New look for Caravelle …

→ The Caravelle Saigon is already one of Vietnam’s great historic hotels with a room renovation set to start a new chapter …

TODAY marks the start of a new chapter for the Caravelle Saigon with the historic hotel launching a renovation program that will see guest rooms receive an elegant upgrade.

“For those of you that have been following the Caravelle for some time now, you will know we have been working tirelessly on our much talked about renovation,” explains general manager Michael Robinson in an email to loyal guests.

“I am very proud to say that it is actually full steam ahead at the Caravelle, with August 9 marking our official start to Caravelle’s guest room renovation project.

“The first stage will be 303 of our 335 guestrooms undergoing a full renovation over the remainder of the year, expecting the first release of rooms in the second quarter of 2019.

“The project is quite significant and truly a milestone in Caravelle’s history, with a complete modernisation of the rooms whilst expanding the bathroom area, and during this time our restaurants and bars will be open for business as usual.

“So pop in and enjoy a drink or a meal at our outlets and feel free to ask our staff about the finer details of the project because they’re all as excited as I am.”

Far, Near or Here was lucky to receive a sneak peek at the new rooms with a hotel insider explaining the look remembers the hotel’s colonial history while incorporating the features modern travellers demand.

The new aesthetic has a bygone feel featuring dark timber, plush soft furnishings, and soft mauve tones with the bathroom now open to the room, a more formal entrance hall, and a mixture of carpet and polished boards on the floor.

The Caravelle Saigon, which sits in the heart of southern Vietnam’s biggest city, opened in 1959 with the tower wing added in the late 1990s which is the last time the rooms were upgraded.

The property is one of Saigon’s five historic hotels built during the colonial era — that count includes the Grand, Majestic, Caravelle, Continental and Rex — and during the years of the American War was not only home to the Australian and New Zealand embassies but television crews and wire-service journalists.