InterContinental Hanoi Westlake wins Vietnam’s Best City Hotel

The luxury hotel InterContinental Hanoi Westlake has won Vietnam’s “Best City Hotel” award in TTG’s Travel Awards 2008, just 10 months after its soft opening.
Travel agents, tour operators and destination managers who read TTG Asia, TTGmice, the online TTG Daily News, TTG China and TTG-BTmice China recognized the hotel as “Best City Hotel” for Vietnam. They cast their votes for the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake between June and August of this year, based on the hotel’s services and facilities, its range of value and added benefits, and on the innovation of its sales and marketing team.
“If we hadn’t exceeded the expectations we set for ourselves at the beginning of this year, I would tell you that I am stunned,” said Christian Pirodon, general manager of the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake. “After all, this time last year we weren’t even open. But we hit the ground running in Vietnam, purposefully confident in our ability to provide a remarkable experience, not only in Hanoi, but all Vietnam. And TTG agrees,” Pirodon said.
Phil Riley, IHG’s regional general manager for Vietnam, said in many ways the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake set the bar for all of IHG’s ambitions in Vietnam. “And a very high bar it is,” he commented after the award announcement.
This was the first year that TTG set categories for “Best City Hotel” in 10 Asian cities. Last year, none of Vietnam’s hospitality properties won recognition from the authoritative publisher of travel industry journals.
Opened in December 2007, the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake evokes a resort-like ambiance with its torch-lit Venetian promenades. Conde Nast Traveler recognized the hotel on its 2008 Hot List, the 12th annual round-up of the most compelling new hotels in the world.