Trying Out Wink, a New Unscripted by Hyatt Brand in Vietnam [Review of Wink Danang Riverside]

Vietnam is very affordable, and I spent much of my May 2026 trip in luxury hotels. But when I learned that Wink, a Vietnamese hotel brand, joined Unscripted by Hyatt, I wanted to see how it compared.

Coming from the Four Seasons Nam Hai, I knew the Wink Danang Riverside would be a big step down, but I was ready to be brought back down to earth.

I stayed with my friend Sarah on the final night of our trip together. Here’s how the stay went.

What Is the Wink Brand?

Prior to my trip to Vietnam, I’d never heard of Wink, as there are only 6 properties, all in Vietnam. It’s known as a chic, contemporary brand whose functionality reflects traditional Vietnamese values.

I expected an experience along the lines of an Accor TRIBE, a Tru by Hilton, or a Marriott Moxy.

Booking a Stay at Wink Danang Riverside

Danang has 2 Wink properties: Wink Danang Riverside and Wink Danang Centre. With nightly rates about the same, it was the rooftop pool of the Wink Danang Riverside that sealed the deal.

World of Hyatt points and cash rates for a stay at the Wink Danang Riverside offered great value. The nightly cash rate for the lowest room category, a 1 Queen Bed, was just $56. The nightly rate increased by only $21 for the highest-category room before suite-level — a 2 Twin Beds River View Deluxe. From just $86 to $139 per night, suites were also very affordable.

Only a Queen bedroom was showing available to book with points and cash. Strangely, booking with just points wasn’t possible, so the rate was 2,250 points and $35. King bed suites started from 3,750 points and $107 cash, with 2-bedroom suites from 4,750 points and $171 cash.

Though we were tempted by a suite, we only needed the room for less than 24 hours. We did, however, splurge an extra $3 to treat ourselves to a river view for $62 instead of a city view for $59.

I paid with my U.K.-issued Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Location

The hotel is just a few blocks up from the city’s famous fire-breathing Dragon Bridge that breathes out actual flames on weekends.

We spent a couple of hours in the evening exploring the area, which was mainly filled with street food outlets and massage spas. The streets were packed with locals and foreign tourists alike, as we happened to be staying during Da Nang’s fireworks festival.

If I came to Da Nang again, I’d probably stay in a quieter coastal suburb.

Checking In at Wink Danang Riverside

In the days leading up to check-in, I received 4 emails from the hotel prompting me to register or complete online check-in, which I found excessive and unnecessary.

We pulled up at the hotel just before 3 p.m.

The lobby was chaotic. Kids were running around, it was noisy, and it wasn’t immediately clear who the staff members were to check us in. After a few moments, a member of the team caught my eye and ushered me over to where she was standing to check in.

She thanked me for my Hyatt Discoverist loyalty. Noting this acknowledgment, I asked whether we’d been upgraded, to which she apologized and said they were at very high occupancy.

She then handed me just 1 room key (even though there were 2 of us) for a room on the 12th floor. She let us know that breakfast was between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and where we’d find each of the hotel’s facilities, including the pool. However, she told us the pool would be closed during our stay without explaining why.

Hot Tip:

Wink Hotels is a great option if you need somewhere to stay for just 1 night, as it offers a guaranteed 24-hour stay. Since we checked in at 3 p.m., we wouldn’t have had to leave our room until 3 p.m. if we hadn’t had a morning flight.

The Room

Our room was tiny. With our 5 suitcases and bags, Sarah had basically nowhere to stand while I took the initial few photos.

Despite its size, it was perfectly adequate for our needs. The beds were comfortable, and I didn’t notice any cleaning discrepancies.

As promised, the room type offered a very nice view of the river, though it was partly obstructed by the TV stand and a metal structure on the side of the building.

It was while checking out the view that I noticed the full-length mirror, which isn’t guaranteed even in the most luxurious hotels these days.

Even though we were high on the 12th floor, the first thing we noticed was that we could hear every siren and horn from the street. Knowing how much locals love to beep their horns in Vietnam, our worries of disturbed sleep were in vain as we both slept through the night.

The room’s design was pretty nondescript, and the materials and quality felt cheap compared to those of the TRIBE and Moxy hotels I’ve stayed in.

That said, it had everything we could have needed, and more.

There was a small desk area where I wrote the previous week’s airline news round-up. A huge positive for me was the full-size suitcase shelf built into the main storage area.

In the same wall unit, there were 5 coat hangers in an odd forward-facing clothes rail, as well as a hairdryer, a safe, and a minifridge.

The tiny bathroom felt less cramped thanks to the single door that served as both the bathroom and shower doors.

The towels were relatively thick and soft, and the hairdryer was hot and powerful. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of complimentary toiletries, so I was pleasantly surprised to see toothpaste and that it came in small paper packets rather than plastic ones.

The fact that there were flip flops and complimentary drinking water was even more impressive. Wink gets huge points here, especially after a 5-star hotel I stayed in recently charged over $4 for a bottle of water in the room.

I didn’t see a sign indicating that the Wink-branded flip flops were a gift (we didn’t use them), but there was a sign prohibiting smoking and eating durian.

Food and Beverages

Breakfast is included in all rates, but we didn’t eat it as we left for Da Nang International Airport (DAD) just after 7 a.m. Needing our caffeine fix, we popped in to grab a quick coffee just before we left. The same chaotic energy from the previous day filled the place even at that hour.

The buffet had a decent variety of options, but no “eggs your way” menu to order from, like some of the TRIBE hotels I’ve stayed at.

The hotel also operates an all-day bar-style restaurant where you can order burgers, pizzas, and other simple dishes. Guests could help themselves to snack trolleys and fridges and freezers stocked with food for a fee. There was also a 24-hour convenience store outside on the street level, but it didn’t offer any hot food.

With nothing on the bar menu that stood out to us and the rooftop closed, we ventured out and ate at a Korean-chicken-and-pizza hybrid restaurant a couple of blocks away. The service was so bad that I wouldn’t usually recommend it, but the bizarre food combination was top-notch.

Facilities

Before heading out for the evening, we checked out the hotel’s facilities.

The rooftop offers spectacular views over the city and the surrounding area, but it was closed for a ticketed fireworks watching event that even hotel guests had to pay for.

It’s a shame we weren’t able to enjoy the space at all during our short stay. It would have been helpful to know before booking.

I was impressed with the gym. It had more weight machines than I’ve seen in some luxury hotels, including a Smith machine, which is rare in a hotel gym. It also had several cardio machines.

Leaning into the traveler scene in Da Nang and Vietnam more generally, the hotel also has an in-house self-service laundry room. It would be great to see more hotels offer this service for travelers who spend a lot of time on the road between hotels.

The main lobby and reception area were marketed as a fun, social hangout with games. The reality was a seemingly neglected space, with not a soul in sight.

Service

The only real interaction I had with staff at Wink Danang Riverside was with Hang, who checked me in.

I explained to her that we’d chosen this hotel purely for the rooftop, and I could see in her face that she was genuinely apologetic. She addressed me by name the next time that I saw her, which I thought was a very nice touch for such a busy hotel.

Final Thoughts

We needed a well-located hotel for a quick overnight stay at the end of a trip. At 15 minutes from the airport and right in the hustle and bustle of the city’s popular Riverside area, the Wink Danang Riverside served its purpose. I neither loved nor hated my stay and would definitely recommend it to Hyatt loyalists looking for a budget place in Da Nang.

If you’re traveling as a pair, I’d recommend paying for a Deluxe room, as it was a squeeze for 2 people in our regular Queen room.

However, if I found myself in Da Nang again with a Moxy or a TRIBE available, I would definitely choose one of those over Wink.