Almost all hourly-rate guest houses and mini hotels in Hanoi have taken advantage of Valentine’s Day demand to raise their rates.
Many guest houses refuse advance room bookings on Valentine Day
Advance bookings shunned
Guesthouse owners have discouraged advanced bookings this year to meet the swelling demand for short-term Valentine’s Day stays.
Many people are finding it really difficult to find advance rooms, including in areas well known for short-stay accommodation, including the Hoang Quoc Viet and Xuan Thuy roads in Cau Giay District, K3 Cau Dien Road in Tu Liem District, Thai Ha Road in Dong Da District and Gia Lam District.
A receptionist at a guest house in Thanh Xuan District said, “We often have only a few guests on normal days. We just really make our profits on special occasions like Valentine’s Day and Vietnamese Women’s Day on October 20 when demand often bulges.”
He noted that those who want to book a room in advance should be willing to fork out triple the normal rates, with guests being required to pay an additional VND50,000-VND100,000 (USD2.39-USD4.78) per hour per room.
A guest house owner on Gia Lam District’s Sai Dong Road said, “Guest house business owners are fully aware that they can earn more from renting rooms by hour, rather than for an whole night.”
Expensive overnight stay
Owners of many guest houses in Hanoi said rooms vary from VND80,000-VND120,000 (USD3.8-USD5.74) per hour on Valentine’s Day. Many of them have pledged not to increase room rates but instead will hike service fees during this time.
Short stay room rentals are more common
A single room at a guest house along Sai Dong road will cost VND250,000 (USD11.96) per day while a double room is VND300,000 (USD14.36) per day.
An overnight stay at some other guest houses on Cau Giay road costs VND180,000 (USD8.61), with higher prices from 7 or 8pm through to 7am, ranging from VND220,000-VND250,000 (USD10.53-USD11.96).
Duong, owner of a guest house in Long Bien District, said customers are required to check out on time or they will have to pay an additional VND20,000 (USD0.95).
Tu, a student of College of Technology, complained, “A stay at a guest house on Valentine’s Day costs an average VND100,000 (USD4.78) per hour. This means that I have to spend VND200,000 for two hours, regardless of the service fees. It may cost millions of VND for an overnight stay and I can’t affort such a high rate.”
Phuong, a receptionist at a guest house in Gia Lam District said, “A week before Valentine’s Day, my boss told me to plan price rises and despite them we’re still attracting customers. After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to increase room prices but to apply a parking fee of VND10,000 (USD0.47) per motorbike and VND30,000 (US1.43) per car. Those who stay longer than their initial registration will have to pay an additional VND20,000 (USD0.95) per hour.”
Huong, a student from Hanoi College of Art, said, “Last year, my boyfriend and I hired a room for a night at a guest house on Phung Khoang Road in Thanh Xuan District. At 2am, I felt hungry and wanted to eat a cake. We were absolutely shocked when she charged us VND500,000 (USD23.93) for a small cake. We could have had three cakes for that price.”
