Review: Hilton Da Nang

After three nights at the Banyan Tree Lang Co, we headed back to Da Nang to spend a further two nights before flying home.

Looking back, we should probably have stayed in Hoi An instead, since there wasn’t a lot in Da Nang that excited us (and most of the attractions were on the outskirts of the city anyway, e.g. Ba Na Hills). We spent most of our time at the Hoi An ancient town and night market, which entailed a two-hour round trip each day at a cost of S$50-60 per day.

That said, the Hilton Da Nang is a good option in and of itself, though catered more to business than leisure travellers. 

Booking the Hilton Da Nang

I redeemed 61,000 Hilton points for a two-night stay, which turned out not to be the best redemption since cash rates dropped closer to the stay date. I got roughly 0.38 US cents per point, below the normal 0.5 US cents per point threshold I set for myself. 

If it’s any consolation, I’d get complimentary breakfast and lounge access as a Hilton Diamond member. What’s more, three days before check-in I received an automated email informing me that I’d been upgraded to a King One Bedroom Ocean View suite. 

Arrival

Hilton Da Nang is just 10 minutes from Da Nang International Airport, although on this trip we came from Banyan Tree Lang Co. It was about an 70 minute drive, and we arrived around 12 p.m.

This hotel opened in September 2019, becoming the third Hilton hotel in the country (after the Hilton Hanoi Opera and Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi). It incorporates Hilton’s new design language, also seen at the Hilton Munich, Hilton Sydney and Hilton Singapore Orchard. No more depressing, 90s era lobbies here- this was bright, contemporary and easy on the eye. 

The front desk confirmed our suite upgrade, but told us that the room would not be ready until 3 p.m. We left our bags and went to explore the area first, though the July heat made us wish we’d stayed put!

1 Bedroom Ocean View Suite

The Hilton Da Nang lists three kinds of suites on its website:

• 2 Bedroom Presidential Suite
• 1 Bedroom River View Suite
• 1 Bedroom Ocean View Suite

In reality it’s more like two kinds, since the 1 Bedroom Suites are similar except for floor. The River View Suites are on the 5-12th floors, while the Ocean View Suites are on the 13-25th floors. I suppose the idea is that the higher you are, the better chance you have to spot the ocean!

All 1 Bedroom Suites measure in at 60 sqm, with executive lounge access. Our suite was on the 25th floor, facing the Han River Bridge (which can pivot on its axis to allow shipping traffic to pass).

I thought the suite was nicely decorated, with parquet flooring, forest green carpets, and a settee that ran the length of the windows in the living room. The use of a see-through partition between the living room and bedroom made the suite feel bigger, though it might not work as well for those who prefer their suites be two separate rooms to minimise noise and light pollution.

On the coffee table was a small welcome amenity of fruit and a miniature cake. 

The room’s work desk ran the length of the partition between the living and bedrooms. A very comfortable office chair made it a good spot to get work done, and the table is long enough to squeeze in a second chair.

However, Wi-Fi speeds were disappointingly slow for a business hotel, at 4.9 Mbps down and 2.6 Mbps up. 

The mini-bar area was near the entrance to the room, with a Nespresso machine (the capsules were off-brand though, and really nasty), Dilmah teabags, and four bottles of water. Water is replenished daily, but additional bottles will cost you, even if you’re a suite or executive room! It’s silly, but you can always circumvent the problem by helping yourself to the free water in the gym.

The bedroom had a king-sized bed with Hilton’s Serenity Bed, custom made by Serta. A day bed in the corner provided an alternative space to nap without messing up the bed.

Both bedsides had USB charging and a universal power outlet, making it easy to charge your devices while sleeping. 

The room’s TV did not support streaming, and the channel selection was limited. However, it was fairly easy to access the rear HDMI port, allowing you to play your own content.

The bathroom isn’t connected to the bedroom; instead, you’ll need to head through the living room to access it. Just outside the bathroom is a set of three wardrobes, one with bathrobes, laundry bags and an ironing set, another with a mini-safe and drawers, and another completely empty full-length rack for all the clothes storage you could need.

The suite’s bathroom had his and her sinks, dual vanity mirrors, and hollowed-out under sink storage. White marble walls and floors gave it an elegant feel, as did the freestanding deep soaking tub.

The large shower area had an oversized rain shower head, as well as a hand shower. Crabtree & Evelyn shower amenities were provided- I do wonder if Hilton ever plans to change its supplier, given the demise of the brand. 

The toilet had a manual bidet hose, as did most toilets we saw in Vietnam.

Facilities

Swimming pool

The swimming pool is located on the 4th floor and open from 6 a.m to 6 p.m daily. This free-form pool measures 1.2m deep and gets plenty of sunshine during the day, keeping the water at a pleasantly warm temperature. 

A handful of cabanas are available on a first-come-first-serve basis, as well as reclining pool loungers. While the publicity photos show guests enjoying drinks and snacks by the pool, I didn’t see any means of placing an order- there were no staff nor QR codes to scan.

Gym

The Hilton Da Nang’s gym opens 24 hours a day, and is surprisingly large for a 220 room property (I’m guessing they sell passes to non-staying guests). 

The gym is well maintained, with modern Technogym equipment featuring video entertainment and “walking simulators” (where you progress through a famous landmark at a rate commensurate with the treadmill’s speed).

Executive Lounge

The Hilton Da Nang’s executive lounge is located on the 27th floor, and open from 6.30 a.m to 8 p.m daily. Access is available to all guests in executive floor rooms and suites, as well as Hilton Diamond members. 

Full length windows provide sweeping views of the neighbouring buildings and Han river. It’s particularly nice to visit at night when you can see the city and bridges lit up. Unlike some lounges which try to squeeze in as many guests as possible by packing the furniture tightly, this felt uncluttered and spacious. We never saw it more than half full. 

A small business centre has a desktop computer and a printer, in case you need any documents or boarding passes printed out. There’s also a meeting room that seats seven people.

All day refreshments were basic, with nuts, dried fruits and cookies. Dilmah tea and a WMF machine with Boncafe beans were available.

Inside the fridge are soft drinks, bottled water and beer. You can help yourself to beer even outside happy hour timings. 

Evening cocktails are served from 6 p.m to 8 p.m daily, with options like salad, sandwiches and spring rolls, pastries, and a couple of hot canapes. The absence of carbs means it’s more of an appetiser rather than a dinner replacement.

Sandwiches and spring rolls

In terms of wine, three options were available:

• Red: Swartland Winery Founders Collection Pinotage (3.5★)
• White: Trivento Gran Mar Chardonnay 2018 (3.4★)
• Sparkling: De Bortoli DB Family Selection Sparkling Brut NV (3.3★)

None were very good (the sparkling wine in particular had a very astringent finish), but free booze is free booze. 

Fortunately, there were alternatives. A cocktail station meant the lounge staff could whip up a few classics, including a very decent mojito.

A special mention to executive lounge staff, who were very friendly despite the language barrier and eager to recommend things to do and see nearby. It’s through their recommendations I found out about the Helio night market, a foodie paradise with street food even the most squeamish of travellers would feel comfortable eating (the place is kept spotless). 

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at Brasserie Nam from 6.30 a.m to 10.30 a.m daily. Prior to COVID, there was the option to take breakfast in the executive lounge instead, but that’s not been restored at the time of writing. 

Continental options included a very wide variety of bread, assorted pastries, the obligatory salad bar, sliced fruits and preserves, cold cuts and preserved vegetables. There was no smoked salmon, unfortunately. 

Hot items included dim sum, fried noodles and baked pasta, an egg station, breakfast meats (including pork sausage and bacon), as well as waffles and pancakes. 

A live noodle bar dished up both chicken and beef pho. It only occurred to me at breakfast that we’d gone the whole trip without ordering pho, and roll your eyes at me if you want, but I thought the Hilton served up a perfectly acceptable rendition. 

Another live cooking (or rather assembly) station served up Vietnamese chicken rice (com ga hoi an). If you’re used to the Singapore version, you may find this rather unusual; I believe they use turmeric in the rice instead of pandan flavour.

Tucked away in a corner is a fresh juice bar, where you could pick your own mix and have the staff prepare it for you. 

Having just come from Banyan Tree Lang Co and its daily champagne breakfasts, anything else was always going to be a step down. However, I found the spread at Brasserie Nam to be very impressive, with enough variety such that things didn’t get old. I’d rank this as one of the better hotel breakfasts I’ve had in the region.

Conclusion

The Hilton Da Nang is a modern, well-run hotel that’s got everything a business traveller could need. It’s close to the airport with a great executive lounge, plenty of meeting space, and a big breakfast spread to get you going in the mornings (just a shame about the Wi-Fi speeds). 

However, you won’t forget that you’re in the CBD, with tall buildings flanking you on all sides, as well as construction dust and noise. If I were travelling for leisure, I might prefer a resort like the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort or the Hyatt Regency Danang, both of which have direct access to the beach and are further away from the urban chaos of downtown. 

Have you been to the Hilton Da Nang before? What did you make of it?