upgraded to a King Family Suite with sofabed which in reality is just a big room with a sofa.

Had to insist on my breakfast amenity instead or the points or drinks.

Hotel is very convenient to get to via metro from the airport

further update: forgot to request a late check out when I arrived so did so on way to breakfast. Requested 3pm but offered 2pm with lounge access so not a total loss

It's guaranteed for 4pm as Ambassador.

I know. I�m aware of the rules. Just reporting the actual situation. Had I requested my late check out when I checked in, I�d have had more chance of it registering. I�m happy to sit in the lounge for the time I need to stay here.

I'm surprised there. I've stayed a couple of times and they go above and beyond.

BA038_Passenger I had a talk with the person who I believe you communicated with on the day of your checkout. As I suspected this was an extraordinary situation, on the day of your checkout there was a large group that requested early check-in. I think regular guests who met her (myself included) can share opinion that she is trying to go above and beyond for customers. I believe she has discussed with you different possible options to handle the situation.

As for the Check-In experience I think you probably met a new or not very experienced person. It is their practice to pro-actively ask for Late Checkout and insisting on breakfast Diamond benefit is not usually the case. I advised her on your feedback, so I am sure this will be taken into account.

What is your IHG One Rewards status?
Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked cheapest rate and received one Bedroom Terrace Suite Cathedral view

How are the rooms?

38sqm large + massive terrace.

Elegant interior design.

One room with sofa and desk. Nespresso coffee machine.
2 closets.

Bedroom with very comfortable bed.

Bathroom with bathtub, separate shower and toilets. Byredo Bal d’Afrique toiletries.

2 flat screen television sets with basic selection of international channels.
Chromecast

Sockets next to the bed and desk.

Very quiet

Nice view over the cathedral. Very pleasant and large terrace.
Very efficient air conditioning (it was very hot in Sofia this weekend!).

No PressReader.

How is the exec. lounge?

Not huge but great..

Excellent service.

Very good breakfast with � la carte eggs (breakfast can also be take at restaurant).

Afternoon tea with very good pastries.

Evening drinks and very good canap�s.


What was good and what was bad?

GOOD
- Great staff
- Nice suite with terrace.
- Very pleasant club lounge (access was given until 7pm the day of departure).
- Elegant d�cor
- Unbeatable location
- Metro station with direct access to Terminal 2 (strangely not indicated on Google Maps)

BAD
- Nothing.

Value for $ or IHG One Rewards Points? Would you return?
Yes, definitely.



Can�t second this enough.

Great rooms, superb staff and the club is very enjoyable.

The only let down is the gym... a small cave in the basement with machines stacked on top of each other.... in all other aspects the hotel is great.

Very good hotel, probably the best in Sofia

I usually write an email to the hotel to notify them about our arrival time, ask some questions (e.g. pick up service, location, possible upgrades, ...)

Wow - I was impressed - and a first for me - only 5 minutes after I sent the mail I already received a reply from the guest service manager. - (I remember having to wait 3 days for a reply from the IC Paris Le Grand )

They offered a 65EUR limousine pickup service at the airport, but that sounds a bit expensive (as expected) for the short ride.

And moreover - they asked regarding upgrade if I was fine with a one bed room because I booked a classic twin bed room (travelling with my nephew). I said we would be happy to share a Kingsize bed but need to negotiate the blanket-sharing terms in advance - they replied "we will make sure that you will get separate blankets when you are assigned a King size bedroom
Never thought about requesting separate blankets for a king size bed ...

As a native Bulgarian, I can confirm that this is how our parents taught us to treat guests ... unfortunately, there is not much left of our generation

For 65€ they could probably send a real limousine ... joking aside, this is 5x-6x what would be reasonable for this distance. Even if one wants to save themselves the hassle of using the metro for <1€ (which provides direct SOF-IC transit), taking one of the official taxis (roomy and air-conditioned) will hardly cost more than 10€.

As a Bulgarian I agree with MichaelA380, fortunately usually IC Sofia does not disappoint thanks to the great staff and management.

I think transportation is always an interesting topic, different people value different things. Some people want to delegate it to the hotel (which usually is more expensive), other are interested in cost or convenience.
Guilty as charged using once IC Berlin transfer for 2 people costing only... 190EUR

Speaking about Sofia my humble opinion is (one way):

Hotel transfer - As stated above 65EUR, in the past they were using Audi A6
Other transfer services (Meet and Greet) - Sometimes I am using a specific company, if interested please DM me for a link (I am not affiliated, nor earning any commission). Price To/From Airport To/From any point in Sofia is 30EUR (1-3 passengers) 50EUR (4-8 passengers). They also have other options. I am using them for years for transfers in Bulgaria and they never disappoint
Taxi - 9-12EUR (approx price by the official taxi company - Yellow). Here for me the big Q is can they take all your luggage as sometimes trunks are kinda small (shall not be an issue at the airport). Usually they accept card payments. If you want to use them in the city they have a convenient application where a card can be added and you can pay directly through the application.
Metro - The cheapest option which is very convenient if you don't have bulky/heavy luggage - 0.60EUR and stop very close to the hotel. Here the interesting detail is that by the rules you are allowed 2 pieces of hand luggage, for every additional one you need another ticket. It is even more interesting what is considered as hand luggage. As per the law it is: 10. "Hand luggage" means any type of item carried under the direct control of the passenger by the use of the passenger's own physical strength. (https://sofia-obshtini-bg.translate....x_tr_hist=true Chapter VIII). Does it sound funny, strange etc - Yes. Is it enforced - I have no idea, usually I am taking the taxi. Here the big pro - nothing can beat the metro timewise during rush hour.
Bus - Same rules like the metro with some cons - it is slower, it stops further away that the metro and rush hour can be a killer. Last resort option if Metro is not running

f0zzyNUE Let me know if I can help with some info about Sofia

Thanks for your post. Unfortunately this time we will only have a night stop in Sofia to start the TK 1450€ business class ticket SOF-IST-MEL/MEL-SIN
My footprint in Eastern Europe is not too big, but I got interested after checking out some websites and youtube videos on Sofia and surroundings. Looks very nice and I could be back soon to explore more.
But I will definitely go outside in the morning and have a walk throug the city center.
We might take a taxi from the airport to the hotel (because we arrive late night around 23:00) and take the metro back next morning.