Sofitel is the premier 5-star brand in Vietnam, and the opening of the Sofitel Plaza Saigon complements two other Sofitel hotels operating in the country - the historic Hotel Sofitel Metropole Hanoi and Hotel Sofitel Dalat Palace. Accor also operates Novotel hotels in Dalat and the coastal resort of Phan Thiet. Elsewhere in the Indochina region, Accor manages hotels in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, as part of Accor Asia Pacific�s network of 136 hotels across the region. 

The Sofitel Plaza Saigon is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City on Le Duan Boulevard. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the city�s main business district as well as major tourist attractions including the Notre-Dame Basilica and Presidential Palace. 

The 292 room hotel includes 11 suites and a Presidential suite. French and international cuisine is served at Cafe Rivoli, while Vietnamese and other Asian cusines are the specialty of Aromasia Asian Restaurant. For recreation, the Sofitel offers a Clark Hatch Fitness Centre and swimming pool.

Business travellers will be the Sofitel�s main market, so the hotel is equipped with the latest in in-room and conference centre technology. There are extensive meeting facilities available, with the ballroom capable of hosting up to 450 delegates. A business centre provides access to a secretariat, fax, photocopying, computers, internet and e-mail connection.

A special opening rate of US$88++ (tax & service charges) per night is available till 31 December 1998.

While Ho Chi Minh City has experienced significant growth in room supply, Accor Asia Pacific�s Managing Director for Asia, Anthony Young, is confident that the quality of the hotel and the strength of the Sofitel brand in Vietnam will give the new hotel a major advantage over its competitors.

�The Sofitel name has an extraordinary reputation in Vietnam,� said Young. �The Sofitel Metropole Hanoi has been the country�s leading hotel since it opened in 1991. It was the very first hotel in Vietnam to be officially rated 5-stars by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and similar recognition was recently extended to Sofitel Dalat Palace.

�The main source markets for Vietnam are Europe, Australia and Asia, and in all three markets Accor is the leading hotel group. With the strength of our global distribution network, and the reputation of the Sofitel brand in Vietnam and Europe we are expecting positive trading in the first year, despite the challenging conditions.�

Hotel Sofitel Plaza Saigon was developed by Plaza Hotel Company Limited, part of the Singapore based UOB Group. General Manager of the hotel is Ricardo Perran.

The opening of the Sofitel in Ho Chi Minh City is part of a worldwide expansion of Accor�s premier hotel brand. New Sofitel hotels are under construction in New York, Chicago and  Philadelphia in the USA, as well as in London, Paris and Berlin. The Sofitel network currently comprises 110 properties worldwide and is part of the global Accor group, the world�s largest hotel and tourism company.