Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa — Hotel in Singapore

Our experience at the Sofitel Sentosa Resort wasn’t of a 5-Star standard especially that we’ve just came from an amazing stay at The Apurva Kempinski. The service rendered at Sofitel is comparable to that of a 3-Star hotel or lower. There were numerous miscommunications between departments. The first error upon arrival is my incorrect surname. They spelt my last name. This tiny detail is just as important. Kempinski personnel are very attentive and with keen eyes to details, but I didn’t see that from any of the personnel from Sofitel. At Kempinski, we were spoilt with gifts from arrival to the end of our stay. None of that was received at Sofitel other than one tiny chocolate cake when we arrived. ||At Sofitel, one of the inclusions was a two hour canapés for two adults per room. The one time we went to try their canapés, they made sure we only get one set of 5 types of small treats. Apparently that was all we were entitled to. Whilst we stayed 5days at Sofitel, we only availed the canapés once. And yet I had to explain twice to two different servers that we are entitled to two sets each as we booked two rooms. It didn’t feel right that I have to explain when it clearly shows in their A4 sheet with the names of guests and the room numbers. There were two rows of my name, and yet it feels like I was in the wrong. They were quite hesitant to give us the tiny treats when they were not even that great. The Apurva Kempinski has a buffet of treats while Sofitel was not even close to 1% to what Kempinski has prepared for their guests. The service was definitely not of a 5-star. We were also seated in the sunny area of the bar. I felt the inside with overhead fans were reserved to other guests but not for the guests who had prepaid the stay. ||We had all our dining inclusions booked ahead of time, but the Friday dinner was cancelled due to an event. We were happy to work with them and they offered an in-room dining. However, the lunch booked on Sunday (the day we checked out) was extremely disappointing. We were asked if we booked during breakfast and told us that we must make reservation as they are busy on Sundays. We told them in two occasions that we have a reservation. And yet when we got there at 10.50AM, they were confused to receive us. It is as if they did not expect us at all. I suggested that if they are busy we can do the in-room dining but the floor manager responded that they can accommodate us and told us that there will be a lot of movements because they are preparing for the lunch which we understood and accepted. We knew exactly what we wanted and ordered immediately. However, it took 28minutes for a spring roll and Caesar salad to come out. Then, the mains took even longer - 40minutes that is! I ordered Chicken Rice while my husband had stir fried noodles with bbq pork. A few of them looked at us and knew we’ve been waiting, but none of them did anything including the floor manager until I asked one of the servers. Only then something was done. We watched them received other guests with warmth and smile while we patiently waiting for our mains. We finally got our food but 40minutes later. They apologised but by then I was already upset. They knew we were coming; they knew we had been sitting for awhile and yet they did nothing. I found their apology scripted and something they are trained to say when they mess up. I felt sorry for the server who took my rant when I knew it wasn’t his fault, but needless to say they are a 5-Star hotel. This is not something you’d expect in a 5-star hotel.||The worst experience we encountered and had completely put us off is when my husband asked the Chinese driver of the big bus plate number PD2237K and only to be dismissed. The complimentary shuttle bus that we took on Wednesday 27th of November both to and from the hotel was a white small shuttle bus with the Sofitel brand shown on the side of the bus. We had the same small bus when we were dropped off at Resort World on the 28th. We then went to Vivo city by taxi to grab food as we missed our breakfast. We took the 12.30 bus, but to our surprise it was a large bus. We weren’t sure if it was the right one as we were expecting for a white small bus. So, my husband proceeded to ask the driver. My husband politely asked the driver, but driver was so dismissive and pointed at the A4 laminated sign with the Sofitel brand shown. He seemed annoyed that my husband interrupted his conversation with the other Chinese guest already seated in the bus. We weren’t sure of his answer, but we took the bus anyway. Then in the next three days, we observed how the same driver behaved towards others. We found that he is very accommodating and helpful towards the Chinese guests with conversation happening across the bus with guests seated behind us. We observed also that he was rude to the white Australian couple who got off the harbourfront. The couple asked the driver how to get to Vivo City. He pointed to the tunnel but seemed really annoyed to assist. We felt sorry for the couple, so we gave them the direction instead. There was an instance also when an Indian man with teenage kids asked the driver if the bus was going to a chess tournament. The bus driver was extremely rude and just completely dismissed the man by gesturing him to leave. It was a simple yes or no question and yet he couldn’t bring himself to answer the poor man. I hated taking the bus when he was the one driving but unfortunately, he was always the driver from Wednesday, 28th of December, until we left. ||I must say that it was not completely negative. There were a few positive encounters. Mike from housekeeping was always smiling and helpful even though he cleans the room by himself and I felt sorry for him that he was always on his own. Chandra one of the servers from breakfast was so lovely and gave us tips where to go and what to do. Penny one of the servers was also nice, but she was fast and always rushing things. She did get her job done, but she lacks warmth. Julie from dinner and Ruby from breakfast are both Koreans on a training program in Singapore. Both girls were nice and more accommodating than the other servers. Gana from lunch / dinner was also nice and always smiling. Gana was the one who took the brunt when I started expressing in a rather unpleasant manner when the restaurant had us wait for so long for our mains. He was very apologetic and did not even make any excuses. I did apologise to him and told him that it’s not his fault. ||Mark from front desk was also very nice, patient and calm. On the 28th of November, we were told at resort world that we do not need to pay for the monorail ride between Resort world and Vivo city and vice versa, but we do need to obtain the QR code from our hotel. So when we got back, we lined up to query about the free monorail ride. There were two at the front desk, one was Mark who was serving another guest and the other was a Chinese guy who was on the phone or his laptop. The Chinese guy at front desk knew I waited for awhile and did nothing to assist me. But when another guest of Chinese Singaporean descent lined up, he immediately stopped what he was doing and served her. I found that extremely rude. Too bad I didn’t get his name. I was glad to be served by Mark as he was very nice. After breakfast on check out day, we went to the front desk and asked them if we could have our lunch in our room after learning about how busy the Kwee Zeen will be for lunch. Mark served us, but the Chinese at front desk said “no”. We understood hotel policy, but they could have worked out something with us given that we gave them some leeway when they couldn’t have us for dinner on Friday. The incident on Sunday would have been averted if they had considered our suggestion. ||Our facility observation, the hotel is old and dated. The decor do not make sense and this is consistent across the hotel. The bed was comfortable and provided basic bathroom kits. My husband got bad diarrhoea on our second day after he drank the water from their filtered tap. I checked the filter, it was not dated. It is to be dated and changed regularly as what we do at home. I have attached some photos. It is a a dangerous thing to do. Luckily my husband felt better after taking the meds we bought from the chemist in Vivo City. The minibar had nothing except for coffee and tea which we never use. There was really nothing special or impressive about this hotel.||Finally, I will not return to this hotel nor I’ll recommend this hotel to any of my...

I don’t normally write reviews, but I felt compelled to share our experience, hoping it brings attention to issues that clearly haven't been addressed, given the repeated standard responses to other reviews.

This 1-star rating is solely due to the poor service we received from the front desk staff at Sofitel Sentosa, which unfortunately overshadowed the rest of our stay.

We have stayed at over 15 hotels in Singapore, and this was by far the most disappointing experience.

Check-In Experience We arrived closed to 1.30pm, there was no greeting, no smile, no warmth. Something we’ve come to expect even at mid-range hotels.

We were told the room was not ready and that we’d receive a call when it was. No other information was provided. No mention of breakfast, Wi-Fi, or hotel facilities. We had to ask for everything.

The check-in process was slow and disorganized. The staff seemed unaware of the current hotel promotions or offerings.

After waiting an hour without a call, we approached another staff member who immediately told us our room wasn’t ready, without even checking our booking.

We waited another 30 minutes near the counter and noticed every other guest was receiving their room key immediately. Upon asking again, we were told the room was ready. No apology was offered, just a casual remark that the duty manager “probably forgot” to inform us. We waited 1.5 hours unnecessarily.

Check-Out Experience Unfortunately, the same staff member who failed to notify us earlier also handled our check-out.

When I requested to settle our F&B charges, she incorrectly pulled up the wrong account and almost charged us more than double the correct amount.

Due to discrepancies, we decided not to buy the F&B voucher. The staff then coldly told us we’d have to pay full price. When I asked about the in-house 30% dining discount, she reluctantly checked again and applied it—but the amount was still incorrect.

After a long wait while she checked with the restaurant, the final bill came out even higher than what the system originally showed. This just shows how disorganised their system.

Throughout the process, no apology was given. In fact, her demeanor made us feel as if we were being difficult.

Hotel Condition & Facilities The property is dated and unfortunately infested with mosquitoes, making it hard to enjoy the outdoor areas.

The breakfast buffet was below expectations, offering very limited, basic options—not what you'd expect at a resort of this caliber.

The Silver Lining The only highlight of our stay was the excellent service from the ground staff and the team at The Cliff restaurant. A special mention goes to Jag, who truly went above and beyond.

Upon learning that our stay was to celebrate our son’s birthday, Jag surprised us with cake and desserts, and consistently checked in on us throughout our stay with genuine warmth and care.

While we were waiting by the pool, he brought us water without us asking and made us feel welcomed. His attentiveness and positive attitude were a refreshing contrast to our experience at the front desk. If I could rate his service separately, it would be a 5-star review without hesitation.

Final Thoughts Sofitel is a premium brand, and we came with expectations. Sadly, the front desk service fell far below even basic standards. Poor communication, lack of hospitality, and zero accountability at check-in and check-out left a lasting negative impression.

It’s a shame, because there are clearly staff members like Jag who understand what hospitality truly means.

I sincerely hope that management goes beyond automated responses and takes genuine steps to address these...

This is a hotel with a lot of potential that falls short.||Accor Plus Gold Members, we arrived at 2pm hoping to get our room a little early (understanding subject to availability). We had to wait a little while at check in (no priority for Accor Plus Gold Members) and were then told to come back at 3pm to collect our key, as the room was not ready. ||We went for a walk and got a drink at the central bar (recommend the Sentosa Sling!), noting the hotel grounds are very run down but easy fixes could bring them into repair - pressure washing, cutting back dead trees and bushes, cleaning ponds (even the fish looked sad) and replacing old, worn furniture just some easy fixes. While sitting at the bar we noticed an influx of dogs, all barking at one another - while it’s great that it’s a pet friendly hotel (and we have them ourselves), one would think there should be a limit? We saw at least 10 different dogs at check in, and then more as we wandered the hotel.||My husband returned to get our key at 3pm to be told the room was not ready, housekeeping was having trouble cleaning all the rooms. He then went back again at 3.30, then 4… told at this point they needed to check in the line of 10+ guests before he would be helped. By this point we were quite frustrated (and hot!) as we watched others who checked in around us all get their rooms no problem. There is also no where ‘indoors’ to wait, and no instructions from reception as to where to wait or what to do - they were quite frazzled. At 4.30 we were finally brought a room key, and on reaching the room discovered we’d been upgraded which was as a nice surprise. Room was old but nice and great AC and comfy bed. We were told the duty manager would be calling us in the room. ||We then went to the pool for a swim - the tattered and faded blue pool towels desperately need replacing. The pool chairs also need to be replaced and are falling apart, and someone desperately needs to come through and clean the pool area of old and dead leaves and branches. It just felt a bit… lifeless. ||We went to The Cliff for dinner and they only had 2 appetisers of approx. 6 left available at 7pm when we arrived, however we had wonderful service from Jack (thank you Jack!) and the food was great.||The Duty Manager called at 9.30pm, saying that we had requested to speak with them (when this was not the case). They offered a late checkout, however this is not something we were able to take advantage of as we had other commitments. ||Breakfast was also good and the staff were helpful and friendly - great omelettes. They use Nespresso coffee here but it was still ok. Again the furniture desperately needs to be replaced - was quite mismatched. As the breakfast verandah filled, so too came the dogs who continued to bark at one another. As we walked back to our room, we noticed that our used cocktail cups were had at the pool the day before at 5pm were still there, at 10am the following day - a little concerning. ||All of the staff were super friendly, if lacking a bit of hospitality training. They seemed to be very understaffed (which was confirmed by the reception). The property really does not deserve the Sofitel brand attached in its current state, but with a bit of TLC could get back there. If you lower your expectations and don’t expect the 5-star luxe Sofitel experience here, you’ll have a...