Beijing, July 22, 2009 – The renowned Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, Vietnam is the first hotel worldwide in the Sofitel portfolio to be branded under the French hotel group’s new signature brand “Legend”. The re-naming was celebrated on July 1st by the unveiling of a special plaque on the hotel’s façade.
Markland Blaiklock, Senior Vice President, Sofitel Asia Pacific, said at the ceremony: “The new Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is the first in a collection of legendary addresses around the world that define our “living heritage” and palace hotels. These historical gems will each be the leading hotel in their respective destination, have rich décor and surroundings and truly outstanding service, such as Clefs d'Or concierges, butlers and personalized service throughout the hotel.”
The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is an oasis of charm in the heart of Hanoi, blending the warm hospitality of the Vietnamese people with the finest facilities befitting its European heritage. It has undergone an extensive renovation and restoration in order for it to achieve its place as the world’s first “Sofitel Legend”.
The hotel’s 364 rooms occupy the centenary Metropole Wing, whose 110 rooms and suites feature a harmonious blending between tradition and modernity, and the 254-room Opera Wing, renovated in true neo-classical elegance, with rooms and suites that integrate new technology and comfort
The award-winning Le Beaulieu restaurant, which opened more than 100 years ago, continues today with its famous culinary legacy, serving the finest French cuisine. Spices Garden, with its pleasant location overlooking the hotel’s garden terrace, sets the trend for Vietnamese cuisine in the city. Meanwhile, a third, brand new restaurant, Angelina, serves contemporary Italian food in an up-to-the-minute setting and, with its resident DJ, is now firmly established as one the of the city’s hotspots.
Guests can also enjoy the hotel’s Club Bar for a taste of the finest wines with jazz music, the colourful and relaxing Bamboo Bar by the pool, or La Terrasse, which is designed to emulate Parisian cafés.
The brand new Le Spa du Metropole enjoys French colonial décor with seven individually designed spa suites. Treatments combine ancient beauty secrets and holistic rituals from the East, artfully blended with contemporary methods of the West, using Clarins and Ytsara spa products complemented by exclusive oil blends created by Laurent Severac, a French renowned perfumer.
The hotel’s SoFit gym offers the latest fitness equipment with welcome rituals and top class fitness amenities.
As in all Sofitel Legend hotels, exquisite French “rituals” feature throughout, with food, Champagne, wine and cheese rituals for gourmets and culinary explorers, the best Sunday brunch in town, and the hotel’s popular chocolate buffet. Cigar aficionados will enjoy the exclusive cigars selection with presentation, menu, cutting, service tray/box all forming part of the ritual.
The Sofitel Legend collection will soon add six more properties to the development pipeline in coming years.
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NOTE TO EDITORS:
The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, built in 1901, is a multi award-winning French colonial-style hotel lying in the heart of Hanoi, near Hoan Kiem Lake and the magnificent Opera House.
It has welcomed numerous world leaders, dignitaries, politicians, authors, actors and celebrities through its doors over the years, including Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, Charlie Chaplin, Graham Greene, Jane Fonda (who did her famous broadcasts to the US troops in 1972 from her hotel suite) and many others. Sir Michael Caine was there while filming the movie adaptation of The Quiet American.
With its classical white façade, green shutters, original wrought iron detail, wood panelling and lush courtyard lawn, the Sofitel Metropole Legend is one of the few remaining hotels of its era in the region, with a rich and colourful history.
Sofitel Legend, legendary hotels in legendary locations
Created by Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Sofitel Legend is an exclusive collection of legendary century-old hotels.
The Hotel Metropole Hanoï in northern Vietnam is the first hotel to join this collection. Six more hotels will be re-branded as Legends following extensive renovation programmes.
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Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance
Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents, in more than 50 countries. Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, New York or Bangkok, or nestled away in a country landscape in French Polynesia or Brazil, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French art de vivre.
Discover Sofitel on www.sofitel.com
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