Originally Posted by Gagravarr

A little late, but hopefully better late than never...!

Last weekend we ended up staying at both the Sofitel Vieux Port and the InterContinental Marseille Hotel Dieu. The Sofitel stay was points and cash, IC was all points, and I've got Accor Le Club Platinum and IHG Spire statuses, in case that affects things.

Views wise, the Sofitel wins. One whole side of the building looks out over the old port, so I guess half the rooms have port views, as does the 3rd floor restaurant / bar. The top floor restaurant the the top floor bar lounge have amazing views, our 5th floor upgraded room had very good ones. The hotel is very close to the water. With the IC, most rooms look onto internal courtyards, with only a handful of suites facing down to the port. The IC is some way back from the water, and while high up, there are buildings in the way. You get a good view of the Notre Dame de la Garde church on the hill opposite from the terrace, but only limited water / harbour views from there as the other buildings frame the view.

Swimming pool - Sofitel wins in the summer, IC in the winter. The Sofitel has a decent sized outdoor pool, lots of sun loungers around, plus is a short walk from a beach too. Indoor pool in the spa isn't big enough to swim in, just sit on/by the various jets. The IC has an indoor pool, fine for 3 people to have a slow swim in, but not big enough for "proper" swimming.

Spa - Sofitel has a pretty decent one, IC has an amazing one. However... everyone at the Sofitel gets access to their sauna and steam room, at the IC most people have to pay, we only got free access through our IHG status.

Rooms - Sofitel upgraded room was a fair size, nice condition. The IC upgraded room was large, nice large sofa, higher quality furnishings and obviously newer

Location - the Sofitel is a short walk from lots of restaurants and bars, from a park overlooking the harbour, by one of the old forts, and on the same side as the Notre Dame de la Garde church. The IC has a mixed bag of restaurants near down by the water, further from some of the nicer harbour ones, but loads of excellent restaurants and bars and shops on the inland area it's in (le Panier). The IC is nearer most of the museums

Food - good at both, the IC is a tiny bit nicer but also a little bit more expensive. Both have excellent and much cheaper options a short walk away

Elite Recognition - the Sofitel upgraded us to a bigger room with a port view, some nice local biscuits in the room, and 2 free drinks in the top floor bar which included champagne. The IC upgraded us to a larger room overlooking an internal courtyard, chocolates and fruit in the room, and free access to the spa. In keeping with the limited top-tier benefits of both programs, no free breakfast at either

I wouldn't say either is a clear-winner, it depends what you're after which you'll prefer, so I hope the above helps with picking!