Hotel reviews
Picture your stay before you book, from dinner in the house restaurant to the walk to the nearest station. Each review tells you who should book the hotel and who should look elsewhere.
What does a hotel review tell me before I book?
Each review opens on one question, “Should you book it?”, answered with “Yes, if” and “No, if”: the trip the hotel suits and the trip it does not. For Sofitel London St James, the answer is yes if you want a central London address with a starred table, a hammam and the West End on foot, and no if a pool is part of your plan or your days are in Canary Wharf or the City.
Below the verdict come the facts as the hotel publishes them: address, rooms and suites, restaurants, spa, pool, meeting rooms, nearest station, and the MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Travel Guide rating where the hotel has them. A timeline shows the check-in and check-out times. Sections in questions then cover the location and transport, the rooms, the restaurants and the spa, and the page closes with a short FAQ and numbered sources, each with the date it was checked.
Sofitel London St James or Sofitel London Heathrow: which suits my trip?
Book Sofitel London St James for a stay in London itself, and Sofitel London Heathrow for the night before or after a flight from Terminal 5. St James stands on Waterloo Place, 300 m from Piccadilly Circus, with 183 rooms, Wild Honey St James downstairs and a spa with four treatment rooms and a Turkish hammam, open until 18:30 from Tuesday to Sunday and until 17:00 on Monday.
Heathrow has 605 rooms and a covered walkway of about 160 m to Terminal 5, a five-minute walk. Its spa has five treatment rooms, a sauna, a steam room and a thermal vitality pool, open daily 09:00 to 21:00, late enough for a treatment after an evening arrival. Central London is a train ride away: the hotel publishes 21 minutes to Paddington on the Heathrow Express and 40 to Bond Street on the Elizabeth line. Use of its spa facilities is for adults and charged per person, and the hotel holds no MICHELIN Key.
What should I check in a review before I book?
Read the limits as closely as the strengths, starting with opening days. Wild Honey St James serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday only, so a starred dinner on a Sunday or a Monday means booking another table. Spa hours decide the shape of the day as well: the Sofitel Spa at St James closes at 18:30, and at 17:00 on Mondays, so a treatment there has to come before dinner.
Families should read the age rules. At Sofitel London Heathrow, guests aged 16 and under may not use the hydro bath, the steam room or the sauna, and the gym is closed to under-16s. When two official pages disagree, the review gives both figures: the spa at St James counts four treatment rooms in the hotel's brochure and five in a spa directory, and Heathrow lists 45 meeting rooms where Accor's meetings table counts 55. In those cases, ask the hotel in writing when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel review should I read first?
Start with Sofitel London St James, our pick in Best hotels in London. The review sets out why it comes first: one MICHELIN Key, Wild Honey St James with one MICHELIN star, and a spa with a Turkish hammam, 300 m from Piccadilly Circus. It also says plainly that there is no pool and that the starred restaurant closes on Sunday and Monday.
Which London Sofitel suits a family better?
Sofitel London St James suits a family that wants the West End on foot, with 32 family rooms, 32 connecting rooms and free breakfast for children under 12. Sofitel London Heathrow suits a family on the night before a flight, with 35 m² family rooms for four and breakfast included, but guests aged 16 and under may not use its sauna, steam room or hydro bath, and its gym is closed to under-16s. Neither hotel has a kids' club.
Which London Sofitel keeps its spa open later?
Sofitel London Heathrow, where The Spa opens daily 09:00 to 21:00. The Sofitel Spa at Sofitel London St James closes at 18:30 from Tuesday to Sunday and at 17:00 on Monday, so a treatment there has to come before dinner. At Heathrow, use of the spa facilities is for adults and charged per person, while St James adds a private Turkish hammam and a jacuzzi for two.
Do the reviews give prices or a score?
No, a review gives its verdict in words and leaves the rate to the hotel: the Check rates button opens the hotel's official booking page for your dates. Facts such as opening hours, room sizes and MICHELIN distinctions carry the date they were checked, so confirm anything your plans depend on when you book, and read the limits listed beside the strengths.