Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Truly Italian dishes, dim sums on offer at Vietnam’s top hotel | Look At Vietnam

Truly Italian dishes, dim sums on offer at Vietnam’s top hotel

March 20, 2012

Intercontinental Asiana Saigon, which has been named Vietnam’s top hotel for the past two years, is offering authentic Italian dishes and Chinese dim sums this month.
The hotel says it will use the “finest ingredients” and its “insider knowledge” to create wholly Italian traditional dishes.Â
A five course set dinner, exclusively chosen by Italian executive chef Rolando Manesco, is served every day between 6 – 10:30 p.m. at the famous Basilico restaurant on the ground floor for VND888.000 (US$43) per person. Extra Australian beef delicacies cost from VND480.000 per portion.
Meanwhile, Yu Chu, the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant on the first floor, is offering a dim sum buffet for VND330,000++ ($16) per person between 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. every day.
The restaurant also has an extensive lunch and dinner menu featuring quality beef, lamb, chicken and seafood dishes.
The lunch buffet, offered from Monday to Saturday, is priced at VND498,000 per person while the buffet dinner from Sunday to Thursday costs VND598,000 person or VND728,000VND to include unlimited red and white wine, beer and soft drinks.
InterContinental Asiana Saigon was named “Vietnam’s leading hotel” for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011 by the World Travel Awards.
The hotel was last September named one of the “Top 25 Business Hotels in Asia” by the “Best In Travel Poll 2011,” organized by Smart Travel Asia. It was also honored as the “Outstanding InterContinental Hotel” for the Asia-Middle East-Africa region by the InterContinental Hotel Group.

Thanh Nien News

Truly Italian dishes, dim sums on offer at Vietnam’s top hotel | Look At Vietnam

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hotel management turns overheated | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Hotel management turns overheated

November 10, 2011 about News, Travel

A glimpse at the country’s hospitality industry will reveal not only the fast development of infrastructure facilities, but also the bustling competition among big international brands in hotel management.
As renowned international hotel management firms are vying with one another for a bigger share in the local market, local owners of hotels are standing for much better benefits, from professional services to lower management fee and thus higher profits.
Accor, for instance, is planning to expand its presence on the local market in the next two years by doubling the number of 500 hotel rooms currently under the Novotel brand. As planned, the leading hotel management group in Vietnam in terms of the number of hotel rooms will expand the brand in Danang, Phu Quoc and Hanoi in the coming time, besides some existing Novotel hotels located in Ha Long, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet.
Faster pace
Like Accor, other international hotel brands big and small alike are making great efforts in the race to increase their shares in the domestic market as much as possible.
Despite the current global economic crisis, the local hotel management segment has continued luring investments from foreign hotel service suppliers, helping local investors enjoy a much lower management fee accordingly.
InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), well-known for its InterContinental and Crowne Plaza brands in Hanoi and HCMC, has built one more Crowne Plaza and developed Holiday Inn in Danang. Similarly, Starwood Hotels and Resort Worldwide, Inc. has approached the local market with its two more brands, namely Le Meridien and Westin, following the establishment of Sheraton hotels in HCMC, Nha Trang and Hanoi.
Not only existing groups but new rivals have also tried to penetrate the domestic market, such as BestWestern or Zinc Vision.

more info--->>>Hotel management turns overheated | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.