Hanoi hotels · head to head
Heritage lake legend against chain central five-star — Ngo Quyen romance versus Ly Thuong Kiet pool kit, with food scores that favour Meliá.
By Kaiser Khan · last reviewed
Rates for both move constantly, so nothing here quotes a price. Each full review carries the rate comparison for that property.
Both are five-star alternatives to the lake boutiques when you want a bigger hotel footprint. Heritage vs chain, tighter lake pin vs wider ring.
We publish a handful of comparisons per city, chosen by an editor. We do not generate a page for every possible pairing: at thirty hotels that would be 435 near-identical pages per city, and at five hundred it would be 124,750 for one city alone — which is a doorway-page pattern, not a service to anybody trying to pick a hotel.
Should you book this hotel?
Metropole if the colonial address and 0.1 km lake pin are non-negotiable and you will eat out; Meliá if you want stronger food scores, pool practicality and can accept 0.8 km to the lake.
Position: Metropole puts Hoàn Kiếm and Old Quarter at 0.1–0.2 km. Meliá puts the lake at 0.8 km and Quarter at 0.9 km. Location scores 10 vs 9.22 — Metropole wins the walk map.
Scores split by category. Metropole supplier 9.6 from 1,206 reviews (9 January 2026) vs Meliá 9 from 1,893 (16 January 2026). Metropole wins room quality 9.98 vs 8.67; Meliá wins food 9.21 vs 8.29 and avoids appalling breakfast prose. Metropole’s overall experience language includes disappointment despite high category numbers.
Both list pool, fitness, restaurant and bar. Metropole adds garden and airport shuttle; Meliá is Meliá chain. Metropole is the heritage bet; Meliá the business-chain bet.
Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.
5-star hotelFrench Quarter & Opera edgeSofitel Legend
A five-star Sofitel Legend on Ngo Quyen — Hoàn Kiếm 0.1 km, historic luxury prose — with food scores that do not match the room-quality praise.
Third-party guest reviews: 9.6/10 from 1,206 reviews — as of
5-star hotelLy Thuong Kiet & central westMeliá Hotels & Resorts
A five-star Meliá on Ly Thuong Kiet — lake 0.8 km, pool and gym listed — with shower complaints and a smoking-floor assignment con beside solid service scores.
Third-party guest reviews: 9.0/10 from 1,893 reviews — as of
Every row is checkable against the supplier data on the two property pages. “Level” is a real answer and is used — a comparison where one side wins every row is usually a comparison somebody wrote backwards from the conclusion.
| What is being compared | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi | Meliá Hanoi | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official classification | 5-star / Sofitel Legend | 5-star / Meliá | Level |
| Position | 15 Ngo Quyen. Hoàn Kiếm 0.1 km, Old Quarter 0.2 km. | 44B Ly Thuong Kiet. Hoàn Kiếm 0.8 km, Old Quarter 0.9 km. | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi |
| Supplier rating (our hotel data provider, /10 — display only) | 9.6 from 1,206 reviews, as of 9 January 2026 | 9 from 1,893 reviews, as of 16 January 2026 | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi |
| Room quality (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.98 — historic luxury rooms | 8.67 | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi |
| Food and beverage (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 8.29 — appalling breakfast named | 9.21 | Meliá Hanoi |
| Location (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 10 | 9.22 | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi |
| What guests complain about | Uninspiring food; disappointing stay language | Shower issues; smoking-floor assignment | Level |
| Garden | Garden listed | Not highlighted in cited list | Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi |
Rows taken: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi 5, Meliá Hanoi 1, level 2. Counting rows is not how you pick a hotel — one row usually decides it, and the verdict above says which.
Every property we cover in Hanoi, the areas they sit in, and the verdict on which area suits which trip.
Neighbourhoods, transport, what a day costs, when to go and what to skip — the long-form guide behind these hotel picks.
