Metropole Hanoi and Nam Hai Ranked Top Hotels and Resorts in Asia

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and The Nam Hai in Hoi An have shared top billing as Asia’s best leisure properties for 2011, according to an online poll by Smart Travel Asia.

 

The result comes after a three-month Best in Travel Poll 2011 which invited votes from the readers of SmartTravelAsia.com.

 

 Following the Metropole and Nam Hai, the Peninsula in Hong Kong and the Amandari in Bali won 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Top Leisure Hotels and Resorts category. The Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City claimed 23rd place on the list of top business hotels in Asia.

 

Aside from being named Asia’s Top Leisure Hotel and Resort, voters also ranked the Metropole 18th on the list of Asia’s Top 25 Business Hotels and 8th among Asia’s Top 25 Conference Hotels. The Nam Hai collected an additional award as one of Asia’s top three Spa Hotels and Resorts.

 

 Editor and director of Smart Travel Asia, Vijay Verghese noted that the placement of two Vietnam properties at the peak of the leisure list of ‘aspirational brands’ underscores the country’s increasing appeal as a holiday destination.

 

“Vietnam has ranked equally with Hong Kong as the top destination on the Smart Travel Asia magazine site based on page visits over 2010 and 2011,” said Verghese. “The country remains one of Asia's less trodden destinations and this is perhaps its greatest appeal. Vietnam presents visitors with a sense of history and romance, a largely unspoiled coastline, and great food. And then there are the people.”

 

Verghese believes Vietnam’s properties benefit from a ‘feel-good’ factor that is amplified by hotel staff. “There is a certain innocence about Vietnam that is hard to find elsewhere in Asia,” he says, “this is what discerning travellers seek today.”

 

A total of six Vietnam properties made the poll’s lists, including the Park Hyatt Saigon, the Furama Resort Danang and Princess d’Annam Resort and Spa.

 

According to the poll, voters deem Bali to be the number one holiday destination in Asia, followed by Phuket and Hong Kong.