Originally Posted by cwl

Stayed for 3 nights in August 2016.

A unspectacular Sofitel, more 4+ star rather than 5 although the rates charged are reasonable. Set expectations in accordance with the rates charged and you'll have a good stay.

Rooms are rather dated although decor in suites are generally nicer than non suites. Haven't stayed in a Opera Suite although the Prestige suite is nice bearing in mind the rate although there are nicer Sofitel suites elsewhere. Everything was in working order.

Non mandarin language skills in the hotel were not great. A Mandarin phone app was very helpful even for ordering drinks in the club lounge. The lounge like the hotel in general is dated. Adequate rather than special but never busy when we used it.

The pool/spa and gym is not the best.

Chengdu is a large industrial city. Not much to do beyond 2 or 3 days. The Panda breeding base (30 to 40 mins in a taxi) is nicely done although very busy. It's a must see in Chengdu just expect crowds. Try to go off the main paths for a bit of peace and quiet whilst seeing the Panda's.

Kuanzhai Ancient Street and Jinli Pedestrian Street are both worth a late afternoon/evening visit and offer a wide choice of restaurants, street food and shops. Both get busy but are good for an evening out. Both are only a 5 to 10 minute taxi ride from the hotel.

Haven't used the hotel restaurants beyond breakfast. Choice outside seemed better and significantly lower cost.

Taxi's are reliable and plentiful just expect a language barrier. Local taxi's are generally locally produced VW Jetta's so not the biggest luggage space if that is a factor. We used the hotel car due to the quantity of luggage we had with four passengers

The hotel concierge provides a card with the main destinations and hotel address written in English and Mandarin to show taxi drivers where you want to go. If planning to use a taxi on arrival get the full address in Mandarin characters in advance. Don't assume taxi drivers will know where the Sofitel is. Metered rates are lower than fixed fee although drivers are often reluctant to use the meter. Some quoted prices back to the hotel from the Panda base were plain ridiculous, fortunately lots of taxi to choose from.