Steph C.
Yelp
I spent about two of the last twelve months at the Sofitel in Seoul, and managed to accumulate quite a lot of points, status, and upgrades from Accor. I put some of this to use during a one-night stay in Singapore, booking the Sofitel in the City Centre and redeeming a suite night upgrade.
The hotel conveniently located, right by Chinatown and just a quick stroll from the subway. The surrounding area was attractive and walkable. Definitely a great hotel for an overnight trip.
It was a nice hotel, too, with a new, expensive feel. The shared areas were calm and pretty, though strangely filled with large, desultory stuffed bees and teddy bears. We got our suite and it was huge and luxurious. Two bathrooms, one of them enormous, and a well furnished living room, in addition to a commodious, comfortable bedroom. My Accor status also got us some welcome sweets, I think an assortment of macarons and chocolates.
Service did leave a little to be desired. Everyone was perfectly pleasant, but it sometimes felt like the hotel had just opened that week. We checked in super early, coming off of a four-and-a-half-hour redeye, understanding that we might not be able to get in our room right away. The receptionist told us our room was actually unoccupied, but that housekeeping needed time to get it ready. She told us we could wait in the cafe/lounge area, but when I asked her how long it would be, she wouldn't give us an estimate. I said we didn't want to sit there for two hours, and she said she'd update us through the woman attending the lounge. This worked out, since we had breakfast included with our stay. I had a handful of buffet noodles, which were fine, and we spent half an hour or so getting oriented and planning out our day. No one gave us an update in that time, and when I asked for one, the lounge attendant acted like she didn't understand the request. We were finally told, after some back-and-forth with the front desk, that our room wouldn't be ready for hours.
There was also some planned annual maintenance, between like 11:30 and 12:30 at night, when the elevators would be unavailable. We had a midnight bar reservation and made sure to be out during that window. We came back after one in the morning to a room without power. We were exhausted, and this was an unpleasant surprise. Thankfully, they sent the hotel electrician right away, and it was a quick fix.
Overall, we were happy with our stay. I'm glad we picked this hotel and would recommend it for its rooms and location. I secured Accor Diamond status while I was there, so I guess I'm Sofitel loyal until that expires.