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Sofitel Takes On Middle East and China

| June 3, 2009 at 10:26 AM | 0 Comments

Not a brand to stand around twiddling their thumbs at the moment, Sofitel is busy getting their hotels stuck into the Middle East. For a start, the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach is due to open sometime this year – press releases are saying September, but their website says July 1 and it looks like we can book rooms throughout July, starting at €150 ($215) – but that's not enough for Sofitel. They've just announced two more properties for the UAE, with Sofitel Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai due to open in 2012 and in Abu Dhabi, the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Capital Plaza is already making progress, ready to take guests in 2010.

And it's not just the Middle East. We were already amazed when Sofitel opened their 23rd hotel in China but they're quickly following that up with three more. In southern China, close to Hong Kong, there'll be two new places: the Sofitel Dongguan and the Sofitel Guangzhou. On the east coast, you'll soon find the Sofitel Qingdao; all three of these new Sofitels are located in main business districts. Opening dates for the Chinese additions aren't being advertised just yet, but it sounds like it'll only be five minutes until we turn around and hear about even more.

[Photo of Sofitel Xian: Ksionic]

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Sofitel Continues to Conquer China with 23rd Hotel

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3388 Sichen Rd, Songjiang District, Shanghai, China, 201601

| April 16, 2009 at 1:32 PM | 0 Comments

Whoa, we are totally blown away by the fact that Sofitel, after the recent opening of their Huanghe Sheshan Resort outside of Shanghai, now has 23 China properties. That is beyond awesome, considering how some chains tend to tiptoe cautiously into Asia. So what does this extra-urban resort bring to the area besides another Sofitel sign? Apparently, an escape from the bustling city and a whole boatload of objects d'art and Hermes toiletries.

Set within the Sheshan National Tourism Resort and only a 35-minute drive from the city, the hotel boasts 368 rooms, including 53 Luxury Suites and an Imperial Suite. An extra seven luxury villas also exist for the express purpose of making government officials and business delegations feel at home without metro surroundings. Hmm, this doesn't sound like the Sofitels we know (and love); this is like Mandarin Oriental territory. Nonetheless, this is a full-service resort with multiple restaurants, spas, pools, bars, and pool bars. For those desperate for an escape from the Shanghai grind, rates for spring are looking trim at 161 Euro for a Luxury King room.

[Image: Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort]

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Sofitel's Seasonal Diversion Package

| April 1, 2009 at 9:10 AM | 0 Comments

We hate to break it to Sofitel Hotels, but we're not so sure the high-rollin' professional kind of people that tend to jetset to London, Paris, New York, Rio, Sydney and Shanghai for the weekend can really take advantage of a fourth night free deal. Unless of course they could take off the Thursday or the Monday on that long weekend, and well, you know what everyone says: "not in this economy."

The hotel chain is offering a "Seasonal Diversion" package through May 25th. Besides that fourth night free, the deal includes "delicious chocolates for sweet indulgence" and a 4:00 pm late check-out.

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A Holy Night's Stay at the Sofitel Cartagena Santa Clara

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Calle Del Torno 39-29, Cartagena, Colombia

| March 9, 2009 at 4:52 PM | 0 Comments

Last month, Amanda Pressner gave Jaunted a report on her jaunt down to Colombia. This week, she is giving HotelChatter reviews of the hotels she checked into during her trip. Any questions or suggestions about the Colombia Hotel Scene? Let us know. Enjoy.

There’s something a touch naughty about shacking up for the night in a 400-year-old former convent that once housed an order Clarisian nuns. You wonder, as you prepare to spend a weekend living in sin in a room transformed from the women's spartan sleeping quarters into a sexy, 500-thread count love den—what would the sisters say if they could see you now?

Fortunately, while staying at the Sofitel Cartagena Santa Clara may qualify as a religious experience (it’s widely considered the most luxurious hotel in the old city) there’s no need to act discrete or be on your best behavior.

What was once a nunnery in the 1600s, and then a charity hospital in the mid 19th century was painstakingly restored in 1994 and eventually turned into a five-star 121-room property that’s has hosted everyone from the King of Spain, Bill Gates and Mel Gibson to Jasser Arafat, Fidel Castro and Mick Jagger.

We can bet that no matter what kind of bad behavior you’ve got cooked up for your stay, you’ve already been trumped by one of these guys—so have at it.

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A Grand View of Glam Patio Furniture From Sofitel Amsterdam

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197 [map], Amsterdam, Holland, United States, 1012 EX

| December 11, 2008 at 12:53 PM | 0 Comments

You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.

We always hesitate just a little bit when we post an Anti-View from a hotel in a big city. After all, it's a city and, with buildings right up next to each other and not a whole lotta flex room when it comes to selecting real estate, you're bound to see stuff outside your hotel room window that's not exactly Killer View material — people's houses, people having parties, people in other hotels, etc.

And yet. While the dreaded anti-views are more understandable in big cities, such conditions don't change the fact that they're still craptastic views that you don't want to see outside your expensive hotel room.

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The Sofitel London at Heathrow Goes High-Tech on TV

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Terminal 5, London Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom, TW6 2GD

| October 9, 2008 at 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

We already figured out that the Sofitel London Heathrow T5 is pretty high on the high-tech side of hotel life, what with its complicated air-conditioner controls, referred to by tech-friendlier guests as "cool gizmos".

But now there is high-tech TV as well. The Acentic Panorama system just launched in the Heathrow Sofitel and this is meant to be a mix of on-demand and interactive TV services that should probably satisfy pretty much anyone. We're usually pretty fussy about this, but it certainly doesn't sound too bad to get this:

access to 500 international satellite TV channels and up to 250 movies - all available totally on demand and with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind the movies.

We were thinking that an airport hotel is not the place we're going to be spending a lot of time--mostly we just want to sleep there--but since many of the rooms at the Heathrow Sofitel include a TV in the bathroom, there's plenty of chance to watch the latest movie right to the end. Useful for some but not all, that's our final judgment.

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New Label for Old Hotel :: Grand Hotel Melbourne Becomes an MGallery Hotel

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 33 Spencer St, Melbourne , Australia, 3000

| October 1, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

We got curious when fashionable Aussie blogger Karen Cheng said that the Accor Hotels people were sending her to stay at the "brand new" Grand Hotel by Sofitel on Spencer Street in Melbourne--we didn't think it was new. But a quick investigation soon found that in some ways, it is a bit new: it's just joined the exclusive MGallery hotel collection.

As far as we can figure out, the whole MGallery thing is meant to be a fancy version of the Mercure brand, hence the "M". To kick off the collection Accor have chosen eight hotels from their Sofitel and Grand Hotel Mercure chains to become MGallery hotels, and the Grand in Melbourne is one of them. Get it? So it's new, but not new.

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Not a Fugly Carpet at the Sofitel LA?

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 8555 Beverly Blvd [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

| September 4, 2008 at 9:45 AM | 4 Comments

In continuing our running tab on hotel carpets (yes, we are that geeky here), we present you with this photo taken at the Sofitel LA by Air Christophe. And we're thinking maybe this carpet is not so fugly? What do you think? Let us know in comments below.

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Rihanna is Probably Shacking Up at the Sofitel LA

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 8555 Beverly Blvd. [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

| August 29, 2008 at 1:43 PM | 0 Comments

We came across these photos of Rihanna walking into her hotel yesterday -- and thanks to our supersharp eye (and embarrassingly high levels of hotel-geekiness), we think we know what hotel this is: The Sofitel LA.

Click the jump for the Rihanna pic to compare -- and let us know if you agree. Hmmm, wonder which suite she's staying in...eh eh eh?

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You've Been Overserved, Part Two :: A Happy Medium

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 806 15th St Nw [map], Washington, DC, United States, 20005

| August 28, 2008 at 2:39 PM | 0 Comments

A second installment of the "You've Been Overserved" chronicles. Enjoy.

Last week we told you about our experience checking into the Marriott Marco Island in Florida and our attempts to wrestle our luggage from the bellmen in order to make a clean getaway to our room for some much needed R&R.

Now we'd like to follow that up with an account of our ideal check-in experience at the Sofitel Lafayette Square in Washington D.C. last winter.

When our taxi pulled up in front of the hotel late one evening, two bellmen rushed over to open the door and alleviate us of our luggage--much as they did at the Marco Island Marriott.

Except, when we refused their assistant, they didn't push the issue, but simply told us where to find reception and then wished us a pleasant stay.

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The Hills Hotel :: Whitney's "Working" Dinner at Sofitel LA

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 8555 Beverly Blvd. [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

| August 26, 2008 at 1:33 PM | 0 Comments

The Hills! A new season! Lauren, Heidi, Spencer, Audrina and Whitney are b-a-c-k and we couldn't be happier that our Monday evening guilty-pleasure has returned to us -- and we may have even felt so guilty that we DVRed CNN's entire coverage of the DNC to, er, alleviate some of the shame.

Natch, we get all excited whenever the gang hits up a Los Angeles hotel. You know, what Sex and the City did for NYC establishments, The Hills can do for LA hotspots. In our minds, at least. Anyone want to go halfsies on launching a The Hills bus tour for superfans? No?

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Sofitel Bring High-Tech Luxury to Heathrow's T5

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Terminal 5, London Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom, TW6 2GD

| August 11, 2008 at 10:24 AM | 0 Comments

It's early days in the life of the new Sofitel London Heathrow which is the only hotel that directly connects to the airport's Terminal 5. The hotel soft opened in July but should now be fully functioning. And it's not your average airport hotel either.

The concept architect was Stephen Williams (Conrad Hotel in Chelsea Harbour) with the interiors designed by Khuan Chew who worked on the Burj al Arab.

Themes of country and continent resonate throughout the hotel; in the entrance lobby ‘Antarctica’ takes central stage with a dramatic water fountain centrepiece commissioned from RHS Chelsea winner David Harber.

Khuan Chew’s also created one of the most swank suites we've heard about in an airport hotel yet--the hotel's Imperial Suite include the first Swarovski crystal bathrooms in a European.

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