Hotel Le Meridien a Ho Chi Minh

I recently stayed at this hotel, and I have to say, the experience was extremely disappointing. Upon check-in, I wasn't informed about the hotel facilities or the breakfast hours and location. I also wasn’t given any guidance on how to get to the elevator. Beyond the bellboy service (where tipping was expected), the staff was not proactive at all in assisting with anything. I was especially shocked when I saw an elderly person get trapped by the elevator doors, and two bellboys standing by without helping. On New Year’s Eve, I was looking forward to watching the fireworks over the Saigon River from my room, but the hotel’s own fireworks were so smoky that I couldn't see anything through my window (I was on the 10th floor!). The whole fireworks experience was ruined, and to make matters worse, the loud music continued for another hour, disturbing my sleep. The breakfast experience was just as frustrating. Because I wasn't told where to eat the previous day, I accidentally went to a temporary dining room, which had no staff who spoke English, making it difficult to ask any questions. The food choices were extremely limited, and I was surprised to find no milk or basic breakfast items available. The food quality was far below the standards expected from a 5-star hotel. After some searching, I discovered the actual breakfast restaurant was downstairs, and the restaurant supervisor instructed me to carry my tray downstairs myself. This felt extremely inconvenient and unnecessary, and once I was downstairs, I was told to wait outside for a table to become available. Standing outside with two trays of food in my hands felt humiliating, especially in a 5-star hotel. The downstairs restaurant did offer more variety, including smoked salmon, cured ham, and waffles, but by the time I made it down, I had already eaten most of my breakfast, so I didn’t get to fully enjoy it. Finally, when I went to pick up my luggage from the front desk, I was asked to search through a pile of luggage to find my own. I asked how I was supposed to identify it in such a pile, and even if I could, I couldn’t move all the luggage around by myself. This was not only inconvenient but also frustrating. Overall, I can only give this hotel 2 stars. One star for the hotel’s physical facilities, and the other because the review form doesn't allow for a zero-star rating. Otherwise, I would have rated it even lower. This stay was a huge letdown and didn’t come close to the 5-star experience I was expecting. Both the service and the amenities were severely lacking. I hope the hotel takes this feedback seriously and improves for future guests.