The Sofitel suited me just fine with a reasonable rate in a great location in Sydney's Central Business Disctrict. From here Circular Quay and The Rocks are at most a ten minute walk. The Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney Opera House are also a short walk as is most of central Sydney. It's also equidistant from Circular Quay and Martin Place Railway stations making almost all of Sydney accessible.
The Sofitel is not a true Five Star hotel however for several reasons:
-Rooms while nice are not overly luxurious (except for the bed which is soft and
comfy) and show some noticeable signs wear
-On both days there were issues servicing my room. On the first day, I was gone for
two hours in the morning and returned before lunch to find that my room was not
serviced (it was serviced later that day). The same thing happened my second day
and because I returned and spent some time in my room with the "Do Not Disturb"
sign up, my room was not serviced at all
-The unmistakable stench of vomit coming from one of the rooms near the lifts. This
lingered for a day or two
None of this bothered me too much (even the vomit stench since it did not permeate into my room) and while I would much rather have stayed at The Establishment, Four Seasons or The Shangri-La, I was happy to stay at The Sofitel because they had a lower rate (drinks are EXPENSIVE so I was happy to have the drinking money!!!). I merely point these issues out because those expecting a full-fledged five star will not be happy campers.
The only outrageous thing here was the cost for internet, for which you purchase a time slot of anywhere from thirty minutes to twenty-four hours, use it or lose it. So if you pay for twenty-four hours of internet, your time starts when you log on and expires twenty-four hours later. Additionally there is also a data limit, so if you have multiple windows open, your usage could be terminated long before your time expires. I really thought this was ridiculous.
Beyond that, I was happy with the rate I paid and the location. I was also really happy with the service I received from several of the front desk staff. I arrived very early for check-in (about 8:00am) and the gentleman at the front desk who checked me in made sure that I had a room ready within thirty minutes. Several other staff members were very friendly and genuinely interested in making sure that I had a pleasant stay.
If you're looking for a comfortable stay in a great location at a reasonable rate, The Sofitel will work just fine for you. If however, you're going to break out the white gloves and do an inspection, you're better off paying more and staying at The Four Seasons or The Shangri-La. read more