We chose this hotel based on the great reviews and paucity of alternatives in the town. It's a nice enough property for conventions or large groups, but for us and the other couple we were traveling with, it was too far from town - despite available free shuttles. The dining room was expensive for Laos ($12 for a nice buffet breakfast ). The rooms are quite beautiful, but the light switches are tough to figure out - we never really did over a 4 night stay - and the storage is a little funky. The staff is vey friendly and helpful, especially Mr. Thoney and Mr. Mook, but we heard "2 for 1 massage" at the Spa (which is lovely and staffed by capable masseuses) only to find later that there was no such generic deal. The manager ended up giving us a 25% discount, but I paid more here than anywhere else in SE Asia even after the discount.