I stayed 5 nights at the Sofitel Berlin Kurfstendamm which you will recall joined the group last year having previously been a Concorde Hotel.

Check In

Check in was short enough. The room was paid for already yet the credit card was requested for any extras. Despite having advised the hotel that I would arrive early (11.30am) the room was not ready. I was handed the welcome drinks voucher which entitled me to a glass of wine only. I was escorted to the lounge on the 11th floor (I had booked a club room) to have a coffee and wait for the room to be ready. Luckily it took only 30 minutes. The room was upgraded from luxury club room to junior suite which was worth the wait.

Room

The room was right next to the lounge (convenient) and very large with great views of Berlin. It featured a sofa (uncomfortable) and two armchairs and coffee-table, separate large work desk, two TVs and a king bed. A minibar was also available. What was very noticeable though was that the furniture had seen better days and the bed was not the Sofitel MyBed, neither was the bed linen or the towels. Also missing was a coffee maker (lounge staff had warned me about this already) and the Bose radio. Effectively I presume this was still the Concorde Hotel standard.

One large bottle of mineral water was by the bed and was replaced when empty, except on the last night. When I mentioned this at check out the bottle I had taken from the minibar was voided

The welcome "gift" were three pieces of fruit.Unlike other Sofitels the turn down service consisted only of a tiny chocolate. No Platinum tray of sweets or maceroons, except once when the lounge staff took pity on me and had sent up some(see below). For a junior suite I would also expect some flowers or plants.

Bathroom

The bathroom was perfectly ok, large and bright with separate shower, WC and bathtub. Toiletries were the standard Hermes.

Service

I tried room service only once and it was a bit of a mess. When I called it just rang out for several minutes. When it was finally answered the attendant just told me "I will call you back in 5 minutes" and hung up. Apparently only one staff member manages room service for this large hotel and he was in the middle of serving a room. Bizarre. I just popped next door to the lounge and asked the staff to order for me. In fairness I was not charged the "tray charge".

Dining

As some have mentioned previously this hotel does not automatically extend lounge access to Platinum members. The reason is clear, it is relatively small with only 28 seats. So if you want guaranteed access best to book a club room (which are all on the 10th and 11th floor).
The lounge offers great views over Berlin and serves breakfast, afternoon coffee and cake and cocktails and canap in the evening.

The breakfast spread was decent but not as extensive as one would have expected, especially from a German hotel. One complaint I would have is that it never changed once: same cold cuts, same cheeses. That said you can order anything (eg eggs to order) by just asking the staff, it will be brought up from the restaurant. A particular delight were the liberal breakfast hours: weekdays until 11am and on weekends until 2pm! (Berlin nightlife).

The evening fare were cheeses and small bites which did change regularly. Wine, beer and spirits as well as Crant (not Champagne) were self service.

A real credit to the hotel were the lounge staff, very enthusiastic and very friendly. Best in class.

Bar

The bar is located on the ground floor and in my view is lacking a bit of atmosphere. Playing muzak it resembled more a large waiting room.

Breakfast

On one morning I tried the regular breakfast room and it was a bit of a shock. The room was very very busy, so busy that they had extended breakfast to one of the adjoining meeting rooms. The choice was more limited than what I have come to expect from Sofitel. The room itself was very loud and it felt more like a canteen than a luxury breakfast room (the fact that a large contingent of Gazprom staff on a day out were staying did not help).

Overall

In many respects this hotel still does not feel like a Sofitel. The staff wear the uniforms, the name is at the front but on the inside it does not have that luxury Sofitel feel. The flower arrangements in the lobby are poor, the reception/lobby area could do with some scent and the rooms need to be updated to the Sofitel standard promptly. When I discussed this with the lounge staff they told me that they are in the process of doing so. More than a year since turning into a Sofitel this is well overdue. Don't get me wrong, this is a great hotel but if it says Sofitel on the outside it should be Sofitel on the inside. Penny pinching on beds and soft furnishing is a bit cheeky. The GM was nowhere to be seen throughout my stay.

Service was a bit hit and miss. The lounge staff as mentioned were great but the rest not so much. Again more training to Sofitel standards is needed.

They are aware of the imitations of the lounge and apparently Accor HQ staff have visited to review. Maybe they will expand it to accommodate Le Club Plat members. At the moment I can understand why they limit access, it is just too small.

Value for money

I got a great rate and a good upgrade, so no complaints there whatsoever.

Summary

This is a good hotel in an excellent location. Well connected to public transport it has all the potential to be a great Sofitel but it needs to upgrade. I would suggest a field trip to the Sofitel in Vienna on how to get it right, especially when it comes to Platinum service.

Pictures

Room









(the once off)

Bathroom





Room service
(when in Berlin one must have a currywurst)



Drinks voucher



View from the room



Outside