Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour — Hotel in Sydney

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour has long been on my radar, thanks to its glowing reviews & reputation for understated luxury. This weekend, I finally had the opportunity to visit, originally planned as a little getaway with my partner to see our nephew & niece in Sydney. Unfortunately, a last-minute work emergency meant I had to fly solo, but I decided to make the best of it & consider this a reconnaissance trip for our next visit together.

As I stepped into the lobby, I was welcomed by the signature Sofitel fragrance & elegant interiors, It felt less like checking into a hotel & more like arriving at a well-curated second home. I was ushered up to Club Millésime for check-in, where the experience continued to impress. I was even offered a glass of champagne on arrival, which I politely declined (temporarily behaving myself!), but the gesture was appreciated.

While the Junior Suite I was upgraded to wasn’t quite the corner King room I originally booked (I have a soft spot for panoramic angles), I was grateful nonetheless. The suite was spacious & calming, & the hand-written card, fruit plate, & chocolates from Acting GM Mr Gauer were lovely touches that didn’t go unnoticed.

One thing I particularly admired was the community spirit demonstrated by the staff. Outside Sofitel on my arrival day, I noticed a team of Sofitel employees assisting emergency responders during an incident outside the hotel involving a pedestrian. Seeing your staff step up in such a moment assisting the ambulance and directing traffic speaks volumes about the heart & integrity of your team.

As a Club Millésime guest, I thoroughly enjoyed the lounge, the sweeping Darling Harbour views, The elegant breakfast, afternoon tea, & evening canapés service were all beautifully served high above the city skyline on Level 35. It’s truly a stunning space, & if you time it right, the sunsets alone are worth the stay. Naturally, like many guests, I wanted to capture the view with a few photos to share with my partner.

Now here comes the plot twist. On my final day thanks for the late check out offered, just before canapé service began (when the lounge was still quiet and guests were just trickling in), I was standing by the window taking photos of the view. Enter Elmo, with the confidence of someone auditioning for a role in a courtroom drama, he loudly called out across the lounge, “No photos of guests!” as if I were a paparazzo hiding behind a curtain, or perhaps an undercover tabloid journalist?!

Naturally, I was mortified. The volume, the tone, & the assumption that I was photographing guests left me feeling both embarrassed & insulted. I immediately showed him the photo, which was unsurprisingly, just the view. No guests in sight.

Now, I completely understand the importance of protecting guest privacy, it’s the delivery, not the message, was the issue! Instead, I got a very public reprimand, delivered with gusto. Not exactly the kind of farewell moment I’d expect from Sofitel Sydney Club Millésime!

I was hoping this was a one-off. Or maybe, just maybe, he’s developed a talent for selectively choosing who he treats warmly, & who gets the “disciplinary” experience. Sadly, it seems I fell into the latter category!

And while I’d love to say this didn’t take the shine off an otherwise brilliant stay, the truth is, it did. I walked out of Sofitel Syd feeling more like I’d been marched out of detention than checked out of a luxury hotel. A bit of a “walk of shame,” really, and not the kind that follows a fun night out!

That said, credit where it’s due: the rest of the staff at Club Millésime were wonderful. Phillip was a gem, attentive, personable, & even offered to take photos for me (oh, the irony!). Tiffany was also helpful & charming, & of course the check-in team at the lounge set the tone beautifully from the start.

Despite the Elmo episode, the overall stay was filled with elegant touches & genuine hospitality. I still look forward to returning, hopefully with my partner by my side & no surprise guest appearances from the...

We were so excited to enjoy your hotel, then our reservation was the final blow in a list of challenging travel events that were out of our control. We had booked our room for the Darling harbor view room on the 27th June. Unfortunately our flight was cancelled not once but twice to Sydney by Air New Zealand. After the first cancellation I rang the Sofitel immediately to let them know what had happened and what the plan was. I was received by a young lady that spoke incredibly fast and in broken unclear English which made it difficult to understand. It was frustrating to try and deliver what I needed to say as I was not sure if she truly understood my situation. I told her that we would not be arriving on time due the the flight cancellation but would still require our room for the following 2 nights. Sat 28th and 29th June. She said because of late cancellation and the fact that they would not have to time to re book the room I would have to pay for it. I appreciate that I would most likely have to pay but I made it clear I was not cancelling just letting them know of our later arrival time due to the flight issues which is well out of our control. As it happens it took 29hours to travel from Wellington to Sydney, for what is normally a 3.5 hour flight. We were tired and hungry and disappointed that our only free day in Sydney was now used flying into 3 different airports just to get there. So you can imagine my surprise to find our room had been cancelled and given to some other guests. The check in process took so long with the lovely gentleman disappearing out the back constantly excusing himself but not saying why. I instantly new something was amiss. He finally said I am sorry but I cannot give you the room you booked because the young lady the day before we had spoken to had cancelled it. He was very apologetic and embarrassed. He offered us another room that was substandard to what we had booked but we had no choice. He offered us a bottle of champagne, a voucher for breakfast and 2 glasses of champagne vouchers for the champagne lounge. Which when we went to use the next day discovered that it was not open! He also offered to move us to the room we had booked the next day once is was ready. We had the hair festival the next day and so had to get up and repack for the move to the new room. Our bags were going to be moved once room was ready. So you can imaging our surprise when we got to the front desk to get our new keys to discover when we got to our room there was no luggage. Finally after sometime with trying to locate them we had them sent up. The new room had a beautiful view but it absolutely stunk. I asked the gentleman who delivered our bags if he could smell it. He felt it was coming from the air conditioning but said we would need to take it up with the front desk. By now we were tired and frustrated and needed to be getting ready for dinner. Thought we would go and use our champagne vouchers just to try and relax. But no. Lounge bar was closed. Fortunately some other guests in the lift said that we could use them at the ground floor bar, which we did. It was certainly not the experience or the quality I had expected and was excited to share with my colleague who had earnt such an experience. The breakfast was beautiful and we were grateful. The location to our event was fantastic. The young gentleman on reception who greeted us on this occasion was so polite even under very difficult circumstances and remained very professional and apologetic. The beds and hotel itself is fabulous but unfortunately our experience was not. We left to return home feeling very let down. I feel sad to even have...

This was my second stay at the legendary Sofitel Syd Darling Harbour in just 2 mths, but this time with my partner in tow (after he heard me raving endlessly about it the first time!).

The location is unbeatable, right on Darling Harbour’s waterfront, with the city skyline behind, & a Light Rail stop practically across the road, Sydney at your doorstep!

The moment we stepped into the elegant lobby, we knew we were in good hands. The concierge welcomed us warmly & check-in was swiftly handled at Club Millésime on the 35th floor. The team offered Champagne while seated, how wonderfully civilized! (I declined last time, but this time I accepted, under my partner’s smirk, knowing full well how much I enjoy a little extra pampering.)

Our suite wasn’t quite ready, but waiting at the lounge was no hardship,spectacular views, afternoon tea service, & that serene Sofitel calm. When we finally moved into our corner suite, we were greeted with a fruit platter, pralines, a bottle of Champagne, a scented gift box, and a handwritten welcome card from Mr Gauer, the Hotel Mgr. A special touch indeed.

Now, even in the best hotels, hiccups happen, what matters most is how quickly & gracefully they’re handled. Within an hour, it became clear our air-conditioning wasn’t working. The engineer tried his best, but 3 hrs later the bedroom still felt like a sauna, & the system even switched itself off. Not ideal, especially with my partner under the weather. But the Executive Lounge team leapt into action & relocated us to an even larger suite on the 34th floor, so big we could almost lose each other inside. Thankfully, the air-con there worked perfectly (after requesting the sensor to be switched off to keep it at a blissful 19.5°C).

The suite itself was stunning: an oversized bath set like a centrepiece, mood-lit shower jets, a built-in sound system for spa playlists, Chromecast TV, a pillow menu, & even a bath menu offering everything from ylang-ylang bubbles to vitamin “caviar” baths. And of course, turndown service came with lavender pillow spray, a thoughtful touch that turned bedtime into a little ritual. These are the kinds of details that turn a stay into an experience, & they’re exactly why Sofitel inspires such loyalty.

This time, I was glad to personally meet Mr Gauer and Ms Dang - Club Millésime Mgr, both of whom were gracious & genuine with every guest they interacted with, true ambassadors of the Sofitel spirit. A special thank you also to Tiffany, Maggie, & the entire Club Millésime team, who went above & beyond to make us feel cared for even when things didn’t go to plan.

Despite a rocky start with the air-conditioning, the service recovery was prompt, professional & generous. In the end, our stay was filled with elegant touches, heartfelt hospitality, & memorable moments. My partner is already talking about when we can return, Sofitel Sydney has won us both over.

Merci beaucoup to the...