Sofitel Athens Airport
Aug 19, 2021, 6:51 am
#48
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: SPG LTP, hotels, OWE, STE+, *G, Octopus
Posts: 5,783
Also Gracie I just noticed when your planned stay is. If it’s only next June I wouldn’t really worry about capacity control etc this early. I now only book hotels max 2-3 days ahead and most of them the same day. So many things can go wrong now in terms of hotels and flights.
Having said that, I’m sure you will have a nice time in June, though!
ps. I wrote in the other thread already but just wanted to add the lounge is currently closed.
Having said that, I’m sure you will have a nice time in June, though!
ps. I wrote in the other thread already but just wanted to add the lounge is currently closed.
Aug 19, 2021, 12:22 pm
#49
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,904
Aug 19, 2021, 12:48 pm
#50
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,959
Also Gracie I just noticed when your planned stay is. If it’s only next June I wouldn’t really worry about capacity control etc this early. I now only book hotels max 2-3 days ahead and most of them the same day. So many things can go wrong now in terms of hotels and flights.
Having said that, I’m sure you will have a nice time in June, though!
ps. I wrote in the other thread already but just wanted to add the lounge is currently closed.
Having said that, I’m sure you will have a nice time in June, though!
ps. I wrote in the other thread already but just wanted to add the lounge is currently closed.
Sep 18, 2021, 7:37 pm
#52
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,576
Oct 28, 2021, 5:26 am
#53
Suspended
Join Date: May 2011
Location: London
Programs: *A G, OW S.
Posts: 996
I've spent two separate nights here in the last couple of weeks and left unimpressed. I still think this place should be under the Novotel brand and using the Sofitel one is just an excuse for a rip off.
Each night cost me about €180. My room was upgraded on each occasion by one notch to the Executive Club floor bearing in mind the lounge is closed at the moment and the rooms are exactly the same as all others, there was no benefit to this at all.
The welcome gift was not present in the room on the second occasion and while I really only wanted a bottle of water, housekeeping insisted it was in the room but finally agreed to provide another one. On each occasion therefore I received a bottle of water and a box of sweets.
The staff I encountered on the first occasion were fine, just as you might expect at any Novotel, on the second occasion, the receptionist was neither warm nor welcoming and I was glad to be finished dealing with her.
I didn't use the welcome drink voucher on the first occasion, I did on the second. It excludes champagne and spirits so I ordered a glass of wine but was told I could only have house wine. I pointed out the exclusions and was told it was the manager's policy. I asked to see the manager and was subsequently told I could have the wine I had ordered, the price difference was 50c - on a room costing €180!. I also ate in the restaurant that night. The choices were what you might find in any taverna at three times the price, the quality was OK for the taverna price.
As you might guess, I was pretty fed up with it all and have cancelled a couple of stays I had for next month. It's easy to hop in a taxi at the airport and go somewhere nicer and/or cheaper or both!
Each night cost me about €180. My room was upgraded on each occasion by one notch to the Executive Club floor bearing in mind the lounge is closed at the moment and the rooms are exactly the same as all others, there was no benefit to this at all.
The welcome gift was not present in the room on the second occasion and while I really only wanted a bottle of water, housekeeping insisted it was in the room but finally agreed to provide another one. On each occasion therefore I received a bottle of water and a box of sweets.
The staff I encountered on the first occasion were fine, just as you might expect at any Novotel, on the second occasion, the receptionist was neither warm nor welcoming and I was glad to be finished dealing with her.
I didn't use the welcome drink voucher on the first occasion, I did on the second. It excludes champagne and spirits so I ordered a glass of wine but was told I could only have house wine. I pointed out the exclusions and was told it was the manager's policy. I asked to see the manager and was subsequently told I could have the wine I had ordered, the price difference was 50c - on a room costing €180!. I also ate in the restaurant that night. The choices were what you might find in any taverna at three times the price, the quality was OK for the taverna price.
As you might guess, I was pretty fed up with it all and have cancelled a couple of stays I had for next month. It's easy to hop in a taxi at the airport and go somewhere nicer and/or cheaper or both!
Oct 31, 2021, 2:52 am
#54
Join Date: Dec 2013
Programs: NZ Airpoints GE, Qantas Platinum, Accor Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 955
I've spent two separate nights here in the last couple of weeks and left unimpressed. I still think this place should be under the Novotel brand and using the Sofitel one is just an excuse for a rip off.
Each night cost me about €180. My room was upgraded on each occasion by one notch to the Executive Club floor bearing in mind the lounge is closed at the moment and the rooms are exactly the same as all others, there was no benefit to this at all.
The welcome gift was not present in the room on the second occasion and while I really only wanted a bottle of water, housekeeping insisted it was in the room but finally agreed to provide another one. On each occasion therefore I received a bottle of water and a box of sweets.
The staff I encountered on the first occasion were fine, just as you might expect at any Novotel, on the second occasion, the receptionist was neither warm nor welcoming and I was glad to be finished dealing with her.
I didn't use the welcome drink voucher on the first occasion, I did on the second. It excludes champagne and spirits so I ordered a glass of wine but was told I could only have house wine. I pointed out the exclusions and was told it was the manager's policy. I asked to see the manager and was subsequently told I could have the wine I had ordered, the price difference was 50c - on a room costing €180!. I also ate in the restaurant that night. The choices were what you might find in any taverna at three times the price, the quality was OK for the taverna price.
As you might guess, I was pretty fed up with it all and have cancelled a couple of stays I had for next month. It's easy to hop in a taxi at the airport and go somewhere nicer and/or cheaper or both!
Each night cost me about €180. My room was upgraded on each occasion by one notch to the Executive Club floor bearing in mind the lounge is closed at the moment and the rooms are exactly the same as all others, there was no benefit to this at all.
The welcome gift was not present in the room on the second occasion and while I really only wanted a bottle of water, housekeeping insisted it was in the room but finally agreed to provide another one. On each occasion therefore I received a bottle of water and a box of sweets.
The staff I encountered on the first occasion were fine, just as you might expect at any Novotel, on the second occasion, the receptionist was neither warm nor welcoming and I was glad to be finished dealing with her.
I didn't use the welcome drink voucher on the first occasion, I did on the second. It excludes champagne and spirits so I ordered a glass of wine but was told I could only have house wine. I pointed out the exclusions and was told it was the manager's policy. I asked to see the manager and was subsequently told I could have the wine I had ordered, the price difference was 50c - on a room costing €180!. I also ate in the restaurant that night. The choices were what you might find in any taverna at three times the price, the quality was OK for the taverna price.
As you might guess, I was pretty fed up with it all and have cancelled a couple of stays I had for next month. It's easy to hop in a taxi at the airport and go somewhere nicer and/or cheaper or both!
Great for early departures or late arrivals only. I do like airport hotels I can walk to. However, I shifted to the Hilton in town.
Oct 31, 2021, 6:39 am
#55
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,959
Jan 25, 2022, 1:44 pm
#57
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,959
You might reach out to the hotel and ask. But don't get your expectations too high...the last time we visited the lounge ( pre-covid) it was a smallish room with a few weird foods and some bottles of booze. ( We were the only ones in there) We ended up going downstairs to the bar which at least had some life to it.
Jan 31, 2022, 6:15 pm
#58
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
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Posts: 52,554
We have a need for a one-night stay in March. We have a 6AM departure on LH and I'm considering this hotel to avoid needing to rely on a 4AM airport shuttle or being able to summon a taxi at that hour.
Three questions:
- Any tips for an Accor nonmember / first stay? Any popular publicly-available discount codes like there are for other chains? (Even something like auto club?)
- We arrive into ATH at noon the day prior. We will have already spent 5 days in central Athens....are any of the nearby coastal towns worth an afternoon / evening visit? It'll be our last night in Greece...figure getting dinner along the water is more fun than eating in an airport hotel restaurant. Assume getting taxis at normal hours isn't too hard.
- Is the indoor pool area pretty decent? If it's a tiny 4-ft deep pool we probably wouldn't bother, but if it's a larger pool we might pack swimsuits.
Three questions:
- Any tips for an Accor nonmember / first stay? Any popular publicly-available discount codes like there are for other chains? (Even something like auto club?)
- We arrive into ATH at noon the day prior. We will have already spent 5 days in central Athens....are any of the nearby coastal towns worth an afternoon / evening visit? It'll be our last night in Greece...figure getting dinner along the water is more fun than eating in an airport hotel restaurant. Assume getting taxis at normal hours isn't too hard.
- Is the indoor pool area pretty decent? If it's a tiny 4-ft deep pool we probably wouldn't bother, but if it's a larger pool we might pack swimsuits.
Jan 31, 2022, 8:26 pm
#59
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,959
We have a need for a one-night stay in March. We have a 6AM departure on LH and I'm considering this hotel to avoid needing to rely on a 4AM airport shuttle or being able to summon a taxi at that hour.
Three questions:
- Any tips for an Accor nonmember / first stay? Any popular publicly-available discount codes like there are for other chains? (Even something like auto club?)
- We arrive into ATH at noon the day prior. We will have already spent 5 days in central Athens....are any of the nearby coastal towns worth an afternoon / evening visit? It'll be our last night in Greece...figure getting dinner along the water is more fun than eating in an airport hotel restaurant. Assume getting taxis at normal hours isn't too hard.
- Is the indoor pool area pretty decent? If it's a tiny 4-ft deep pool we probably wouldn't bother, but if it's a larger pool we might pack swimsuits.
Three questions:
- Any tips for an Accor nonmember / first stay? Any popular publicly-available discount codes like there are for other chains? (Even something like auto club?)
- We arrive into ATH at noon the day prior. We will have already spent 5 days in central Athens....are any of the nearby coastal towns worth an afternoon / evening visit? It'll be our last night in Greece...figure getting dinner along the water is more fun than eating in an airport hotel restaurant. Assume getting taxis at normal hours isn't too hard.
- Is the indoor pool area pretty decent? If it's a tiny 4-ft deep pool we probably wouldn't bother, but if it's a larger pool we might pack swimsuits.
The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion on the water is a popular destination about 30 minutes from the airport. It can be breathtaking at sunset and I am sure there are some decent restaurants along the coast there. We have hired a driver to take us and then after dinner pick us up and take us back to the Sofitel.
The pool as I remember it is weird, small, and probably not worth packing a bathing suit if that will be your only pool experience.