Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit
I thought I'd start a thread about this hotel, which opened in early April 2012. I spent 3 excellent nights at this property; here's a report about my experiences as a Platinum Le Club member.
Check-in: I booked a Luxury Room and was upgraded to a Luxury Club Millesime room located in one of the building corners. I arrived at the hotel front desk and was escorted to the club floor (executive lounge) for check-in. While seated in their comfortable and upscale lounge, they provided us with a cold towel and cold drink while they checked us in. It took about 10 minutes even though no other guests were there. They then escorted us to our room. The keys didn't initially work but that was promptly rectified.
Room: Wow! Brand new room, 40 sq. meters, huge bathroom, windows on two sides. Very comfortable bed, upscale toiletries, spotless. Probably the nicest non-suite room in which I have stayed. Room was very quiet. Free wifi worked well, no problems. Room was cleaned well each day along with turn-down service each evening. No complaints, only compliments.
Amenities: Very nice swimming pool, not that large but large enough. Comfortable and ample seating near the pool with lots of sun/shade available. Service was excellent as were the food and drinks served poolside. I highly recommend the mango shakes! Fitness gym was large and staffed by two friendly experts. New equipment of course, so everything worked as it should. Broad range of cardio and strength equipment.
Lounge: Hard product was excellent, with a range of seating options for small or larger groups. Evening cocktails were good although the first night, it took a while for them to find their champagne. Snacks were average, a broad selection but quality was mediocre. The hot ones were not kept very warm. Service was fine but not outstanding. They were well staffed but their newness showed; they weren't working as a team but rather as individuals still learning on the job. We had breakfast one morning in the lounge, and it was very quiet. Fairly small buffet with eggs cooked-to-order. Since the experience was good (not excellent), we tried the 2nd floor restaurant (see below).
Voila! restaurant. Only had two breakfasts here. The buffet was extensive and eggs were cooked well -- clearly better than the lounge breakfast. Attentive and friendly staff and seemingly well managed. High quality with a range of American/European/Asian offerings.
Service: Good to excellent, not outstanding (yet). Note that my expectations are high for Thailand; in many other countries, service would be considered outstanding. I attribute the small service quirks to the newness of the hotel and look forward to more seamless service when I return. I should note that I was greeted by name several times, so clearly at least a few staff memorized my face and name. That left a very favorable impression.
Overall: Very impressed. Hard product is excellent, probably my new favorite hotel in Bangkok. Location is prime. Service was very good overall with a few small quirks here and there. Le Club benefits as a platinum were generous (upgraded corner room with free lounge/breakfast).