The fireworks that recently erupted over
Renowned as the country’s foremost hotel since
“Really, in the hotel’s long history, this year has been unprecedented,” said Kai Speth, general manager of the hotel. “With recent accolades from such prestigious publications as Conde Nast Traveler, Travel +Leisure and from organizations like PATA, we’ve been moved to a new echelon entirely.”
The most recent of these awards, conferred in November by a prestigious North American lifestyle magazine, Cigar Aficionado, trumpets the hotel as one of the top four city hotels on the international stage. In the same issue, the hotel won recognition as one of Southeast Asia’s top three hotels, together with the Peninsula in Hong Kong and Oriental in
Earlier in the year, Travel + Leisure called out the hotel on three of its most prestigious lists. And the hotel made the grade on Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List and its Hot List, a remarkable achievement for a 109-year-old hotel and a testament to changes made over the past several years.
Why all the acclaim, all of a sudden for the Metropole? Speth credits two deciding factors. The hotel’s owners recently concluded a $25 million refurbishment that balanced the hotel’s storied heritage with room enhancements, an avant-garde new restaurant, Angelina, and a spa, the first in its history.
The hotel’s management company, Sofitel, selected the property as the first in its portfolio to be classified as a Legend hotel. This status, and the operational changes necessitated by the status, have redefined the hotel’s image.
“Is there room in Southeast Asia for another hotel to be mentioned in the same breath as the Oriental and the
Source: http://www.eglobaltravelnews.com.au/hospitality/hanois-metropole-closes-2010-on-a-high-note.html
