One of the old colonial South East Asia hotels, the Metropole Hanoi is the grande dame of the city. This Hanoi luxury hotel combines the best of French colonial architecture with contemporary Eastern elegance. The colonial look of the exterior architecture white stucco and green shutters if this South East Asia hotel is reflected in the interior architecture as well. This luxury hotel in Hanoi is all gleaming marble and hardwood. The look is softened with the use of silk to add a feeling of elegance and luxury and furnishings are elegant and pared back. You really do get the feeling that French colonial glamour has gone modern at the Metropole Hanoi which is firmly placed among the best hotels in Hanoi.
The First Luxury Hotel in Hanoi
Among the best hotels in South East Asia, The Metropole was built in 1901 in a city that the French colonial regime felt was the Paris of the East. Along the lines of the venerable Raffles Hotel in Singapore, this luxury hotel in Hanoi was where anybody who was anybody stayed.
This South East Asia hotel has had lots of notable guests through the years including Charlie Chaplin, assorted French Presidents and US Presidents Bush and Clinton. In fact, Charlie Chaplin honeymooned at the hotel with his American actress wife, Paulette Goddard. In terms of literary connections, the Metropole Hanoi has hosted two 20th century greats in British literature, Graham Greene, Somerset Vaughan and Noel Coward.
In 1965, this Hanoi luxury hotel had to build an air raid shelter to accommodate the times. Jane Fonda got to test out the air raid shelter in 1972 when she stayed for 2 weeks in protest of the Vietnam War. Joan Baez even gave a concert in the shelter. As a hotel guest you can check out the bunker as part of the Path of History tour which explains this South East Asia hotel’s history.
How A Hanoi Luxury Hotel Revamps Modern Colonial
The Metropole is part of the Sofitel Legends collection. As you would expect with its history, this South East Asia hotel has a fantastic location in the old French Quarter. There are plenty of places to visit in Hanoi and this luxury hotel in Hanoi would be a very handy base.
The Metropole hotel is actually a hotel in two parts. There is the more traditional older part and then a modern wing built in the 1990’s. Both parts of the hotel though are combined in a cohesive look – a restrained muted colour scheme paired with the sumptuous silks and polished hardwoods that you would expect from the grand hotels in South East Asia.
A courtyard with the hotel pool in the centre.
A room in the modern section of the hotel
The modern bathroom with black wood, red tiles and grey marble.
Silk curtains and an inviting red chair
The hallways carry on the restrained colour palette.
A moody lounge where you can sink into the sofa and relax.
How to decorate in neutrals and dark colours without being boring.
A traditional room in the original part of the hotel.
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