n the heart of Bangkok, with a prime location, stylish rooms and a lounge with breathtaking views, the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit is a luxurious experience following its renovation. Despite a few minor imperfections, the hotel offers excellent service, delicious food and a rooftop bar that’s not to be missed. But read for yourself!
Review #57
Content
Location
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit is located in the heart of Bangkok, on the famous Sukhumvit Street and next to the Nana MRT station, granting excellent access to public transport. Located on the famous hotel mile of the Thai capital, it is the perfect stay to explore the city.
There is always a lot going on outside the hotel, and the street in front of the entrance puts you right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the mega-metropolis. From mobile food stalls to hawkers, restaurants, pubs, bars, massage parlours, shops and the famous 7/11 stores, they are all, if not next door, then within easy reach. Hooker business is also plentiful but very unobtrusive from late afternoon onwards.
The hotel is centrally located on Sukhumvit Road, just 500 metres from the Asok and Nana BTS skytrain stations and the Sukhumvit MRT station. Terminal 21 shopping mall is about a 10-minute walk away.
Getting there
Of course, you will normally fly into Bangkok and then arrive at Suvanabhumi Airport Bangkok. There are flights virtually from all over the world. Also there is a second airport, Don Mueang, for domestic and intra-Asian flights. Both airports are well connected by public transport.
How to get to the hotel
We took a direct Thai Airways flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok BKK in Business Class and then hopped on a grab to the first hotel of our short weekend stay. We spent our first night at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit and landed very early in the morning, so it took us just over half an hour to get there. Quite a record!
As we arrived at the Sofitel Bangkok, we were helped to unload our bags and they were immediately taken, labelled and stored to be taken to our rooms later.
Check-in
After a quick look at our reservation at the reception located on the ground floor, we were asked to go upstairs to check in at the Club Lounge – this is where status members and guests with Club Access rooms are being checked in. As Platinum status holders with the Accor programme and were then checked in accordingly at the lounge reception.
As mentioned above, we had a very early flight so we got to the hotel already at 7am. As our short trip to Bangkok was relatively spontaneous, we had only booked the night before and therefore confused the ladies at the lounge reception quite a bit. Ultimately she found our booking but hadn’t prepared anything as no one had expected us to arrive that early. After a few apparently difficult steps on the computer, she was able to finally check us in.
Of course, our room wasn’t ready due to the early time – that’s obvious. As we used a Suite Night Upgrade Certificate from the Accor Life Limitless´ Frequent traveller programme we were upgraded to a Junior Suite. We then politely asked if it would be possible to get another room until our actual room was ready but this request was denied.
When asked if we could have breakfast in the lounge, she found it very difficult to grant this extra to us. This isn´t something regular of course, and quite rare for guests to check in at breakfast time. However, she was kind enough to accommodate us and we were able to enjoy breakfast, albeit without being allowed to order from the menu. Fair enough!
By the way, there was no cold towel or drink at check-in. Even though we were already seated next to the Club Lounge. We thought this a shame and it could have been easily arranged. But maybe that was also because of the early hour and the fact that nothing had been prepared. We obviously really messed up the whole process on site.
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit at a glance
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit opened in April 2012 and underwent a complete renovation in 2023. The works included a complete redesign of the lobby, all 345 rooms and suites, 15 meeting rooms and dining facilities. The refurbishment was completed in November 2023.
The 32 floors accommodate all room types, from standard to presidential suites. On the ground floor are the lobby, the Maison Mizuki restaurant and brasserie, the Voilá restaurant for breakfast and lunch on the second floor and the Bella Sera Italian restaurant for dinner on the same floor.
The 9th floor houses the swimming pool, spa with hair salon and fitness centre. On the 31st floor, the Club Millesime Lounge awaits all status guests and guests with club rooms to a full floor of Lounge. The Rooftop Bar and Brasserie Belga is located directly above on the 32nd floor.
Suite
As our suite wasn’t ready after breakfast we decided to wait by the pool and were actually able to move into our Junior Suite at 10.00am.
The current Junior Suite was actually the Prestige Suite before the renovation and is also the highest option for a Suite Night upgrade.
As we almost always do, we booked the cheapest and smallest room category for this stay and in this case used a Suite Night Upgrade Certificate. So today we will be staying at suite no. 2305 – the largest room on the 23rd floor.
Welcome
Once we moved in, there was a small welcome basket of fruit and nuts on the table in the living room. Obviously there has been some rationalisation here, as the hotel was offering a lot more during our previous stays.
There were also two welcome letters on the desk, the first was welcoming us as status guests and listing all the status benefits:
- Welcome drink
- Complimentary breakfast
- Complimentary afternoon tea
- Free WiFi
- Free ironing for up to two items of clothing
- Access to Club Millesime Lounge
- and other small benefits…
And the second letter welcomed us as guests in general and included the opening times of all the restaurants and bars.
Living room
Through the entrance door of the room you enter a narrow hallway which serves as the entrance area and at the end of which is the small bar area on the left. In addition to the minibar, you will find a coffee machine, kettle, cups, glasses, water, a champagne cooler, snacks and everything you need to make yourself a cup of coffee or tea.
At the end of the hallway is the cosy living room. This doubles as an office, with a couch and armchair, as well as a fully equipped desk. There is also one of the two tablets in the suite. Which you can use to control all the electronic devices in the room. This includes the lights, air conditioning and TV.
Bedroom
Another narrow hallway leads to the bedroom. The bathroom is to the left of the hallway and there is a fitted wardrobe next to the bathroom door. Here you will find an extra pillow, the safe, bathrobes, an iron and ironing board, a yoga mat and everything you need to clean and care for your shoes and clothes. The drawers are empty for you to fill.
As well as the really big and incredibly comfortable king-size bed, the bedroom also has a duvet and two pillows on either side, of different firmness but the same size. There is also a TV and an armchair with a small side table.
The bedside table on the left has a telephone, writing materials and the room’s second tablet, so you can control all your electronic devices and appliances from here as well. The bedside table on the right has a water bottle and a pillow menu from which you can choose your favorite type.
Bathroom
As mentioned above, the bathroom is located off the small corridor that connects the living room and bedroom. The only connection to the outside is through a window above the bath that looks into the bedroom.
Opposite the window is a vanity with one sink and the usual toiletries such as toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, cotton pads, cotton buds, shower cap and more. Of course, there is also soap, body lotion, two bottles of water for brushing your teeth and two pairs of slippers, while the large round mirror is heated so it does not tarnish. The small make-up mirror can be pulled out and illuminated.
The toilet and shower are at the head of the room tugged away in small rooms facing each other. Karl Lagerfeld products are available for the shower.
The bedroom window can be closed with a roller blind for privacy.
Turndown
Naturally, a hotel as prestigious as Sofitel Bangkok offers turndown service to its suite guests. So while you are having dinner, the wonderful room service staff will come and check your suite. They will tidy up, replenish used items where necessary and will also draw the curtains as well as turn down the lights so you can go straight to bed.
The pillows will be placed so that you can lie down straight away and the duvet will be folded back on both sides. The bedside rugs are laid out with the slippers and the laundry forms are as well laid out so you remember that ironing two items of clothing per night and room are included.
View
And, of course, the views are impressive too. From the 23rd floor, you can look out over the hotel’s surroundings and watch the Thai capital from above.
Lounge
Status guests and guests who have booked a room with lounge access can also visit the Club Millesime Lounge at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukuhumvit. Occupying the entire 23rd floor, it is very spacious, beautifully appointed, comfortable and quiet.
Guests with access can enjoy breakfast as well as soft drinks, sweets and coffee throughout the day. Between 14:00 and 16:00, tea and coffee are served with small desserts and cakes. And between 17:00 and 19:00, guests can also enjoy snacks and small treats from a small buffet at Evening Cocktails.
Drinks are served at breakfast, teatime and cocktail hour – everything else is self-service from the buffet and fridge.
The afternoon and evening snacks here at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit were not particularly fantastic or special, but the quality was really fine and delicious. Cocktails were also great and we were even able to order – if the bar staff knew the recipe – variations that weren’t on the menu! Great, wasn’t it?
Hotel activities
Pool
The 23-metre swimming pool at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit is located on the 9th floor and is attached to the back of the hotel building. Below it are offices, some rooms and the function rooms.
Right at the entrance to the pool is a small bar where you can enjoy free infused water for refreshment. Further back, almost at the end of the pool, is the Liquide Pool Bar. Here you can relax in the shade and enjoy small pool snacks and refreshments.
As well as three cabanas (beware of the ant trail!), there are a couple of sun loungers with parasols, and at the far end of the pool there is a separate small shallow pool area, presumably for the little ones. Unfortunately, the water there was even colder than in the main pool – and that was already rather fresh….
Fitness Center
The rather large gym at the Sofitel Bangkok is located on the 9th floor, just like the pool. Here you will find everything you need for a good workout. As well as a number of cardio machines, there are some weight machines as well as a free weights area.
Spa
The Sofitel Spa by L’Occitane, located on the 9th floor, offers a wide range of treatments in one of seven treatment rooms. The spa also offers guests an exclusive Jacuzzi, which can be used before or after treatments.
Restaurants
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit offers a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafés. I won’t be able to list them all here. We simply didn’t have time to visit them all during our stay, let alone try them all!
Lobby Cafe
To the left of the main entrance is Café Le Macaron, which serves Parisian-style French snacks and desserts.
Rooftop Bar & Restaurant
The Belga Rooftop Bar & Brasserie at Sofitel Bangkok is a fantastic way to end the evening and enjoy the night-time views from the 32nd floor of the building! Belgian specialities and their own craft beer are served here.
We had a small incident at the lounge, which was handled very well and we ended up with an invitation to this fantastic restaurant. We had already eaten, but were practically persuaded to have at least one more snack, so we were served half portions, which were fantastic. The service was extremely good and the drinks were very, very tasty.
We can highly recommend Belga if you’re in Bangkok and want to choose from a menu that’s unusual for Thailand. And the view is fantastic on top of that!
Breakfast
As our booking gave us access to the Club Millesime Lounge, complimentary breakfast was included.
The small but delicious breakfast buffet offers everything you need and is quite extensive for its size. In addition, the Sofitel Bangkok also offers a small selection from a breakfast menu, which we also used quite extensively. All the dishes were very tasty and, as on the previous day, the service was extremely friendly and courteous. Hot drinks and ordered food is served at your table. For the rest, you can simply help yourself to the buffet.
Check-out
We were able to also check out at the Club Lounge reception, so we could simply sit down and do everything we needed to do. The documents were already prepared and everything went very quickly. After a short and very nice chat, we said goodbye and made our way to the train station.
Costs
We ended up paying 217 Euros for this one night at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit.
Originally we booked a standard room, which cost just over 10,000 THB at the time of booking but we also redeemed 4000 Accor points, worth just under 3,000 THB, and ended up with a bill of around 7,700 THB. In November 2024, that was the aforementioned 217 Euros.
Departure and onward journey
After checking out, we took the MRT from Asok station, which is within walking distance, to Chit Lom, where we checked into our second and final hotel, the Grand Hyatt Erawan.
Conclusion
The Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit is a well-established hotel in the Thai capital that has certainly not been upgraded with an expensive, comprehensive refurbishment for no reason. The hotel is well connected and offers all the amenities you would expect from a hotel in this category. But the Club Lounge, which occupies an entire floor and offers breathtaking views of the city, is certainly a highlight, as is the rooftop restaurant.
The renovation of the rooms and especially the lobby has been a success, but it would have been great to see other areas such as the pool, spa and gym renovated as well.
All in all, the Sofitel Bangkok is a solid hotel with great service and a few highlights.
Recommendation
Sofitel Bangkok has something for everyone. Couples, solo travellers, families and business travellers are all well catered for. There is no special area for very young guests, but I think families can really enjoy themselves here.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
We grant Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit 8 out of 10 possible points for this stay.
One point is deducted for the incident in the club lounge, which was indeed handled very well, and another for the fact that the lobby, part of the lounge and the suite have been renovated, but the rest of the hotel has not. It’s a bit of a shame and gives the feeling that it’s not quite finished…
Go there?
Yes. We can really recommend Sofitel Bangkok with all our heart.
Our crazy Bangkok weekend
We had a birthday to celebrate and wanted to try something crazy, so we decided to fly to Bangkok for the weekend!
We took a direct Thai Airways Business Class flight from Frankfurt to the Thai capital and spent our first night in this hotel before moving to the Grand Hyatt Erawan and then flying home on Thai Airways. So stay tuned for this exciting short series and join us for a crazy weekend in Bangkok!
YouTube Review
If you are interested in more video images from Fabi’s YouTube review, we would be delighted if you would take a look here too. Enjoy!
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