Sofitel Adelaide — Hotel in Adelaide

Our recent 2 night stay at Sofitel Adelaide was, to put it mildly, a stay of contrasts. A tale of two very different nights, starting in frustration & ending in serenity. If you enjoy a bit of suspense & a character arc in your hotel stays, then this was a real page-turner.||Let’s begin with the opening chapter: we arrived with high hopes, having chosen Sofitel Adelaide for a relaxing weekend getaway while visiting family. As a loyal Accor Plus Platinum member, I had emailed the hotel a week in advance requesting a room on one of the highest floors, a simple & reasonable request, especially with such notice. After all, I wasn’t asking for a unicorn in the minibar or a personal string quartet, just peace, decent view, & hopefully a bit of thoughtfulness in the room allocation.||Instead, we were assigned Room 704, the lowest guestroom floor in the hotel, with a view of concrete rooftops & an early 2000s cityscape that screamed industrial apocalypse. The room wasn’t properly cleaned either, with leftover rubbish & a Nespresso machine covered in fingerprints. But the real kicker? The night-time soundtrack provided by the nearby nightclub, so loud we could identify the songs & sang along! I clocked a grand total of 4hrs of sleep that first night. Not quite the 5-star R&R I had in mind.||To the hotel’s credit, Bonnie, one of the Duty Managers, turned things around the next day. She swiftly arranged for us to move to Room 2401, right at the top, a much brighter, elegant suite with a far more pleasant city skyline view, & most importantly, blissful quiet. Bonnie even extended a 3pm late check-out, which we greatly appreciated given our evening flight back to Melbourne. She also kindly offered an extra night, which we declined, but the gesture did not go unnoticed. Her professionalism and care truly made a difference.||Still, I must be honest, while the second night felt like a breath of fresh air, the damage from the first night was done. My energy and enjoyment were dampened, & it’s disappointing that a stay meant for unwinding started off with such unnecessary stress. I understand Saturday was a busy night, but if my request had been made at check-in, sure, it might have been a tough ask. But I sent it in days ahead, & yet it was evidently not given any attention. For a Platinum member, that’s concerning. Loyalty should mean more than a key tag & a welcome drink, it should be reflected in how guests’ preferences are prioritised.||Adding to this, despite my written complaint being forwarded to the General Manager, Mr Eger, I never received a reply or acknowledgement during the rest of our stay, not even after check-out. It’s not the end of the world, but in a professional hospitality environment, a simple follow-up shows that a guest’s concerns are valued & heard. Silence, on the other hand, speaks volumes!||On a more uplifting note — Club Millésime. Saturday was a chaotic scene, & I truly felt for the staff, food items ran out early (as early as 4:20pm), broken glasses & empty plates piled up, & it looked like everyone was running a full marathon while juggling plates. The team was doing their absolute best, but it was clear they were understaffed & overwhelmed. It honestly felt more like watching a war zone than enjoying a luxury lounge. Where was management during this time? Surely not behind the scenes watching the chaos unfold like a reality show?||Sunday, however, was the complete opposite. The lounge returned to its relaxing, premium vibe, & this is where true hospitality shone through. A lovely staff member (I believe her name is Oddie, an Indonesian team member) noticed my partner couldn’t take the soup of the day due to dietary reasons. Without hesitation, she offered to prepare a custom vegetable soup just for him. It was a small gesture with a huge impact. That’s the kind of service that turns guests into loyal fans.||Shoutout also to the Dutch lady supervisor at Club Millésime, even on Saturday’s battlefield, she maintained composure, friendliness & professionalism. These are the unsung heroes of hospitality, & Oddie & her deserve a medal, or at least a glass of wine that she doesn’t have to serve herself!||And then there’s Gogo at Garçon Bleu during breakfast, what a bright spark! From the moment he greeted us, he lit up the restaurant with his smile, charm & genuine warmth. He remembered our names, checked in regularly, and brought so much life to the morning. A true gem and a walking ambassador for the restaurant.||In the end, Sofitel Adelaide’s greatest strength lies in its people, the hardworking frontline staff who go above and beyond, even when the systems above them fall short. Would I stay again? Yes, but next time, I’ll be managing expectations a little more carefully, & hopefully, the hotel management will...

We recently stayed at Sofitel Adelaide for a weekend getaway to visit family. As an Accor Plus Platinum member, I had requested (a week in advance) a high-floor room, a simple & reasonable ask, but an important one for a relaxing stay.

Instead, we were given Room 704, the lowest guest floor, overlooking rooftops, & unfortunately located close to nightclubs nearby, the noise was so loud we could identify the songs & sang along! The room wasn’t properly cleaned either, with leftover rubbish & a grubby Nespresso machine. With loud nightclub music blasting past midnight, I managed just 4hrs of sleep. Not the best start for a stay meant to recharge.

Thankfully, Bonnie, one of the Duty Managers, turned things around the next day. She swiftly arranged for us to move to Room 2401, a much brighter, elegant suite with a far more pleasant city skyline view, & most importantly, blissful quiet. She also kindly extended our check-out to 3pm, which we greatly appreciated given our evening flight back to Melbourne. She also kindly offered an extra night, which we declined, but the gesture did not go unnoticed. Her professionalism and care truly made a difference.

While the second night felt like a breath of fresh air, the first night was, frankly, wasted, & fatigue lingered throughout the trip. If my request had been made at check-in, sure, it might have been a tough ask. But I sent it in days ahead, & yet it was evidently not given any attention. For a Platinum member, that’s concerning. Loyalty should mean more than a key tag & a welcome drink, it should be reflected in how guests’ preferences are prioritised.

Despite my written complaint being forwarded to the General Manager Mr Eger, I never received a follow-up till today. It’s not the end of the world, but in a professional hospitality environment, a simple follow-up shows that a guest’s concerns are valued & heard. Silence, on the other hand, speaks volumes!

On a positive note, Club Millésime was chaotic on that Saturday. I truly felt for the staff, food items ran out as early as 4:20pm, broken glasses & empty plates piled up, & it looked like everyone was running a full marathon while juggling plates. The team was doing their absolute best, but it was clear they were understaffed & overwhelmed. It honestly felt more like watching a war zone than enjoying a luxury lounge. Where was management during this time? Surely not behind the scenes watching the chaos unfold like a reality show?

Sunday, however, was the complete opposite. The lounge returned to its relaxing, premium vibe, & this is where true hospitality shone through. A lovely staff member (I believe her name is Oddie, an Indonesian team member) noticed my partner couldn’t take the soup of the day due to dietary reasons. Without hesitation, she offered to prepare a custom vegetable soup just for him. It was a small gesture with a huge impact. That’s the kind of service that turns guests into loyal fans. And to the Dutch supervisor, even on Saturday’s battlefield, she maintained composure, friendliness & professionalism. These are the unsung heroes of hospitality. Also, Gogo at Garçon Bleu breakfast. What a bright spark! From the moment he greeted us, he lit up the restaurant with his smile, charm & genuine warmth. He remembered our names, checked in regularly, and brought so much life to the morning. A true gem and a walking ambassador for the restaurant.

In the end, Sofitel Adelaide’s greatest strength lies in its people, the hardworking frontline staff who go above and beyond, even when the systems above them fall short. Would I stay again? Yes, but next time, I’ll be managing expectations a little more carefully, & hopefully, the hotel management will...

We recently stayed at Sofitel Adelaide in the Prestige Suite with access to the Club Millésime Lounge, during Easter weekend and to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Sadly, our experience didn’t live up to the standards expected from a 5-star hotel—particularly at this premium level of booking.

📝 Booking Experience Prior to our arrival, I had requested a small birthday cake. While the hotel notes mentioned that such requests should be made 72 hours in advance, I submitted mine 48 hours prior. I was told they couldn't accommodate it, citing a week-long notice requirement—which directly contradicted their own policy. I appreciated that they offered to add "something" to our booking, but unfortunately, nothing truly came of that promise.

🛎️ Check-In & Arrival One of the benefits of booking suites with lounge access at luxury hotels is the dedicated check-in or concierge service. This was not the case here. We queued like everyone else and were told to "just line up." It made the entire suite and lounge upgrade feel pointless, as there was no sense of elevated service or exclusivity.

🛋️ Club Millésime Lounge This was perhaps the most disappointing part of our stay. Every time we visited the lounge, we found:

Tables left uncleared or needing to be set as we sat down

Minimal staff presence and lack of attentiveness

Buffet offerings not replenished in a timely manner

No proactive service (e.g., no one approached us for drink or food orders)

Instead of a premium, relaxing environment, it felt more like an afterthought. The service was slow, inconsistent, and definitely not worth the upgrade.

🎂 Birthday Experience For my husband’s birthday, I brought an ice cream cake to enjoy in our room. After celebrating, we called reception to store the remainder in a freezer. Unfortunately, they stored it in a fridge instead, ruining it overnight. When we came to collect it, we were met not with an apology, but with a dismissive tone: “Do you know it’s an ice cream cake?” This lack of responsibility or care was deeply frustrating, especially on such a personal occasion.

🍽️ Breakfast Surprise We extended our stay for one more night, only to discover by chance that we could have had breakfast at the main restaurant downstairs instead of the lounge. This option was never communicated to us at check-in. The main restaurant offered a far better breakfast experience—again raising the question of what value the lounge access actually provided.

🧾 Final Thoughts While the room itself was decent, the overall experience did not align with what was promised or expected for a Prestige Suite with Club access. Service was inconsistent, communication was lacking, and the special touches that make a luxury stay memorable were simply missing.

I truly hope management acknowledges this feedback—not for compensation, but to ensure no other family shares the same letdown, especially when celebrating...