekend - I also extended the same stay by booking a Hyatt Privé rate via HoteLux which allowed me to enjoy a USD 100 property credit during my stay at no additional cost at all. If you do not wish to sign-up for a HoteLux account, booking an eligible rate through ClassicTravel.com will get you the same benefits as well.

Get USD 100 property credit at the Park Hyatt Saigon when you book through this link!

Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

A free night at a Category 4 property will typically require 12,000 points (off-peak), 15,000 points (standard), or 18,000 points (peak) per night. If you are using a free night certificate (Category 1-4), the peak periods do not matter as you will be able to redeem it at any Category 1 to Category 4 properties so long it is available for redemption. The Park Hyatt Saigon typically goes for approximately USD 300 a night and which is comparatively higher than the average room rate in Ho Chi Minh City but once you have experienced a stay at this historic property, it is easy to see why travellers are willing to shell out money for this experience. The Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) does not have any fast track lines or shorter immigration queues for passengers traveling in premium cabins. It was pretty chaotic during my arrival, and I was even asked for a bribe to use one of the diplomatic lanes but I obviously did not agree to that as I did not want any potential trouble with immigration at all. There was quite a bit of drama with lost baggage on my side as well but that is probably a story for later. Getting from the Tan Son Nhat International Airport to the Park Hyatt Saigon is fairly easy and I managed to book a ride via Grab - the car ride typically takes 35 minutes but It may take a longer time if the traffic conditions are bad. 

Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

The check-in process was fairly painless as someone did reach out to me a few weeks prior to arrival via email to link the separate bookings together. Upon checking-in, I informed one of the front desk agents that I have a missing suitcase and also provided the missing baggage report for them to follow-up on. As a Globalist member, I was accorded a one-category upgrade from a Park Room to a Park Room Garden View as there were no other rooms available with the same bed configuration. The Park Room Garden View measures approximately 34 sqm in size (which is the same size as the lead-in room category) but it comes with a view of the gardens within the hotel - my room looked out to the swimming pool and the windows can actually be opened up slightly for you to enjoy the fresh air.

Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

As far as I know, the Park Hyatt Saigon used to be the Brinks Hotel Officer's Quarters housed the US military back in the 1960s. The rooms exude French-colonial flair and the upkeep is done perfectly as you would expect from a Park Hyatt property. It comes with a 48” LED TV, as well as modern conveniences like a Bluetooth speaker, an in-room mini tablet where you can control everything from the air-conditioning to the lights, as well as a Nespresso coffee machine. Even though I am typically not a huge fan of the colonial style when it comes to accommodation, the Park Hyatt Saigon does it so effortlessly and seamlessly that it would feel weird to have it any other way.

Bose SoundLink Mini
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

The Park Room Garden View comes with a Bose SoundLink Mini speaker by the bedside which makes it easy for travellers to enjoy their own video and audio content while staying at the property. While the light switches may not look fancy, they do get the job done as you are able to control switch on/off most of the lights which is extremely important in the evening when you are planning to wind down before bed.

Work Desk
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

There is a small work desk located within the room which is probably sufficient for most business travelers but I was here on a leisure trip so I honestly did not bother with it at all. Having the table right next to the window is actually quite nice and I can definitely imagine it to be a conducive place to get things done in the day. Consistent to brand standards, there is no executive lounge (or equivalent) at the Park Hyatt Saigon, so if you are staying at this property for work, you might want to consider whether the workspace is big enough for you.

Mini Tablet
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

Every room and suite at the Park Hyatt Saigon comes with an in-room tablet where guests can get information on the weather, schedule an alarm, and control the lights and air-conditioning in the room. However, it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity as there is no way of communicating with the hotel staff via this tablet - it would be great if hotel guests are able to request things like water, or bath amenities via this device. To be very honest, I did not really utilise this tablet at all throughout my entire stay as most of the controls can be done the usual way anyway.

Welcome Amenities
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

I am not sure whether all hotel guests staying at the Park Hyatt Saigon receive a bottle of red wine from Bordeaux but I did receive a bottle of French wine as well as a plate of dragonfruits during my stay as a Globalist member. Honestly, I am a huge fan of fresh tropical fruits and obviously wine (especially Champagne) so I deeply appreciate it when properties offer welcome amenities like these over chocolate pralines or souvenirs - I am just not the sentimental kind.

Coffee Machine and Minibar
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

Having a Nespresso coffee machine in my room makes a huge difference for me personally as you might already know, I go through 3-5 coffees in a day on average so having a coffee machine in close proximity is always appreciated. I also love the fact that the Park Hyatt Saigon provides a proper teapot with teacups for the tea-drinkers - something that is often overlooked at luxury properties despite being in Asia.

Minibar
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

Complimentary coffee pods and teabags are provided in the drawer under the Nespresso coffee machine - there are also disposable paper cups which are fairly convenient in the morning when you wish to sip on a cup of coffee while exploring the neighbourhood. The Park Hyatt Saigon is located in District 1, near the Opera House, and you can practically walk to most attractions in the vicinity. There are plenty of shopping malls, restaurants, as well as cafes (including The Cafe Apartments which are packed with cool places) that you can easily reach on foot when you stay at the Park Hyatt Saigon.

Bathroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

The marble-clad bathrooms at the Park Hyatt Saigon may not be the largest but the separate bathtub and standing shower area makes it a comfortable one to come back to after a long day.

Bath Amenities
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

Unlike almost all of the Park Hyatt properties that I have been to in the past year, the Park Hyatt Saigon’s bath amenities are Cochine-branded - these are the same ones that I got at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap when I stayed there back in 2018 (and definitely long overdue for a return).

Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

As you may already know, most of the Park Hyatt properties offer bath amenities from Le Labo - the Park Hyatt Bangkok, Park Hyatt Kyoto, and Park Hyatt Hangzhou offer the same. These ones from Cochine smell fantastic and they feel luxurious to the skin but I do appreciate consistency within the same brand.

View from Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

The beds at the Park Hyatt Saigon are extremely comfortable and I had a really great night’s sleep at the property so waking up was definitely a struggle. As mentioned earlier, my room looked out to the swimming pool but since it was drizzling and fairly gloomy throughout my visit to Ho Chi Minh City, I did not bother with the swimming pool (or the gym) at all.

Beef Pho (Breakfast)
Opera - Park Hyatt Saigon

Breakfast at the Park Hyatt Saigon is served at Opera every morning - if you are a Globalist member, this is complimentary for you but if you did not book a breakfast-inclusive rate (and you are not a Globalist member), I highly recommend that you top-up for breakfast during your stay as it is truly one of the best breakfast experiences I have had in recent years. Even though most people will probably tell you to avoid buffet breakfasts and to save your stomach space for “real food” outside the hotel, Opera actually has a really extensive a la carte menu that you can order from during the meal period.

Banh Mi
Opera - Park Hyatt Saigon

Staying at the Park Hyatt Saigon for four days enabled me to sample most of the dishes that I wanted to try from the menu. As you can imagine, there is a huge selection of Western, Vietnamese, as well as Asian dishes to choose from. In fact, I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of vegan, and vegetarian options on the a la carte menu (which is included as part of the buffet breakfast experience). Now if you follow The Shutterwhale actively on Instagram, you should know that some of my favourite meals are street food - I enjoy the occasional fine dining but it simply takes up too much of my time, and half the time it is not really worthwhile anyway.

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Every dish that I have tried at Opera (which is located on the street level of the Park Hyatt Saigon) has been perfect - I particularly enjoyed the Bún bò Huế, Bánh Mì, as well as the Phở from the Vietnamese menu. Most of the Western dishes are fine as well but they are not exactly unforgettable. Also, if someone offers you a freshly-baked croissant at breakfast, be sure to say yes because those are truly amazing.

Cocktails
2 Lam Son Bar - Park Hyatt Saigon

2 Lam Son at the Park Hyatt Saigon is a great place to hang out in the evening - there was even a 50% discount on drinks and food during my stay which brings the average price of a properly-made cocktail down to just under USD 10 each. Even if you are not staying at the Park Hyatt Saigon, 2 Lam Son should be on your list if you enjoy great-tasting cocktails and premium spirits. Most of the drinks that I have tried at the bar were pretty good (especially once you have factored in the discount) but the service at the bar was pretty patchy as they seem to favour certain types of clientele a little bit more.

Wooden Fired Pizza
2 Lam Son Bar - Park Hyatt Saigon

Most of the items on the food menu was on 50% off during the Happy Hour (I think the oysters might be the only exception but I could be wrong) and the wooden fired pizza was delicious. I also tried the Lemongrass Chicken Wings on a separate visit and they were decent as well (even though you can’t really taste the lemongrass flavours at all).

Bedroom
Park Room Garden View - Park Hyatt Saigon

While my trip to Ho Chi Minh City was off to a rocky start due to the loss of luggage, I was really glad that I was staying at the Park Hyatt Saigon - the team provided timely updates each day as they checked with the Lost and Found office twice a day and while they were unable to locate the luggage during my stay, I truly appreciated the effort. The Park Hyatt Saigon is also located in an extremely convenient spot for you to explore most of what the city has to offer on foot. There is no lack of restaurants, cafes, and things to do around the property, and honestly, that breakfast at Opera was easily one of the best that I have had in a post-pandemic world.

Park Hyatt Saigon
2 Lam Son Square, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000
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