Check In

I arrived there at 8am. Since I landed at 6:40am i requested by email two weeks prior to my arrival an early check-in, which was granted. Arriving at the check in desk, the agent propose to escort me to the lounge. Upstairs I was given some water while they check my room was ready. It was and I was given the key to a Prestige Suite, a double upgrade, which included executive lounge access. 

Room

The room was large, with a salon separated to the bedroom, one toilet and one bathroom. As you can see on the pictures, it was nicely decorated in a French style. I did like it and found the places comfortable. Of course the Sofitel Mybed was heavenly, one of the best bed out there. The hotel is not that dated but yet, there are quite a lot of wear and tear visible everywhere in the room, the furnitures and the corridors. 

The bathroom was large, but the shower is weirdly places besides the tub, in the same glass cubicle. For a solo traveller not an issue, for a couple it might be. 

There was two plug only accessible for charging phone/tablet. An Ethernet cable is provided for laptops. The wifi was of acceptable speed.

Service

The service was not up to my expectations. While the restaurant staff at breakfast and in the executive lounge was good, it could not be said the same for the other staff member, specifically the spa. They did their best to try to over charge me and it took quite a while to sort it out, where I had to threaten to simply not pay. The spa in general is a rip-off, with unscrupulous employees who try every trick in the book to not honour sales rate and try to get as much money from you. 

The check out was poor, it took 20 Minutes with a young guy who had no clue what he was doing, who struggled with the POS machine and who had a hard time printing the final invoice. And i see now that they awarded me significantly less points that I am entitled, so it will go to CS (dear me).

Nothing to complain about house keeping. There was a turn down service with towels replacement, a bottle of water put on the night stand and chocolate.

Platinium benefit were fully delivered: double upgrade, executive lounge, early checkin and nice welcome gift (macarons, fruits and prosecco

Dining

The breakfast was not that great, I expected more from Sofitel. The pastries were of poor quality the juice heavily watered down. Egg on order were Ok, the cold cuts ok too. I eventually found the Chinese items better.

Same go for the executive lounge, which was just ok. The afternoon tea was poor, just a couple of cakes. 

Amenities

There was a rich set of amenities: 3 or 4 bottle of water a day, comb, toothpaste, tooth brush, slippers, bathrobe. 

Location

The Sofitel checks an important point: a central location within easy walking distance of the drum Tower, the bell tower, subway stations, and several bus stops. 

Overall

I was out for sight seeing most of the day so the few defaults of the hotel were not a big issue. Nevertheless i feel that there is a slight lack of value for money. Mainly I was really angry with the attitude of the spa employees. 

Otherwise I had a pleasant stay and I would happily recommend this hotel to visitor of Xi'an.