Lonely Planet Review
With the Majestic and the Continental, the Grand Hotel is the third member of Saigon's classic old hotels club. A lesser member, perhaps, but the old rooms still boast plenty of history and ample comforts, and the central location is ideal.
Opened in 1930 as the Saigon Palace, the facade is virtually unchanged since then and is a fine example of French architecture with an Asian flavour - check out the elongated dome with stupa on top. Inside, much of the original style clings on in the face of excessive neon and the imposition of state-owned style concepts. The original lift has had sterile 'safety features' added, plus an almost unbelievable set of green, blue and red neon lights - call in the style police! While the lift is a low point, the 107 rooms in the new wing aren't much better - drab! Forget them and insist on lodging in the charismatic and spacious old rooms, called 'deluxe', 'deluxe suite' and 'grand suite'. In these you'll find parquet floors, 4.5m-high ceilings, French windows and granite bathrooms.
Review by author
Andrew Burke