Check In

when i arrived, no one greeted me much less offered to help me with my bag. this is not my first time in the hotel so instead of me waiting to be noticed i went straight to the 9th floor lobby. there i gave them my platinum card and was then escorted to the 25th floor executive lounge for the actual check in.

Check in was efficient on the lounge.

my first impression when i saw the lounge was, it's small. when i finally found a seat, i noticed there were many water stains on the leather lined tables and some plates waiting to be cleared. i know this was designed by lacroix, but having the table unkept brings down the cool factor.

Room

as an accor platinum member i got upgraded to a so lofty (i was told it was the 2nd  biggest room in the hotel) though it was a wood element and not the metal or water that i thought i originally requested. anyway the room was HUGE, with a good view of the park and comes with a big circular bathtub as well. definitely impressive.

it was not perfect though. i saw a long strand of hair in the bathtub - obviously not mine. and a baby fly was hovering above me while i was on the firmer than usual bed. i vaguely recall they had these mattress pillow tops during my previous stay with them. i did not bother to raise the issue as it was a single night stay. plus they only were able to give an hour checkout extension for me, so i decided to just checkout on time and just stay at the pool.

after swimming i used the men's changing room, the shower cubicle i used did not have bath gel in the dispenser. this is quite unacceptable for a hotel at this level. i transferred to another cubicle where there was bath gel. hmm, something is not right.

Service

i tried to ask for a ziplock bag through the phone. first try, nothing came - as i left after 10 minutes of waiting. 2nd try their staff game with a paper bag, so i told them personally i needed a  plastic ziplock bag, they came back with a plastic bag - not a ziplock. 3rd try i mentioned it to their city guru on the ground floor as i came back close to midnight. he checked with the staff on the 9th floor but there was none. he suggested the 7-11 nearby. so next day i went and there was none as well. am not sure if it is a stretch that i expect them to have this because it is airport regulation to have all liquids/gels in zip lock plastic. and since songkran is nearing  i am surprised they are not prepared for their guest's number 1 requirement for this season.

Dining

after the check in process was, i managed to see the high tea being prepared. the food/cakes were the usual dainty little morsels. during the cocktail hours, it did not improve. it has only 2 hot items fish fingers and some bread like stuff with the cold cuts and cheeses. it may be of quality, but definitely not of quantity. there's a single type of red and white wine, a bunch of their signature cocktail and spirits. i tried their golden needle cocktail. and they made me an excellent mojito despite it not in their menu.

the weird thing about the lounge is that despite it being small, you don't actually see it getting filled. you see people coming in, but immediately leaving - maybe because of the sorry selection of food? the evening candle lighting ceremony was a nice touch eventhough they were performing to a handful of audience.

for breakfast, i decided to do it in the red oven. again they have the cold cuts of meat and cheese which i guess i for their european guests. a good selection of what seems like fresh squeezed fruit juice. an non-advertised coconut juice which i saw as i was leaving the place. they have a very tasty smashed croissant with ham - presentation was not the priority, but it was really good. the usual bacon, ham, tomato with peas, baked beans, thai noodles, japanese rice in bean curd skin. egg station. plus point for them having an ice cream station for breakfast. the staff were too eager clearing up tables, that they cleared mine while i was ordering eggs.

Overall

i submitted this review via accor's email which i thought was linked to tripadvisor. i gave them a 3 out of 5 rating. its been a week now, but my review is still not posted on tripadvisor.

Check In

I was really looking forward to this stay. I had contacted the hotel prior to booking my room, in order to ensure that I would receive a Club Room, with my specific choice of element: water. The rooms in the hotel are divided by element (water, earth, fire, wind and metal), water to me looked like the coolest. In addition to this I requested that my room have a Lumphini Park view. 

The response from the hotel was very quick, informative and friendly. I was told that I would indeed receive club access and that everything possible would be done, to ensure that I received the view/room type that I requested.

My first impression of the hotel was fantastic, the exterior is very slick.
I was greeted by two members of staff at the outdoor reception podium, one of whom immediately took my bags. Save for the walk down the jetbridge, with my carry-on, I had yet to physically come into contact with either of my bags since arriving in Thailand!

The receptionist asked for my name and upon confirming my reservation, arranged for me to be escorted to the Club Signature floor, for check-in.

We first took an elevator to the main lobby floor, which also houses a lovely bar area (where I would later use my platinum drinks coupons).

We then proceeded to another bank of elevators, for the final ascent to the cub floor.

View of the ballroom floor, whilst waiting for lifts to the Club Floor

This kind of check-in is not difficult to do, particularly at this early time of day but it definitely makes you feel like you are being extra specially looked after. I was asked to take a seat on the sofa and offered a drink. Another double espresso, very strong and slightly sour, giving way to a sweet finish. Excellent. Things were looking good. 

View of Signature Reception, as seen from the Club

Coffee!

The lounge itself was decorated in a very modern yet elegant way. The feeling I constantly had throughout my stay was that this hotel managed to be everything a W aspires to be, whilst also being friendly and elegant (as opposed to aloof and tacky).

Check-in was very quick and easy, I had my Platinum/ Club Signature benefits explained to me:

Early check-in (it was still pre-7am at this point)
Late check out
Breakfast in the lounge or main restaurant
Afternoon tea
Evening drinks and canapes

I was also asked when I planned to check out. When I said it would be early in the morning the girl checking me in said they could organise a take-away breakfast box for me. I said this wouldn’t be necessary but thought this was a really nice touch.

I was given time to finish my coffee and as soon as I exited the lounge, the same girl was waiting, ready to show me to my room.

The hallways in the Sofitel So are enormous and by far the most impressively designed of any hotel I’ve ever seen.

I almost felt bad about the amount of wasted floorspace. The contrasting sculptures, lights and textures really make you feel like you are somewhere special, somewhere that has been designed with precision and flair.

Room

My first impression of the room was superb. This was even better than the pictures on the website. I particularly liked the fact that there was an Apple TV, for internet browsing, youtube etc. as well as a comfortable sofa chair and table next to it.

The most striking feature of the room, aside from the view, was the enormous bathtub. Seriously you could fit 4 people in that thing. I also quite liked the glass behind the bed, which permitted natural light to enter the walk in wardrobe/ dressing room.

Up yours Nespresso

I really liked this view from the room

I had told the girl checking me in that I was really tired after my flight, she showed me how to close the electronic blinds asked me if I needed anything else and wished me a pleasant sleep.

Dining

My alarm woke me a couple of hours later. I felt like I’d left half my brain on the moon. The bed was so comfy but I knew that I didn’t want to waste my day lying in bed, particularly when there was an Asian hotel breakfast buffet waiting for me downstairs!

So, I staggered down to the restaurant floor. A discombobulated, somnambulous marionette of a man.

My mental state was in no way improved by this seeing this guy, greeting me across a pool of water, behind which was some restaurant seating. 

I began to formulate a plan to pay him for safe passage to the seats, perhaps he’d pose me a riddle… then I realised that the restaurant entrance was behind me.

I was asked for my room number and sat in the middle of a room absolutely buzzing with atmosphere. The Red Oven restaurant has tons of natural light, high ceilings and great views across the park. There is also an outside terrace area and a sleek looking bar at one end. In this room I strongly felt that I was far from home. This level of energy is just never present in Europe.

I forgot to take pictures in the restaurant because I was a foggy passenger in a barely responsive cadaver. I apologise.

Anyway, the food and coffee were really good. There were approximately one billion dishes to choose from, as is par for the course in Asia. This included everything from dim sum to pasta to freshly baked pastries. The food throughout my stay was phenomenal. A good deal of the staff at the Sofitel are French and this includes the chefs. This really showed in the baking and cheese selections, in particular.

After breakfast I headed back to the Signature Club floor to ask for directions and a map for the day. I was told that Club room guests get a free one day pass for the Skytrain (an extra benefit not mentioned on my letter), which is a nice touch. The Club desk staff were always super friendly and helpful, whenever I came back to my room they would welcome me back and ask specifics about how my day had gone. This was always done in a charming and friendly way, rather than the by the book professionalism that seems to underpin proceedings at other hotels in this league.

After a day of sightseeing I headed back to the room and found that some fruit, snacks and drinks had been left for me

Pretty much every time I set foot in my room, I noticed that some amount of cleaning/ tidying had taken place. Toiletries were always replenished, clothing was folded and tidied and fresh bottles of water were left in the fridge.

I went to check out the pool in the afternoon, it was super busy but absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, my first little corner wasn't the best:

I would recommend avoiding the late afternoon here, as it is the time when everyone has come back from a busy day and is looking to relax.

At night , lit up, the pool was fantastic and deserted

Before 3pm the pool was always quiet too

that's more like it

After a bit of time relaxing by the pool I decided to investigate the cocktail hour at the lounge.The food spread was fantastic, with fresh items being brought out constantly.There was a decent selection of French and Australian wines and staff were very proactive in coming to serve you cocktails (although you could always help yourself too).

I liked the fact that staff came round to take last orders, a few minutes before the cocktail hour was due to finish. At no point did I ever feel that this property was penny pinching (something which cannot be said for numerous other 5* properties in Asia, particularly in Japan).

The staff were also great at remembering drinks preferences. I came in for a decaf before bed at 11pm one evening and was greeted by the same server the following morning, asking if I still wanted decaf or if I needed some caffeine in the morning. Little touches like this, really set the Sofitel So apart.

These burgers were so freaking good.

The view from the Club terrace isn't bad either

In the morning of day 2 I checked out the gym facilities, before breakfast. The facilities were great but I felt that the gym staff were substantially less polished than those on the club floor. They didn’t apologise at all when I pointed out that I’d been given a dirty towel, they pushed past guests using machines, in order to show other guests around etc. Not huge failings but I feel they need pointing out, for the sake of completeness.

On day two I had breakfast on the terrace of the club lounge.
I went for the eggs Benedict a la carte, as well as a selection of bites from the buffet.

The EB were cooked and presented perfectly.

On day three I went for the Japanese breakfast option, after the buffet, this was (once again) excellent.

Dessert? I guess.

Throughout my stay, I also made use of the spa. I’ve never really done this before but the prices were really competitive and the stairs leading up from the gym looked really inviting. The whole process was very well executed, from the greeting on arrival, confirmation of music and tea choices, the finish of all the surfaces in the spa, even the presentation of the chocolates was cool and different.

I honestly felt like I could completely relax and forget about any distractions of the outside world.

I liked it so much that I ended up going three times for three different treatments.

Other notes: you get 2 pieces of dry cleaning per day for free as a Platinum member. This wasn’t mentioned in the letter but the staff were aware of the benefit when asked. I wanted a couple of things cleaning before my early morning flight to NRT. I handed them in at about 3pm. When I came back from dinner, at 10pm, my shirt and trousers were already hung up in my wardrobe.

As a platinum member you also get a drinks voucher for use in the lobby bar.
Because I was staying alone, the hostess proactively suggested that I should get two drinks and made sure that the server knew this. I said I was heading out to dinner and didn’t want to have two drinks beforehand, she said no problem you can have your second drink later.

True to her word, a few hours later I came back, the server immediately recognised me and asked “Mr Jermyn, same again”?

I also checked out the rooftop bar, for a final nightcap. The ambience was very trendy and ‘hip’, if you’re into that sort of thing. I personally prefer the laid back atmosphere in the lobby bar and club lounge. Although, I have to admit, the view was pretty cool.

Overall

Overall this was one of my best ever hotel stays. The staff were a huge part of this. Despite this being a 5*hotel, the service managed to be proactive and friendly without any stuffiness or excess formality at all. The most formal people were those behind desks at reception downstairs and in the main lobby, even they would always grin and greet you with a a wai whenever you walked past.

'So' long Sofitel. See you again soon!