Location

Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg is the flagship Sofitel in Paris. The hotel is situated on the right bank of Paris in the 8th arrondissement, within walking distance to Place de la Concorde. The nearest metro station, Concorde, is about a 3-minute from the hotel. There are several lines that run through Concorde station, which greatly aids in exploring Paris. The nearest RER station is about a 10-minute walk, across from the Pont Alexandre III, giving those staying in Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg the convenience of visiting the sites in greater Paris (such as Versailles and Paris Disney). The hotel is within walking distance of luxury boutiques in the neighbourhood, with big brands like Hermes, Chanel, and Gucci within a 5-minute walk from the hotel. Regarding eateries, we noticed the restaurants near the hotel are rather upscale, and few are budget-friendly restaurants nearby. There is a supermarket and a McDonald’s next to it, about 8 min walk from the hotel, in the direction of Eglise de la Madeleine.

The Collection Suite

We stayed in the Collection Suite for the first two nights, one category higher than the entry-level Junior Suite in Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. The suite we were assigned was the worst Collection Suite in the hotel. During check-in, we were told not all Collection Suites have the same layout. The Collection Suite has a total floor area of 36㎡; the only thing I like about this Collection Suite that we were assigned was the elegant vibe with the use of a dark grey colour tone.

Entryway

The entryway in the Collection Suite at Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg emits a strong luxury vibe to its occupants. Here is where we found the only wardrobe in the suite, sitting next to the main door. I find the wardrobe space limited, with only one door panel for guests to hang our clothing. Another single-panel door is next to the wardrobe, with a four-tier shelving. However, only one tier of the four tiers was useable for storage as the hotel uses the other three shelves to stow the in-room safe, mini-fridge, and extra pillows. I also find placing the wardrobe at the entryway inconvenient, as the bathroom is only accessible via the bedroom of the Collection Suite.

We found the only toilet in the Collection Suite opposite the wardrobe by the entryway. In some hotels, this would be a powder room, but due to the design of this Collection Suite that we were assigned, there are no toilet facilities in the bathroom. The toilet is simply furnished with a toilet bowl and a small sink and is not connected to the bathroom. I thought the space allocated to the toilet was too big.

Living Room

Walking past the wardrobe, we arrived at the Living Room. I’d say the Living Room was beautifully designed. The patterned cornice ceiling, glass candle-designed wall lamps, and the painting chosen to decorate the Living Room give it a chic and luxurious feel. A comfortable grey colour two-seater couch was furnished, sitting in one corner of the Living Room. The colour chosen for this couch was consistent with the Collection Suite’s overall colour scheme. The use of a white round coffee table adorned with a vase of a single white orchid enhances the room’s aesthetics. The colour scheme, while a little dark, makes one feel comfortable. We could see the two TVs mounted on the wall from the entrance of the Collection Suite in Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. The bigger one was meant for guests to watch while spending their time in the living room, and the smaller TV could be swivelled to face the bed in the bedroom. Despite having numerous channels on the TV, I find limited English channel entertainment options on the TV.

Tucked by the wall between the two large windows in the Living Room was a work desk, which seemed to double up as a mini bar area. The desk was great for guests to do some work. However, placing a coffee machine and the capsule box here took up half the space on the desk. The LED light on the work desk was elegant, but in our suite, the light was not working. I also found a lack of power outlets at the work desk, inconveniencing guests who wanted to work on their laptops.

An armchair is in the corner of the suite opposite the work desk. The fur-covered dark brown armchair was very comfortable and provided another sitting space in the Living Room. We mainly used this armchair to place our bags. A single shelving cabinet was wedged between the gap that serves as a partition between the bedroom and the Living Room. This two-tiered cabinet felt like an afterthought in the design of the suite. We welcome additional storage space around the Collection Suite, as storage was limited. The storage space afforded by this cabinet vastly increases the number of things we can put away, but placing a cabinet between the bedroom and the living room felt out of place.

Bedroom

The bedroom is separated from the living room using a partial wall. There are no doors between the two rooms in this Collection Suite at Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. The bedroom emits a cosy and luxurious vibe. The King bed in the centre of the bedroom was very comfortable to sleep in, leaving me feeling recharged every night. However, I find the pillows provided by the hotel a tad too soft for my liking. The hotel does not provide any pillow menu to suit the needs of different guests. Like most hotels, Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg fitted two bedside tables on both sides of the bed. The wooden bedside table offers little storage space. There is just sufficient space for us to charge our mobile phone sockets fitted onto the walls by the tables. Fortunately, the hotel fitted a hanging lamp on both sides above the bedside table to free up usable space on these tables. Besides the bedside tables, there isn’t any other storage space in the bedroom, seemingly suggesting the hotel opted for form over factor. A smaller TV is mounted on the wall above the cabinet, with the same channel options as that in the living room. Due to the lack of a door to separate the living room from the bedroom, the sound from the TV in the living room flows to the bedroom. As much as I did not like the layout design of the bedroom, I thought the bedroom felt cosy and comfortable.

Bathroom

The bathroom in the Collection Suite we were assigned is another disappointment. Despite feeling spacious, there is no bathtub in the bathroom. The hotel staff told us that this was the only Collection Suite not fitted with a bathtub and toilet in the bathroom. When I was shown the bathroom, I had serious concerns about water flowing into the bedroom. The bathroom had a large area dedicated to the shower with a drainage hole in the centre. The hotel only fitted a regular showerhead in the bathroom. There was a small sink countertop cluttered with amenities, leaving us with no space to place our toiletries. The bathroom is separated from the bedroom with a see-through glass panel and door. Fortunately, the hotel fitted a gold-coloured curtain inside the bathroom. There are still some areas that I like about the bathroom. The use of marble and a dark grey theme was consistent with the theme of the entire suite. I also like the heated towel rack that was fitted in the bathroom, allowing our towels to dry when hung overnight. But caution had to be exercised with the towel rack as it can get hot.

Service

The service was generally good at Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. Alex warmly welcomed us at the door when we entered the hotel. Alex would always greet us warmly without fail whenever we walked past him. He made us feel welcome and at home. The staff at the reception were equally friendly. They were always seen with a smile and had their Bonjours whenever we approached them. The lady who checked us in was very helpful. When she learned that we were disappointed with the assigned second floor, I could see she was trying very hard to check the availabilities of the Collection Suite on other floors. I saw her checking with other colleagues and going through the system to check available rooms. Understandably, her hands were tied as the suites in the hotel were fully booked at the time of our arrival. The customer care team provided the best service of all. They knew how disappointed we were with the Collection Suite we were assigned from the moment we were shown our suite. The team would constantly check in with us daily via WhatsApp chat on how we found the suite. Knowing we were disappointed with the suite, the team upgraded us to the Duplex Prestige Suite (worlds apart from this Collection Suite) when it became available. The team was always responsive when we faced issues with the rooms.

However, not all the staff were as welcoming and provided good service. The black sheep of the lot was this Asian porter by the main door, who was always seen to ignore our presence. He was only seen to be friendly to Caucasian guests. We had never seen him smiling at us or acknowledging our presence whenever we walked past him, let alone greeting us. He was always seen avoiding eye contact with us.

Hotel Facilities

Gym

Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg has a small gym in the basement, accessible via the stairs by the main entrance or the lift between the hotel and the bar. The gym is sparsely equipped with only four exercise machines, all dedicated to cardio workouts. It also has a free-weight area for guests to do simple weight exercises. We also found a steam room in the changing room inside the gym. The gym in the hotel only allows guests to do some light exercises.

Breakfast

Breakfast in Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg was served in the restaurant next to the reception. There are quite a few options for breakfast. I particularly like the croissants served in the restaurant; they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Other than cold cuts and salads, there are some hot items in the buffet area. We did not see any egg stations in the restaurant; rather, orders for eggs were made by the restaurant’s waiting staff. I thought the breakfast was delicious enough to fill one’s stomach to start the day.

Overall

Despite being in a great location, well connected and having tons of shopping at its doorstep, I was not too fond of the Collection Suite assigned to us. When we were escorted to the suite, we were informed by the staff that the other Collection Suite was larger, and the toilet was found inside the bathroom, which is also fitted with a bathtub. Apart from the poorly designed suite with many inconveniences, the lower floor (just above the main entrance to the hotel) made it the worst Collection Suite in the entire hotel. Assigning them to their highest-tiered member went to show how little the hotel regard its members.