Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Sheraton Hotel Opens in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Sheraton Opens in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

One of the world’s most beautiful bays comes on display like never before next month as the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa preps for its grand opening in this beach town on the south central coast.

The 30-story property delivers dazzling sea views from each of its 284 rooms and a collection of restaurants and bars that immediately establish Nha Trang as a culinary destination for a host of new reasons.

Three years under construction, the hotel ranks as the first internationally renown, 5-star brand to cultivate a beach destination within the country.

“This hotel is like a standing ovation on one of Vietnam’s most alluring attractions,” said Scott Hodgetts, general manager of the hotel. “I’ve been looking at this bay, and its islands, for the past two years as we fine-tuned this launch, and I’m still not tired of it. I can’t wait to see our guests’ reaction.”

The hotel’s overarching appeal is exemplified, collectively, by its 10 classes of accommodation, from spacious deluxe rooms to 70-square-meter executive suites and one awe-inspiring 182-square-meter presidential suite.

Outside every room, a balcony juts far enough to admit open-air ogling of the bay and a beach that’s been described by many guidebooks as the best in Vietnam. A Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed is standard in every room.

The hotel’s décor exudes a deliberate, earthy warmth, with an appealing palate of tawny tones inspired by the beach. The beige and yellow hues, and the custom carpets in jute and cotton evoke familiar Asian themes.

One travel industry writer who toured the hotel prior to its Grand Opening said this about her first impression: “This Sheraton certainly sets a new bar for style.”

The Sheraton Nha Trang’s charms reach their zenith in Altitude, a multi-purpose events room on the 28th floor with panoramic views of a bay renowned as one of the world’s most beautiful (www.world-bays.com) and wonderful environs replete with hills, rivers and an array of cultural attractions.

Three floors below, the Sheraton Club Lounge, which Hodgetts describes as an awe-inspiring modern lounge, delivers a sumptuous, multi-dimensional, uplifting guest experience. Business travelers and leisure travelers who crave extra-special treatment and amenities, and who’ll be staying in a room or suite on floors 22 through 26, will check in here.

If Altitude is the hotel’s zenith, then the 6th floor is its heart and soul. The pools include an infinity-edged pool expansive enough to accommodate lap swimmers, a reflecting pool for sun deck sun soaking and a kid’s pool.

Thirsty? Turn to Plunge, where pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris rule the bartop. Tired? Perk up at Sheraton Fitness, featuring Life Fitness equipment and specially tailored regimens by Core Performance. Got the kids? Steer them into the Sheraton Adventure Club.

While the kids explore new horizons, the Cooking School — Vietnam’s first purpose-built cooking school! — beckons older guests keen to explore the culinary heritage of Vietnam.

On the 7th and 8th floors, Shine Spa makes its mainland Asia debut. In nine treatment rooms, therapists practice treatments borne of the Mediterranean, Arabia, India and Asia with a particular emphasis on Vietnamese traditions.

However attractive the Cooking School, most of the hotel’s culinary adventures will take place in a number of singular restaurants and bars. Another first at the Sheraton — this time for the entire Starwood group of hotels — is Steam ‘n Spice, a restaurant that celebrates the best of Asia’s streets with a cheery indoor space.

The hotel’s largest restaurant, Feast, is a tried-and-true culinary concept that taps the culinary heritage of Italy, India and a number of distinct Asian locales and turns out a la carte dishes a la minute.

Outside Feast, a gallery lords over the lobby. On the far side of the open space, the Wine Bar and its glass walls position casual drinkers with opportunities for both bay-watching and people-watching in the lobby below.

This same floor also features the Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft, a unique WiFi lounge launched by Sheraton last year. In the Link@Sheraton, guests can surf the Internet, send email, watch TV on a plasma screen or indulge such old-fashioned media as newspapers and magazines.

Down the circular stairway into the lobby, Connexions and Toastina offer additional opportunities to quench a thirst or partake of deli favorites, to-go style.

For less leisurely pursuits, the hotel is shaping up as a magnet for businesses and conferences that require as much as 1,600-square meters of ballroom space. Although Nha Trang can feel like a destination apart, the 24-hour business centre ensures that guests can get right into the thick of it as necessary.

For more information about the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa, or to make a reservation, visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

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