Happy Riverside Mountain View Hotel

The main reason for the bad review is because the owner lied to us and ripped us off big time. He offered to organise our bus from Vientiane to Hanoi, and lied through his teeth about what we would get for our money. On top of that he over charged us a significant amount, and purposely put us on a later minibus to Vientiane which made us extremely late for our sleeper bus. We’re seasoned travellers, we know what to expect when it comes to moving from place to place, but being lied to and significantly over charged for it is not our idea of good customer service. Our stay at the hotel was fine, but naturally the experience was ruined by a deceitful owner.

I booked 2 rooms for 2 nights at the Happy River View Hotel. I booked the rooms because of the amazing views of the mountains, which didn‘t disappoint, but I am extremely impressed by how much more we got from this experience. I contacted the hotel prior to arrival to arrange transportation and activities and I was immediately assisted professionally by a very helpful vietnamese Manager / Owner, Yang. Upon arrival, Yang welcomed us warmly with a big smile, a big cake for 3 of my sisters‘ bday and 3 roses which he personally cut from their garden. I immediately knew then that this is a place where they genuinely care about their guests. During one of the activities, I unfortunately slipped in Blue Lagoon and hurt myself so I went back to the hotel to get my wounds cleaned. Yang wanted to ensure I‘m okay and so he personally tended to my wounds. During this time, I got to know more about Laos and Yang even shared some stories about his travels. On our last night, we were trying to find ATMs (please ensure to bring cash as no establishment accepts cards in Vang Vieng) and unfortunately all ATMs on the street weren‘t working at the time. To top it all off, we got caught in such a heavy rain that we coulnd‘t even get a cab or tuktuk so we were stuck in a small cafe for almost 2 hours. I called the hotel to see if they can help us. Yang immediately took off with his motorbike and came to our rescue. When he arrived, he was soaking wet from the rain! We felt sorry and told him he didn’t need to but he kept saying he is happy to do it. He lent us some cash for our dinner which I promised to return in the morning once we get to a working ATM. I am a luxury hotelier and have opened 5 star hotels and trained hundreds of people on guest experience. Obviously, the facilities at Happy River View aren‘t the best and there are other accommodation to choose from if you are looking for comfort and luxury. However, if you are looking for a special place where you wish to be treated like a family, this is the best choice. For me, guest experience is all about how you make the guests feel. It‘s about demonstrating genuine care, going above and beyond the call of duty, taking the time to know your guests and actioning on those little nuggets you learn from them to personalize the experience. Each member of my family felt special and amazed. We already planned coming back in February! Thank you very much, Yang and Happy River View Hotel. You‘ll hold a special place in our hearts.