The Private Traveller

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Hotel Review: Sofitel London Heathrow

The Private Traveller

Overview

We flew to London the night before and stayed over at the Hotel Sofitel London Heathrow - this is in such a great location and connected directly to the terminal. If we fly via London Heathrow, normally this would be on a straight connection through terminal 5 (if BA to BA; or BA to Iberia) but sometimes rather than have a very early start in the morning to get the first domestic flight to Heathrow it can be good to stay over and have a more leisurely morning. This time, being lucky enough to to fly to LAX with BA in First Class we opted to stay over the night before so that we had more time to experience the Concorde Room before our flight. You can read all about this on a separate blog post on my website.

I really liked the idea of being able to check-in online in advance (I received an email from the hotel a few days in advance of our arrival day). I completed the check-in and received a confirmation email, advising that I would get a text on the day once a room had been allocated. I did indeed get a text message from them at 6am advising that the room key would be available from 2pm at the ‘Priority Desk’. When we arrived though, which was getting on for 10pm there was no indication of which was the priority desk and only two members of staff at what we later realised was the main reception desk - later found out that the priority desk was across from this, but was vacant. It took so long for us to be checked-in, the staff member tried every combination of surname spelling and kept saying there was no reservation for us. It was only after several minutes that she asked whether we had checked-in online; not asking before. Once this was established (and I never thought to flag this from the outset as I thought all reservations would be visible to the staff) she went across to the other desk and retrieved our room key from a box there.


Hotel website: https://all.accor.com/hotel/6214/index.en.shtml?

Would I stay here again?   Absolutely, it’s the obvious choice if we have an early flight from Heathrow; or if we choose to have a relaxing morning with a spa treatment before a long flight.

Location

The Sofitel at Heathrow Terminal 5 is the only hotel directly connected to the terminal building. From domestic arrivals, you walk as if going to the adjacent car park and take the lift to the first floor. From here there is a hotel tunnel directly into the lobby, and only takes a few minutes. 

If you were coming to the hotel without flying in, it’s accessible by road and there is a large on-site car park; as well as being easily accessed from the Terminal 5 rail station.

Accommodation

It’s a big hotel and has a total of 605 bedrooms, though it doesn’t feel too big - I imagine a lot of people are transient and only use this to sleep. It’s split into different wings, each with multiple floors - have never really seen this hotel from the outside as have only ever arrived at, and left from, it via the Terminal 5 connected tunnel.

There are different room types - Classic, Superior and Luxury; all with either a double or twin bed option (Classic have queen beds, Superior and Luxury king). There are then the Luxury Club rooms and four different suite options (Junior, Prestige, Opera and Imperial; all with access to the Club Millesime lounge).

This time I had booked a Luxury room, a king-size bed is essential and this room type just had that bit of extra space (room size starts from 32 sq mt). As always, the room was extremely comfortable, well appointed, exceptionally clean and comes with tea/coffee making facilities and two bathrobes. The en-suite is excellent though I do like dual sinks and there would have been more than enough room for two here. There is a (smallish) square corner walk-in shower, a separate tub, WC and sink with a large black marble vanity unit. The hotel spa is run by ESPA, and it’s a nice touch having their bergamot and jasmine toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, hair conditioner, and body lotion).

Food & Drink

Although we’ve stayed a few times, we have never actually eaten here other than breakfast. That time, we had a Club room where they serve a light breakfast in the Club Millesime Lounge - to get access to the club lounge, either book a suite or the highest room category (Club). 

There are two main restaurants on site - Belle Époque (a 3 AA Rosette award restaurant) open for lunch and dinner; Vivre - L’Experience des Saveurs (open kitchen style, international cuisine) open for breakfast (though their website shows Lunch 06:00 - 10:30) and dinner. There is also the Tea 5 café (I like the pun on Terminal 5 - T5) open all day until 6pm and finally two bars - Le Bar Parisien and Sphere Bar & Lounge. If this wasn’t enough choice, there is also hotel room service and other restaurants available in the main terminal concourse a few minutes walk through the tunnel.

Facilities & Service

There is an on-site fitness centre and a full spa - large Jacuzzi, sauna and massage/beauty treatments available, as well as a separate hair salon. Although we had no time to book a massage or treatment this visit, on a next visit with more spare time I would - I feel the website is a bit lacking in terms of information about the spa and treatments, I can’t remember exactly how I found out about treatments before, I must have contacted them by phone or email to book in advance as there doesn’t seem to be any information online now.

WiFi was provided free throughout the hotel and rooms, albeit there was an enhanced speed available at cost. The basic WiFi was decent though, accessible via your room number and guest name.

ThePrivateTraveller’s top tips (any areas for improvement?):

  • Smoother check-in process if already completed check-in online in advance.

  • Better information available online regarding spa treatments.

ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights:

  • Location, location, location - an easy, quick walk from and to Heathrow Terminal 5.

  • Great rooms - so well appointed and extremely comfortable beds.

Useful website links:

See this gallery in the original post