Jasper2009

Since Fairmont / FRHI has been acquired by Accor, I've been taking a closer look at the Accor program and its properties.

So I'm curious: What are FTers' favourite properties?

Are there any outstanding Sofitel properties? Any destinations where the Sofitel would be the top property (or at least among the top 3)?

FWIW, I had Accor Plat status for a few years and had some pleasant stays, but would tend to classify most Sofitel hotels as "solid 4*-5*", but not necessarily as "remarkable".

gilbertaue

I'd say that the properties under the Sofitel Legend portfolio rank in most of the cities they're in as in the top.

I have only stayed at the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, but it certainly sets itself apart from other Sofitel properties.

I would also add the Sofitel Melbourne as a great hotel - though the rooms need an update at some stage.

generikz

I have only seen the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi and it was indeed an historical landmark in its own right.

I'm not a big fan of Sofitel So Singapore but Sofitel So Bangkok is quite amazing.

Julien

starflyergold

Personally I am a big fan of the Sofitel Vienna (if they had a lounge it would be perfect)

lingua101

Personally, I think Sofitel Metrople is just too proud to its history.

I like Sofitel Sukhumvit. Sofitel So Bangkok is just so so. Both are nice, but I prefer service at Sofitel Sukhumvit and they always upgraded the Platinum to club room.

Goldorak

Only one possible answer to this question : Sofitel Angkor

cwl

IMO I would agree that Sofitel is generally a 4*+ to 5*- brand.

It's pitched in the same bracket as JW Marriott, Waldorf Astoria etc but below Kempinski, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons etc..

An average Fairmont is broadly in line with good Sofitel. The best Fairmont and Raffles properties usually a notch up.

I would single out Sofitel Metropole as a step above the norm and the stand out hotel in Hanoi. Sofitel Siem Reap is also above average although not tried Raffles Siem Reap.

The Bangkok properties by general standards are very good but outclassed in that city by the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Kempinski.

Besides Hanoi and maybe Amsterdam I would struggle to class most Sofitel's in the top 3 for most capital cities.

Asian hotels tend to be better but so is the competition.

European and North American properties are overall average in the high end category..

Its a sound but unremarkable higher end brand.

tris06

It sounds so sad when you say its sound but unremarkable.

How we would all wish for a little more choice of something really special.

I say I still enjoy my stays at the Sofitel but it usually is a low 5 star hotel.

Fairmont will bring a bit more excitement to the mix.

As many people have always said. Accor has a pretty good range or mid-level hotels and below but really lacked in the 5 star category.

It seems Fairmont will bring a mix of low 5 star and remarkable hotels in.

gilbertaue

I may be wrong, and going off on a tangent here. But if one would give me the option of the Fairmont in Jakarta or the Sofitel Sukhumvit, assuming both were in the same location, I'd pick the Sofitel.

Why? Because what I have seen of the one Fairmont is a bit like sitting in SQ. Manicured perfection. It all seems almost a bit fake and trying too hard.

Whereas the Sofitel Sukhumvit has its small flaws here and there. Its more human in a way. A bit like TG or MH.

I wouldn't compare the two as they both have their place and I would know very well what I'd want depending on the level of service I'd need.

Goldorak

I fully agree with you. When we joke about Fairmont with friends who are heavy travelers like me, we always say that you need to be at least 70 to stay there (and be rich of course).
I was in BOS recently and entered the Fairmont at Copley square (just to use the toilets, I believe I was entitled to as a Platinum member of the new owner ). It is very nice of course, but just a bit too much for my taste.

gilbertaue

I wouldn't see it any other way. Did they offer you the drinks vouchers too?

Goldorak

no, but I got a late check-out (from the toilets)

Sohan

The Sofitel in Hanoi was very nice and I really like the one in Amsterdam although the rooms imo are a little hit an miss with the designs.

LOVE the Sofitel Sukhumvit BKK - spent over 2 months there this year alone and we book all our company travel there as well. Sofitel So BKK is okay, but definitely not as good as Sukhumvit imo. Really wasn't keen on the split elevators and elements theme. Service is definitely decent.

GlenP

Personally, I love the way that Sofitel, either within their Legends or Luxury Hotels portfolios have preserved so many of the world's great, classic, hotels.

Personal favourite has to be the Winter Palace, in Luxor, Egypt.

Sure it's old and needs a bit of renovation / restoration to parts of the exterior, but the very history of the hotel; its Victoria Lounge being where Howard Carter posted the first public notice of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, and the feeling of, calm; akin to having stepped back into a less frenetic era, that hits you as soon as you enter the front door more than make up for any crazing of the rendering.

Add to this the most magnificent hotel gardens; which possess an uncanny ability to isolate one from the hectic city, that is Luxor, just beyond the walls, and you have the perfect location for rest and relaxation.

What tops it all however is the stellar levels of customer care from all staff, who treat guest more as visiting family members than customers.

I know of no other hotel where it is possible not to have visited for 4 years only to walk in and have every member of staff not only remember your face and name, but even such details as what your drink preferences are in the bar (different drinks for different times of day), how you like your eggs cooked with breakfast and even enquiring about the health of family members, whom they've never met & who you might have only mentioned once or twice in all the times you've stayed there.

FGunawan

As many have pointed out, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi ("The Metropole") outclasses its competitors in the city.

People I talk to in Bangkok (those who live there) also widely praise Sofitel So Bangkok. It possibly can't compete with the likes of the Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental or Shangri-La, but it is very unique, offering unconventional experience vs more traditional offerings of these other names.