The Zephyr Hotel’s main draw is its prime location; step onto the sidewalk in front of the Hotel and you can see Hoan Kiem Lake, the central landmark in Ha Noi.  Beyond its location, the Hotel is a mixed bag that trends toward mediocre.

The lobby is quite nice, boasting beautiful original artwork, marble floors, and a little bakery display that sells decent-looking pastries and breads.  It is surprisingly quiet given that busy Ba Trieu Street is just beyond the glass doors, and the air con provides a welcome reprieve if you happen to visit during the summer. Also, the friendly staff speaks decent English.

Beyond the lobby, things get less desirable. The elevator is clean but sterile, the hallways are a bit dingy and un-air-conditioned, and the walls have occasional cracks.

The rooms themselves are small and clean but not particularly charming. The beds feel very comfortable. There is a vent and good shower pressure in the relatively clean and new bathrooms, though the bathrooms in the standard rooms were a bit older.  The carpeting (both in the rooms and in the hallways) is old, and the view from the superior rooms onto the central corridor of the hotel is unappealing.

The Hotel provides a small but adequate business center and a very small and fairly inadequate fitness room.  A restaurant on the top floor has nice views of the lake.