Rex Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City

My favorite hotel in Ho Chi Minh City is Rex so that in the last 15 years of shuffling from Manila to HCMC, I've always stayed there on every visit. Classified as a 4-star hotel, it is operated by Saigon Tourist Company, a state enterprise that also operates Continental Hotel. Rex sits on a great location -- close to the historical Opera House, Satra Tax department store, People's Committee House, and most of all, Ben Thanh market. The two parallel roads to Ben Thanh market -- Le Loi St. and Le Thanh Ton St. -- are lined with numerous shops selling books and office supplies (Fahasa), Vietnamese souvenirs, silk bags and purses, leather shoes and sandals, hats and caps, Asian interiors, gold jewelry, and coffee shops.

Although a superior room can easily set you back by USD100++ per night, it comes with an international buffet breakfast, a tv with international cable access, hair dryer, an electronic safe, free wifi, and free laundry (2 pcs/day). What continues to amaze me is how Rex keeps its bathrooms spotlessly clean and the grout between the tiles are always white and mildew-free. The renovated room, especially in the West Wing, are so spacious, the rug is new, and the furniture is mahogany in color. It is very pleasant and comfortable. Although I prefer to stay in the West Wing rooms (Rm 376, 476, 576) because of their proximity to Ben Thanh market, the best room seems to be the recently renovated Room 304. If you have a chance to book early, ask for this room. It has a wooden floor and dark mahogany wooden furniture and doors. It has done away with the traditional rattan furniture and wall frames that are found in most other rooms. Everything about this room gives it an upscale ambiance, so different from the rest. Perhaps this is Rex interior designers' attempt to showcase the new rooms in the new wing under construction.

Besides, these material elements, what I value most in Rex are the intangibles such as the trust and friendship I have established with the hotel staff -- from the business center supervisor (Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoan) down to the omelet chef in breakfast place. They are real, warm and ever-ready to help. Once I found myself staying in Palace Hotel because Rex was fully booked. I didn't seem to mind because Palace is on the list of the Lonely Planet's recommended accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City. But it turned out to be quite unpleasant because the band playing until the wee hours of the morning caused the bedroom to vibrate and the carpet had a musty smell. The next morning, I walked over to Rex and related my experience to Ms. Hoan and begged her for a room in Rex. She searched their database and managed to get me a superior room.

I will again have a business trip to HCMC on 30 August 2007 and this reminds me that I need to email Ms. Hoan to book me Rm. 304 or 576 in Rex.