Inside the room that once welcomed the US President in Hanoi
Báo Dân trí•22/10/2024
(Dan Tri) - The Charlie Chaplin suite was once the residence of former US President Bill Clinton. According to the current listed price, each night here costs about 170 million VND (equivalent to 7,000 USD).
In April 1936, Vietnamese newspapers widely reported on the event of comedian Charlie Chaplin (known by the Vietnamese as King of Comedy, Chaplin) and Hollywood actress Paulette Goddard, coming to Hanoi to enjoy their honeymoon. Ngo Bao No. 2589, published on April 20, 1936, wrote: "Charlie called the Metropole Hotel to book a room." Metropole (according to the way newspapers wrote at that time) has the full name of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, located in the "center of the center" of the capital with two large halls overlooking the two most beautiful streets in Hanoi, Ngo Quyen and Ly Thai To. With 123 years of history, Metropole is not only the oldest hotel in Hanoi but also owns the most luxurious suites (the most luxurious rooms in the hotel) in Vietnam, with listed prices ranging from 22 to 170 million VND for a night's stay. Since Charlie Chaplin's 1936 vacation, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has built another luxury suite, the Legendary Suite, in the same Heritage Wing building where Charlie stayed in 1936, the room is named Charlie Chaplin Suite. According to the hotel's website, each night in this room costs about 170 million VND (equivalent to 7,000 USD/night). This is currently the most expensive suite in Vietnam in the hotel category.
Inside the room that once welcomed the US President in Hanoi (Video: Minh Quang - Viet Ngoc).
This Charlie Chaplin is located in one of the most beautiful locations of the Heritage Wing, with a view facing both Ngo Quyen Street and Con Coc Flower Garden. Along with the entire building, the room has just been completely upgraded and reopened at the end of 2023, with a new look with more vibrant colors, modern amenities added inside but still maintaining the inherent classical architectural beauty. From the atrium area in the Heritage Wing building, natural light is gradually transferred to the mood lighting system with pre-installed switches according to usage needs such as resting, working or at night. Moving along the corridor to reach the room, the warm yellow light from above combined with the carpet of the same color makes the journey pleasant. According to the hotel staff, the carpets in the corridor and inside the room are custom-made, the design is inspired by Vietnamese cultural symbols such as conical hats, woven bamboo and rattan, and classic decorative motifs of the Indochina period. There is almost no sound in every step. The softness of the carpet makes people moving on it, without anyone telling them to, automatically lower their voices, just loud enough to hear. Here, silence is part of the definition of luxury. From the outside, there are no special details other than the room name plate to identify. Only when you actually step inside the door, a special scent only available at Sofitel branded hotels will help visitors clearly feel the mark of luxury. The 70m2 room is likened to a memory box with the main inspiration from the life of the clown Sac Lo and his honeymoon with his third wife, actress Paulette Goddard, in 1936 at the Metropole Hotel. His outstanding moments are intentionally recreated through a system of paintings, wall photos, and displayed books... In the heart of the bustling capital, visitors can lie down on the sofa connecting the living room and dining area, leisurely sipping a cup of French coffee with a coffee maker right at the convenient minibar. Each glass used in this room comes from the world's highest quality Baccarat crystal brand, priced from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of VND per glass. "In addition, if guests have requests, we will arrange items to suit their personal needs," said a representative of Metropole. That is one of the privileges of "gods" staying in high-class suites like this one. A private butler will serve all guests' requests at any time of the day. Every day, the flowers in the room are also cared for and replaced with fresh domestic or imported flowers. The job of the flower department is to ensure that the flowers are always in the best condition, suitable for the space of each area in the hotel such as the rooms, restaurants, lobby, banquet rooms, etc. In addition, flowers are also regularly changed in type and color according to the season, holidays , or temperature, etc. The entire living room, dining table and minibar area is connected to nature by two large windows. Each window faces a different view, standing from the center of the room, guests can enjoy a sunny early morning. Also with two large windows, the bedroom is the place to welcome the afternoon sun. In the center of the bedroom, the bed called Sofitel MyBed with a size of 200x220cm is placed in the middle of the room. "The bed uses a 3-layer mattress, the top is natural hair fiber, the bottom is a waterproof layer. When lying on this mattress, any movement will not affect the sleep of the person next to you," a representative of the Metropole hotel introduced. Next to the outside bathroom, the main bathroom is equipped with a French-style bathtub and shower. The amenities such as shampoo and body lotion are all high-end brands originating from France. The Charlie Chaplin room has been chosen as a place to stay for famous guests such as: Former US President Bill Clinton, actor Colin Farrell, actress Emmanuelle Béart, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg... According to Ms. Dinh Cam Ly, the media representative of the Metropole Hotel, many business people and high-end customers love to stay in legendary rooms such as the Charlie Chaplin room. They want to find a little taste of history here. At the same time, they want to explore the French art of living combined with Vietnamese culture in an elegant and luxurious space. During the first half of the 20th century, the hotel was a meeting place for Hanoi's aristocracy with its first building - Heritage Wing, a restaurant with authentic French style and famous fine wines, or the Metropole hall (now Le Club Bar) where the first Indochina film was shown. Since its opening in 1901, Metropole Hanoi has expanded to a total of 358 rooms, harmoniously arranged in two blocks: the Heritage Wing with a French style mixed with Vietnamese culture and the Opera Wing with a neoclassical style. If the outside space is like a peaceful oasis with a small green garden next to the swimming pool and the Bamboo Bar with a strong Indochinese imprint, then inside the two blocks is a space of French-style living experience. The melodious melody of impromptu jazz music inside Le Club Bar in the evening will lead visitors to a cozy and exciting party. With 5-star international standard service quality and a 123-year history of witnessing the ups and downs that Hanoi has experienced, Metropole has become the leading accommodation for world leaders when coming to the capital. This place has left the footprints of special guests such as former US President George W. Bush, former French President Francois Hollande, former President of Switzerland, Republic of Togo, King of Malaysia, Princess of Monaco, Prince William, Prime Minister of Denmark, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, France, Canada, Nigeria, Norway... Notably, the US - North Korea Summit took place here with the presence of former US President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un in 2019. "Welcoming international delegations or billionaire guests is an honor for Metropole. We consider it an opportunity to represent the face of the country by bringing a high-class accommodation experience in Hanoi. In addition, Metropole is also proud to introduce to its distinguished guests the long history of the hotel and the history of Hanoi through a tour of the hotel and a special bomb shelter for guests. Not only for VVIP guests, no matter who the customer is, the hotel team always strives to bring them the most satisfaction and comfort," Ms. Ly affirmed.
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