A beloved landmark for royalty, business and leisure travellers, the New World Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh has been at the forefront of luxury, convenience and elegance since its opening in 1994. Over the years, it has hosted guests such as US Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and royalty such as Princess Kiko, and Prince Akishinomiya Denka. Now, this five-star hotel has become the ideal spot for international travellers who enjoy world-class hospitality.

After an extensive two-year transformation, in December of 2019 the New World Saigon Hotel unveiled its tremendous renovation of guestrooms, restaurants, lounges and public spaces which correlated with its 25th anniversary. With new enhanced spaces to overlook the city scene, delicious international cuisine from four restaurants, an assortment of business facilities, a swimming pool and 533 extravagant rooms to choose from, the New World Saigon has it all. So, what else do you invest in when you already have everything you may ask?

The only thing left to invest in - great coffee.

Eversys spoke with New World Saigon Hotel Director of Food & Beverage, Thierry Foehrenbach, about his experience with Eversys and how the choice of our Cameo and E’line machines has complimented both the visual and physical service that has been enriched over the past three years.

Q: Thierry, share with us a brief introduction to the history of the hotel. What year was it built in?  

A: Being the first International five star hotel that has opened in Ho Chi Minh City since 1994, New World Saigon Hotel is considered a landmark that has built its good reputation and credibility in the local market through its successful servicing of government delegations, high profile guests and other well-known business travellers.

Q: Over the years, the New World Saigon Hotel has been renowned as the first choice of stay for royalty and world leaders many times. How do you feel your recent renovation is playing an active role in keeping you at the forefront of luxury hospitality?

A: After an extensive renovation of our guestrooms, lounges, and public spaces we can now offer a contemporary and modern destination for business and leisure travellers alike. Very soon we will unveil the hotel’s new Chinese restaurant showcasing a new dining destination in Ho Chi Minh, again inspired by a contemporary touch. The key to the hotel’s success is a heartfelt service that is genuine, sincere and authentic, with a thoughtful attention to detail giving each and every guest the time and space they need to make the most of whatever is important to them.

Q: How has your hotel dealt with the impacts of COVID-19 this year? How and when will you begin welcoming guests back in?  

A: During these unprecedented times, the safety and well-being of our loyal guests, residents, and associates continues to be our primary concern and priority. Given the recent Vietnam restrictions and in a community effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, all dining outlets at New World Saigon Hotel have been closed for the past few months. However, now we have slowly started to re-open our Whisper Bar & Lounge back in early June as well as our restaurants. We have, in addition, intensified precautionary health measures at New World Saigon Hotel such as deep cleaning, disinfection of public areas and common touch points, e.g. elevators, providing facemasks and hand sanitisers to all guests and associates, as well as regular temperature checks, elective for all guests and mandatory for our associates. Some of our hotel associates including the kitchen and restaurant teams and our room butlers have been instructed to wear a mask at work.

Q: How do you feel your new facilities better accommodate your guests? How have they been enjoying the new rooms and modernisations?

A: After our renovation we have been receiving a lot of compliments from guests staying in our rooms regarding the new look and enhanced services.

Q: Vietnam is renowned for its coffee culture. What is your opinion on the current culture of coffee in Vietnam? 

A: Very interesting and full of unique products. Coffee is a really important part of the Vietnamese culture. Every coffee origin is different and gives a specificity that makes it unique. In North and central Vietnam, they are now producing very high quality of coffee.

Q: What inspired your decision to select an Eversys Cameo? 

A: I think it is a great product that produces consistent high-quality coffee.

Q: What impact do you feel the Cameo is having on your hotel? How have your guests perceived it?

A: Despite the guests not necessarily looking at the type of machine we have, they are definitely more interested in the coffee quality, the right temperature and the right aroma.

Q: What would you say have been three noticeable changes your guests have experienced with using the Cameo?

A: That it is very efficient, it produces high quality on the final product and always gives consistency.

Within our interview with Thierry, we also spoke with our distributor Edwin, who supported the New World Saigon in selecting a coffee machine that was aligned to their business and quality needs.

Q: What machine did they choose and why? What inspired their decision?

A: They chose three of our Cameo C’2M and one of our E’4M. They originally chose the C’2M due its size (the outlet has limited height restriction) and stunning design. Versatility was also a key factor as one of the Cameos is positioned in their VIP lounge with self-service, whereas the others were F&B staff operated.

Q: What would you say have been the benefits of installing an Eversys machine in the hotel?

A: Intuitive and customisable menu and telemetry system that allows our technicians to keep track of how many cups and which types of coffees made and regulate service intervals.

Q: How do you feel this will further shape the hotels success within its dining facilities? 

A: By maintaining the machines and understanding the guest’s preferences we are able to optimise its configuration for maximum coffee output whilst delivering consistent coffee quality. Happy guests will return for more especially New World where they have a large portion of returning guests.

Q: How do you feel Eversys Cameo will be portrayed in a coffee specialist region?

A: Early stages in our region still, but I imagine as the brand and product recognition becomes more prominent, it will be of interest to those business who value quality hardware coupled with intuitive software, and total cost of ownership through long term ROI.