Hilton Sofia {BGR}
 

Not only does this Hilton have the most friendly, accomodating staff we have ever seen in a hotel, it is the favorite of the prime minister (king - he made a comeback). We actually saw him there. The front desk agents were so happy to see us, you would have thought we were long lost relatives. We were immediately escorted to the lounge for check-in and had incredible service there for a 4 night stay. Not a grouchy person anywhere (not even me!). It was a true pleasure to stay in this hotel. Smiles everywhere. This attitude was so contagious that those of us in the lounge caught it and became new best friends as well. One man there was from Belgrade and called us Sept 11 to offer sympathy (we were by then in the Hyatt Belgrade).

It is new, done in spiffy modern style, overlooks the convention center/cultural palace. It is a short and cheap ride into town to see the historical buildings. Bulgaria still needs help in getting up and running economically but it is a friendly and interesting place to visit. There are many old monasteries in the countryside as well.

Any recent stay at Hilton Sofia?
 

I was wondering if anyone has stayed at this hotel in the past year and could comment on how close it is to the center of Sofia and some of the cultural activities that exist - ie can walk or take subway/bus. Also any general impression of the hotel would be appreciated. I'm thinking of spending a long weekend there.

Thanks

Anyone been to Hilton Sofia?
 

We are going there for the weekend and don't know much about what to expect of Bulgaria or Sofia.

Anyone got suggestions?

???
 

I'm curious about the Hilton in Sofia too.
Did you stay there? If so can you please give some feedback about it.

Thanks,

Just got back.

Very nice hotel, one of the best in Sofia ... so you get to see the odd personality (at least in Bulgarian terms). The wife of some Russian politician was there yesterday at breakfast so the place was full of scary looking security guards. Tomorrow the president of Bulgaria is there for something or other, they're planning to roll out red carpet and all.

The staff at the hotel are just about as good as I've seen at any hilton. Up to the standard of the Cavalieri. Very attentive and very polite.

Got a room on the Exec Floor, so that entitles you to a free hotel pick-up (it's about 20 minutes to the hotel, normal cost is about 15 leva - about £6). Exec floors are 8th/9th, the lounge though is on the 1st floor. Room was kept well stocked with bottles of water, towels etc, while the lounge was also well stocked - especially with desserts in the evening.

The restaurant is good for breakfast (it's also available in the lounge), although not so good in the evening. This and the other facilities let the place down a little - they claim 5 star rating, which might be true relative to other hotels in Sofia, but not generally. More like a 4 star. Gym is small, pool is plunge pool size, steam room and sauna small but work well. Good massage in the health spa.

Sofia itself is small for a capital city, nice churches (including a gold domed cathedral and a small Russian church) and also mosques and synagogues, which hi-light the cosmopolitan feel to the place. There's a tram system, but to be honest everything is within walking distance. (Taxi's are to be avoided - says the guide books!)

Good places to eat are Captain Cooks and Tambuktu fish restaurants, and also the many street vendors selling slices of pizza for about 1 lev (40p). Drinks are cheap, but also freely available in the club lounge ;)

Very much enjoyed my stay there, and if I ever had to go back to Sofia, I'd stay at the Hilton ... although it's not the kind of place you need to spend much time in, or visit more than once.

I can recomend Bulgaria, Sofia and laso Hilton Sofia.

For me Hilton Sofia is the best in town - not directly in center but you have good connection with public transport (driving by bulgarian tram/streetcar is a must!!) to all the town. Executive floor and the lounge are good for relaxing.Room are very comfortable and worth the money.
For eating in the evening go out - there a re many small restaurants - no risk go tehre, dont go the big once. Check if there are local people inside, if yes then you can go in. Kitchen is good - but never forget bulgarians eat food not realy hot. So we other "europeans" always ahve a little the feeling the cook keep food till its cold.

Sofia and Bulgaria has many ancient monuments especially monastries - go there you will enjoy.

Have a god trip

Just was there last week
 

---------------------------------

My room was quite nice and comfortable...I did have trouble with the window shades being able to block out all the light the first night I was there....otherwise everything was good. Breakfast was in the first floor lounge and it was pretty good...the staff there was very nice. I also got the shuttle from the airport and the gentleman waited for my flight when we were late so that was good also. Its a bit of a walk from the hotel into the city center, but if your there just to see the city it won't be a big deal...the culture building is right across the way and there is a big park there behind the building. From there you'll walk into the city center and the main shopping and sites. If you don't want to walk back take "OK" taxis...unbelievably cheap - first time I've ever taken a cab ride and the fare was 1.68!!!

If you are meeting local people though, there seems to be some trouble (perhaps in the past) in terms of the way the hotel treats "non-guests". My friend had had bad experiences in the past and wouldn't drive into the parking lot nor agree to even have a coffee for breakfast at the hotel.

There are lots of small restaurants in Sofia and I enjoyed every meal I had...they seem big on cheese and lots of different salads with yogurt. The only difficulty about Sofia for myself is that everything is in the cyrillic alphabet which can be tough to follow.

There are more central hotels, SAS Radisson, Grand Hotel Sofia, and Sheraton are more centrally located but I didn't mind the walking at all.

Sofia was very nice and next time I'm going to visit I will stay at the Hilton.

And it still is a wonderful hotel, with a very helpful and friendly staff (the business center folks helped us out of a real jam!). Also apparently still a favorite with the politicians, even though the government has changed a couple of times since Karen2 was there.

Question though: When I checked in recently, I was given a (corner) room on an intermediate floor instead of one on the executive level even though there was available space on the executive floors. When I inquired, they told me that Hilton had agreed that Golds need not be accommodated on the executive floor at their property. I really can't complain; the corner room was nice, and I did have access to the club room (which is not on the executive level but rather on the first [European; second U.S.] floor) with complementary breakfast, newspaper, and evening snacks and adult beverages. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced the "we don't do that here" response.

We were just in the Barcelona Hilton last week. We could have gotten a room on the executive floor (4th) but wanted a king bed which was only available on the top floor (11th). We were more than delighted since it was such a quiet room. Had lounge privileges, such as they were. Nice breakfast, really marginal snacks. What's the deal with Hilton and egg rolls?

We have been denied the exec floor but can't remember when. Doesn't bother me as long as I get the lounge access!

Oh, and we just spent 4 days in Albania with our friend from Belgrade we met in the Sofia lounge. Must recruit him for Flyertalk!

Stayed twice last month. Excellent staff and service! Superb!
I will strongly recommend it to everyone

We were not upgraded to club floor, as we were only Gold, we were told though
drumbo

Hilton Sofia
 

Please find my brief summary of the stay in Hilton Sofia. I’d like to start with a statement that Hilton Sofia is an excellent hotel! ^

They treat Diamonds very well. I asked in an e-mail how to get from the airport to the hotel and the reply was that it is complimentary for Diamonds. They just asked for my flight numbers and departure times and arranged transfers. ^

Landing in Sofia is sort of going back for a while. It is a very rapidly developing city. Lot of construction works are going on there. It was like landing in a reconstruction area surrounded by multi-storey buildings built in soviet times. No gates, elderly bus. Immigration didn’t know whether they need to stamp my passport. Customs control looks on the passengers with a great suspicion. Some locals were asked to show passports (why?) to customs. It went very smooth for me although the bag was carefully searched either in FRA or SOF. Maybe that’s because of the big fat tripod and the camera remote control in the checked baggage :D

Transfer was done by very nice guy. He spoke fluent English. I was offered coke, fanta and water during the drive. It’s only 10-15 minutes ride :-O ^ No need to worry about bags, they are taken care of automatically and with smile. They don’t beg for tips like on the other side of the Atlantic. Check-in was a breeze, they greeted me warmly, introduced to the hotel facilities. I was granted exec floor and access to the lounge. Room was ok sized, A/C, TV, Radio, bath and shower. Welcome package included full bottle of Bulgarian wine, cheese, olives and some more. There was a big bottle of water and Dirol chewing gum as well. This is particularly nice and Hilton Sofia might be the first Hilton offering that to me :)

Lounge by far exceeds expectations. They make coffee to your taste. They have 3 different beers, several wines and most importantly fresh and tasty food. During the day they served ham and salmon sandwiches, shrimp cocktails, dozens of different tiny sweets I didn’t care about. During the night selection was extended to hot items and also more than 10 different alcoholic drinks were added. Fruit and finger-food were also available. One of the surprises was 3 different vodkas available :) The staff is very attentive throughout the hotel. I was on the mobile phone and glass was empty. The guy noticed that and wine refill was done immediately. It is one of the luxurious hotels in Sofia and I noticed the contrast with outside world. That explains why they always asked for my room number and did something on the computer afterwards. They did it very politely, nothing to complain about. Breakfast was excellent, too. Hot items, excellent fruit, nuts + usual continental items were available. I also tried Thai buffet which was told is prepared by the guest chef from Hilton Phuket. It was very tasty indeed, although different from Thai food I’m used to in the central Europe or US. I haven’t been to Thailand myself, therefore I have no idea on how authentic food tastes.

Hotel also has turndown service. It is a nice touch to come back from the sauna and see your bed is ready. Bed was superb. I had an excellent sleep. I can definitely recommend the hotel. ^

Nice report ^ and I can fully agree with what you wrote. I was there a couple of weeks ago [I am also a Diamond] and I had the same experience. It's certainly worth a visit.

Happy with Hilton Sofia
 

I was there on Aug 17. Very nice and responsive front desk staff, comfortable room, nice bar.

The hotel is a very short walk from the city center.

The only negative thing I have to say is that the internet access is overpriced.

I can't believe I forgot one of the best customer services EVER! The free shuttle will also take you to the train station. We took the train to Belgrade. Hilton made all the arrangements for us. The driver was told by the front desk to put us IN OUR SEATS on the train. They anticipated the language problem. Free service. We tipped, of course. All done so cheerfully you would have thought we were doing them the favor.

The snacks in the lounge were so good, we never ate dinner. Plus we had a rollicking good time with several other guests who were also there for a few days.

This hotel was in stark contrast to the Sheraton which was dark and gloomy and staffed by sulky people. It is the only real competitor to the Hilton and has the advantage of being in an old interesting building right downtown, walking distance to everything but the big new museum on the hill (not that anything is close to that). However, I would not stay at the Sheraton on a bet.

I will be there Feb 16-18. Based on the wonderful reviews, I am so excited to experience this property!

Thanks for the great reviews. Because of you I will email in advance to arrange my airport pickup, something I never would have done on my own.

^ Appreciate the nice reports. It really helps to know what to expect.

I had several choices in Sofia...just made reservations at the Hilton for late April.

I am at the Sofia Hilton now. I am on a 3 night award stay and have been treated very, very well.^
Upgraded to the executive floor. A bottle of wine and plate of goodies was waiting and then the next day another bottle and snack plate.^
The lounge is closed...but executive floor guests are invited to go to the hotel bar and order...all free.
This is a very good property with an outstanding staff at all levels.
Free airport shuttle for diamond members and free internet in the business for diamons.
The location is really not bad. It is a easy walk along the main shopping street to the center. A taxi to the Cathedral was about $3.00 including tip.
I have nothing but good things to say about this property.

Hilton Sofia
 

Hello,

Anybody stayed at the Hilton Sofia recently?

Thanx

I stayed there over New Years Eve for three nights and I have to say, it is a wonderful hotel with a great service offered to diamond members. Even though the lounge did not serve any snacks they had a special menu available in the bar with some nice items on it.

I can definitely recommend choosing this hotel!

I have been several times in this property and my last stay was for 2 nights back in August 2009(HH Gold at that time).

I still like the property but the rooms are already a bit tired and at least the carpet needs renovation.

The lounge was only serving coffee/tea in the mornings but they offered complimentary full breakfast in the restaurant for Gold and Diamond Members. In the afternoons there were 2 hot snacks + few cold items & alcoholic beverages.

There was no computer/free wi-fi in the lounge but they allowed me to use the computers in the Biz center at no charge.

Thank you for your feedback
 

Dear Guest,

Thank you very much for your kind feedback and nice comments. We are very happy to learn that you enjoyed the Hilton Sofia experience over New Year's Eve and remained highly satisfied with the service of our team members! It will be a pleasure to welcome you back on your next trip to Sofia.

Sincerely,

Jacques Brune
General Manager

I have to say that Hilton Sofia is one of the best properties in Sofia right now. I haven't stayed there myself but it did get a lot of hype when they were building it, I lived in Sofia at the time.

Good stay but...
 

Was there this week, on generally an excellent stay, but:

no probs w checkin, upgraded to exec room on 9th floor, nice lounge (although I thought quite small for size of hotel, never very busy) - good food options in afternoon/evening and breakfast, including excellent freshly squeezed OJ, good choice of drinks (beer/wine/spirits, etc). Gym small with no Concept 2 rower and sauna a bit cool for me. Staff all friendly.

But:
power in room was off when I woke up at 0645 - couldn't work out why the little alarm clock wouldn't play my ipod, but then realised that the tv/lights/AC were also out. Called down to reception who were surprised but offered to send an engineer up. Five minutes later (and obviously just before the engineer knocked on the door) power came back. Very curious.

Also, booked a corp rate which clearly said 'tax included', but was charged 20% VAT at checkout. FD member confirmed what I thought, that the res was wrong on HH website, and that the rate is ex tax, but didn't propose charging the ex tax rate. Said that he'd check with the back office and they would come back to me. Waiting...

Hilton Sofia trip report
 

Stayed at the Hilton Sofia few days ago and I must admit this is one of the best Hilton in eastern Europe. The hotel is at the beginning of Bulgaria blvd, just in front of the National Palace of Culture, and is surrounded by a huge park. The hotel is not centrally located, but the distance is not a problem because you can reach the city center with an easy 15 minutes walk, unless you prefer the public transportation: many buses and a tram line stops nearby and the single ride is still priced 1 lev (about 0,50 EUR or $ 0,60). There are some restaurants in the area (ask the concierge for suggestions), a McDonald’s just in front of the hotel and a large shopping center with some food outlet in the vicinity.

As a Diamond I received a complimentary transportation from the airport. I emailed them the day before my flight number and arrival time and I met the Hilton driver waiting for me at the exit of the arrival area (my flight was 1 hour late) and reached the hotel in about 20 minutes. This is IMO one of the best benefit provided by the hotel, offered also if you book an executive room or a suite: you don’t have the hassle of changing money at the airport and look for a taxi (even if the taxi fare is quite unexpensive, about 15-20 leva, the most part of taxi drivers don’t speak a single word of english ). If you prefer public transportation there is the express bus 284 from the terminal 2 and the bus 84 from the terminal 1 (be aware that due to road construction in the vicinity of the airport the journey with the bus 84 requires more than 40 minutes, compared to the 20 minutes with the bus 284). To reach the Hilton get off on the Evlogi Georgiev boulevard in front of the National stadium Vasil Levski and take the bus 94.

I was upgraded to an executive room on the 8th floor with a view towards Vitosha mountain. Nice room with CD player, radio and an old CRT TV with a large selection of satellite channels. Large bathroom with tub and separate shower. In the room two bottles of mineral water, a bottle of red Bulgarian wine, belgian Leonidas fine chocolate, a cake and a welcome letter from the FD manager. Turndown service in the evening. Internet cable in the room and 6 PC working stations in the business center, with webcam, fax, scanner, photocopying and secretarial services. In the business center free internet for executive room guests: you have to ask the business center attendant to enter the password to use PC, but you don’t have time limits due to high number of PCs. Prints or photocopies are free. The lounge is located on the 1st floor just in front of the business center. Large selection of coffee, teas and soft drinks. In the afternoon from 2.30pm selection of sandwiches, snacks, fruit, sweets and cakes. From 6pm also hot selection with soups, pasta, fish or meat (usually 2-3 items to choose every day), desserts and free alcoholic drinks. Business center attendant usually manage lounge admittance. During my stay on saturday and sunday the lounge was closed and executive floors guests were invited to go to the hotel bar and order from a special menu: soups, salads, hot sandwiches, snacks, tarts and cakes, and alcoholic drinks from 2pm...all free and served at the table. During weekdays breakfast is served in the lounge, during weekend in the main restaurant, with wider choice and eggs, omlettes and pancakes made to order. Gym entrance on the ground floor close to the front desk, quite small, and also a small pool; nice sauna and steam room.

I fully agree with the OP: Hilton Sofia have the most friendly and accomodating staff I have ever met in a Hilton hotel. FD agents were wonderful during all the 3 days of my stay (I must praise here Vanya and Yasen for their superb job, going above and beyond with my many requests). Also housekeeping, business center, lounge and bar staff did a great job.

Sofia is a quite small city and for a leisure stay two days are enough. You can easily visit the main monuments and museums in one day and if the weather is good the second day go to Vitosha mountain (you can reach it from Hilton with bus 9TM to Hladilnika bus station and then you have two options: go to the top of the mountain with bus 66 or take the bus 122 to the cableway station). If you plan to stay one more day you can’t miss a visit to the wonderful Rila monastery about 100 km south of Sofia: you can book a group tour or take the much cheaper bus departing 10.20am from Ovcha Kupel Bus Station (west bus station) arriving at Rila at 1pm, and departing from Rila at 3 pm (one way fare 10 leva).

Any recent Hilton experience reports? Are Golds still allowed access to executive lounge? Any problems with new free international internet access from guest room? Planning a trip in November. Any comments on the weather during that period?

Thanks

Is the only way to secure the airport shuttle by emailing them in advance? Or is there a Hilton desk at the airport?

No desk at the airport. I suggest you to send them an email with flight number and estimated time of arrival. The Hilton driver will meet you at the right terminal (there are two terminals) even if your flight is late.

Exec lounge back up?
 

One of the last posts that I have seen said that the Exec. Lounge was closed but Diamonds could go to the bar for free. Has anyone been there int eh last year or so since that was posted to see if it is back up and running? I figured it was a temporary closure.

Woudl anyone advise on how much time to spend in Sofia if just for fun?

Stayed last april and the lounge was closed only on weekends. Normal operation on other days. During the days of closure every guest staying at the executive floors, not only Diamond members, had access to the main restaurant for breakfast, with better selection of food, and to the hotel bar during other times with a special food menu and free drinks.

For a visit to Sofia I think two days are enough, maybe you can stay one more day if you plan to visit the Rila monastery or Vitosha Mountain.

I stayed at the Hilton Sofia last month. The Executive Lounge is modest, but certainly acceptable. It was very quiet. On Saturday morning, when I was departing, it was closed for breakfast, so I was offered b/f in the main restaurant, which as Aldebaran points out, has a better selection of food.

I agree that two days is adequate. I visited several museums, art galleries and the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church.

I have not stayed at the Hilton since I have family in Sofia, but we have celebrated my grandparents 50th anniversary, grandfather's 70th birthday, and one of my own birthdays at the Hilton.

Mr Brune and his staff are amazing and went out of their way to make the events special. They provided limousine service, flowers, champagne, cakes, and truly made the events special.

This is much more than I would expect from a Four Seasons or a Ritz-Carlton and I work in the hospitality industry! :)

good hotel
 

Although not in city entre (Sheraton and Radisson are closer).
Although not near airport (Sheraton and Radisson are futher)
Although kind of pre-fabricated building and rooms (but even in Sheraton only renovated rooms are better, but forget totally about Kempinski)
Although they forgot my airport pick-up twice:

very good hotel, very attentative staff!

I´ll be staying there in April and have ordered airport pickup for 11€. They´ve requested an email notice from me 24 hours in advance with flight details.
Is it this service you are referring to ?

Yes!
They still have a regular shuttle-bus for free, but the frequency seems to have been reduced.

Is it a limo pick up ? I mean the one you pay 11 € for . (That is of course if they don´t forget about it ;) )

Yes, individual car
 

Yes, not always what you would consider a limo, but always a pick up in individual car for the sur-charge.
I was only suggesting to inquire about the shuttle alternatively.
But if you're in a hurry and therefore don't want to wait for their other passengers at the airport the charge for the car makes sense because you needn't change money for the taxi.

I wasn´t aware that the hotel offered a free airport shuttle. Didn´t see any mention of it on the hotel website. Will consider it for the return.

+1

I would appreciate if someone could post details.

Hilton Sofia Trip Reports and Reviews
 

Used the free shuttle last year for a stay, both for airport pick up and drop off.

I e-mailed: [email protected] and got the following reply to confirm

Dear m10,

Kind regards from Hilton Sofia!

Please be advised that as a Diamond member of our loyalty programme you are entitled to complimentary transportation from and to the airport. We will need just the flight's number and the time it is landing in Sofia and we'll send our driver to collect you from the Sofia airport.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us any time!

Kind Regards,

Hilton Sofia

They don´t seem to offer free airport shuttles anymore. Saw a notice in the lobby that said 22 BGN (approx €11 or $16) per person one way for the airport shuttle. But transportation is complimentary if you are staying in an executive room, or as per previous posts if you are Diamond . Don´t know about Golds in this regard.