Introduction I had never stayed at Sofitel Sukhumvit up until now in part because of reports on FT about the lack of upgrades to suites for elite guests as per hotel policy. I had a stay booked at VIE Hotel McGallery which ended up being cancelled because the hotel closed and my reservation was moved to Sofitel Sukhumvit for a small extra charge but I would be guaranteed to be in a suite so it was the perfect time to try this property. In the end I came out pleasantly surprised especially by the service level and I would recommend this property as a good complement to Sofitel SO Bangkok and in some ways better than Banyan Tree Bangkok. Location Sofitel is located on Sukhumvit Road between Nana and Asok BTS stations which is a reasonably good location in the city, in my opinion far superior than both Sofitel SO and Banyan Tree which are not close to a BTS station. Also being close to the action on Sukhumvit is generally preferred by most travelers to Bangkok. The skywalk from Sofitel to Asok station was completed one month ago. You can exit the hotel from the 3rd floor elevator, walk down the escalators and end up on the skywalk which would also allow you to safely cross Sukhumvit to access the other side of the busy road. Check In I mentioned to Sofitel a few weeks ago by e-mail that I was not coming to Bangkok on a flight but that I would be transferring from Athenee Hotel therefore I did not have a fixed arrival time. At around 9:30am I got a message in my room at Athenee informing me that Sofitel called to let me know that my room was ready. I was quite impressed that they would go out of their way to let me know that I could come over! The stay was off to a good start.Upon check-in the hotel manager came to introduce himself and we had a chat about how the hotel was doing during covid. He only arrived in Thailand a few months ago and he mentioned that indeed times are difficult but Sofitel had remained open unlike Sofitel SO which is now closed (after we stayed there back in March). He said there would probably be some deals and discounts in the pipeline but the Megatix voucher offer has not been a hit so far. Room As expected I received a corner suite as per the transfer of my reservation from VIE hotel. Sofitel is not a new construction like some others in Bangkok, however it’s not old either, being a bit less than 10 years old. I did not see unreasonable wear and tear and I was happy to see a decent number of tech features such as the electric blinds in the bathroom, the Bose sound system in the living room which you can connect to by Bluetooth, the TV right in front of the bathtub, etc. The room had nice sturdy hardwood floors which is a feature lacking at some competitors such as the new Hyatt Regency next door, which unfortunately saved on costs by using mostly vinyl flooring and carpet so it’s a weakness compared to Sofitel. The design of the room in Sofitel Sukhumvit was more traditional than Sofitel SO yet without being a boring look-alike room, mostly because of the large book shelf in the living room which gave the room a homey feeling. I should also mention that air conditioning worked well during our stay and they had a pillow menu which I find a valuable feature which helps our sleep. There were also hygiene kits left in the room upon arrival including a washable face mask which we will be able to use on future trips. For me the main drawback of our suite was that windows were not floor to ceiling and especially in the living room less than half of the wall had a window which made the room a bit dark, unlike the very bright suite at Hyatt Regency. Also the suite is 60 square meters which is ok but perhaps on the small side for Bangkok standards, for example the entry level suite at Athenee is 86 square meters and has 1.5 bath, Hyatt Regency also has 1.5 bath, whereas Sofitel only has one bathroom and no extra toilet. The bathroom also only had one sink as there is not that much space but for the rest it was functional and had a rain shower separate from the tub which is a must in my opinion. One oddity is that there was a large glass window separating the bathtub and the bed – this is very nice to let natural light in the bathroom, but the problem is that the door to the toilet enclosure was only partially frosted so for privacy it was a necessity to draw the blinds down losing the advantage of that window. I believe this suite would be the best fit for someone travelling alone rather than a couple since it’s not that big, only has one toilet, and might lack privacy. Bottom line in terms of hardware the suite was good but not as nice as others in the city, for example the fantastic suite we had in Sofitel SO back in March was a notch or two above. Dining Unfortunately the Club Millésime was closed during our stay despite most covid restrictions being lifted in Thailand so we’ll have to return in the future to review it. Given the cost pressures caused by covid I cannot say that I blame Sofitel and they are not alone in keeping their lounge closed – Anantara Siam’s lounge remains closed as well. I have also heard from people who stayed at Conrad that the lounge offerings are temporarily VERY weak. Athenee’s lounge is open but the happy hour was nonetheless not as generous as Sofitel. We received a canapé tray which was more interesting than the one from Sofitel SO and they offered several times to refill any appetizer that we liked more than others. The drinks menu did not seem to have major covid cutbacks and included several choices of cocktails which were prepared stronger than the weak and disappointing cocktails we had at SO. Last but not least the timing of happy hour was convenient 5-7pm unlike SO which is too early (4-6pm). Breakfast was limited to the Voila restaurant like happy hour was. There is no more buffet but I thought the a la carte menu used as a substitute was above average relative to other hotels we have been recently in Bangkok. The noodle soup was one of the best we have had in the city and dishes were generally of good quality. Afternoon tea was also available in Voila on the second floor and had a generous selection of sandwiches and desserts. All in all the alternatives offered for the Club were reasonable and did not feel like nickel & diming. Service I thought service was a strength at this hotel. Since it was my first time here, I cannot compare with the past but I would suggest it might be an improvement from the past with the arrival of the new manager. Not that service was bad at SO or Banyan Tree but there was nothing that stood out, unlike at Sofitel where on several occasions it felt like staff were proactive more than reactive. As mentioned above it was nice to get a call at our previous hotel for check-in, then the personal introduction from the manager, they also offered 4pm check-out without me asking, and service in the restaurant during breakfast or happy hour was always attentive, professional, and polite. In all other miscellaneous interactions with staff everything was handled perfectly, for example if I asked for housekeeping to be done during our breakfast, when we came back to the room it was clean and service was well done with Hermes Eau D'Orange Verte amenities replenished. Since the lounge was closed I needed assistance printing documents which I sent to reception by e-mail and they were promptly brought to my room. Wifi Wifi worked well during our stay with speeds of 30 Mbps download and 15 Mbps upload. Overall I think the main competitors of this hotel are Banyan Tree and Sofitel SO within Accor, and Athenee, Conrad, Anantara Siam, and Hyatt Regency for other hotel chains, all of them being in the same price range. I have avoided booking at Sofitel Sukhumvit in the past because of comments I read about upgrades for elites and even for this stay my intent was not to book at Sofitel and I was merely transferred from another property. It remains to be seen if I could have a suite upgrade in the future on a regular reservation but nonetheless other aspects of our stay were positive. I could consider this hotel as part of my regular rotation of properties I like to visit in Bangkok; part of it would depend on how they handle suite upgrades for Platinum/Diamond guests, especially for returning customers. If suite upgrades are in play then it would be competitive with other hotels where I get regular suite upgrades, but if suite upgrades are not possible at Sofitel then it would be a similar weakness as Banyan Tree. For travelers who consider suites less important than other aspects I can recommend this hotel especially if service is an important consideration.