The Sofitel So Bangkok offers bold luxury designed by Christian Lacroix with stylish rooms, great views, great, casual service and a full set of amenities including an infinity pool, gym and rooftop bar & restaurant. It’s all geared towards young & hip travelers and a fun place to stay in Bangkok at reasonable prices. I will stay again in the future – check out my review and photos to see if you’d like it for your visit to Bangkok, The City of Angels!
Location: The Sofitel So Bangkok is located on Sathorn Road, across from Lumpini Park, right in the heart of Bangkok’s business district. The Lumpini MRT station is across the street from the hotel, giving you access to public transport across Bangkok, with Silom Station one stop away and Sukhumvit three stops. But MRT gets very crowded during rush hour and the connection to BTS SkyTrain is a hassle, making the location less ideal for leisure travelers who want to see the sights or shop along Sukhumvit by public transport. The trip to the airport is approx. 1h15min by train and 1h by taxi or grab, depending on traffic.
Across Sathorn Road is a small mall and there are countless restaurants and bars, including very upscale dining options in the Sathorn and Silom area! Lumpini Park is huge and one of my favorite parks in the city and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The location is great for business travelers who need to be around Sathorn and return visitors who are comfortable getting around the city. If you are a first time visitor who wants to see the historical sights of Bangkok or go shopping along Sukhumvit, the Sofitel So is less ideal.
Service: We were welcomed at the street level lobby and send up to the hotel lobby on the 7th floor. From there, we were escorted to the Sofitel So Club Signature lounge for check in. Staff was exceptionally friendly, even by high Bangkok standards, and in a casual, European kinda-way, appropriate for the hip & trendy style of the hotel and the (younger) target audience. The hotel, lounge and uniforms are designed by Christian Lacroix – and they are very bold, very unique.
We were checked in at the lounge, while enjoying a welcome drink and received all the necessary information about the hotel. We were upgraded to our desired Earth Tone room overlooking Lumpini Park and received the Platinum Elite information letter.
Sanjay and the lounge staff continued the excellent service throughout our stay and made it a very special experience. When they found out that it was my (much) better half’s birthday, a little bear appeared at our table.
They continued to check on us and were attentive without being intrusive or overwhelming.
Housekeeping had done a thorough job preparing our room, everything was spotlessly clean, amenities stocked and in working order. Turndown service prepared the room for the night.
Staff at the restaurant and HiSo rooftop bar was also friendly and professional, although not quite as much so as in the lounge – I know, it’s a sign of First World Problems when you have to distinguish between 5-star and 6-star service…
Room: The Sofitel So has rooms in different themes (metal, wood, water and earth) and I had requested an Earth Theme room in bright blue with drawings on the walls. The So defines itself as “bold luxury” and that come through in this room decor – it’s as far away from your typical Marriott Hotel as you can get and we loved it!
We received an upgrade from a So Cozy Room to a So Comfy Room. The king-size bed is near the floor-to-ceiling windows with expansive views over Lumpini Park and Bangkok’s skyline – it doesn’t get any better than this in Bangkok.
The bed has high-end sheets, pillows and comforters and is supremely comfortable. There are nightstands with power outlets near the bed.
Across from the bed is a small desk with a task chair and fold-out table top, giving you enough space to work, without intruding into your space when you don’t need it.
A desk drawer holds a set of office utensils, something you rarely find these days. Next to it, you’ll have a wall-mounted TV.
Near the entrance is the open-concept bathroom with sliding wooden doors for privacy. A large, deep soaking tub is free-standing at the center. Behind it is a large countertop with sink and plenty of space for your toiletries.
A complete set of amenities is provided in “His & Hers” drawers, including dental kits, shaver, comb, make-up removal pads, etc.
Soap, conditioner and bath gel are provided in large dispensers. They are of great quality and we enjoyed them!
Further in the back are two separate cubicles with frosted glass doors for a large shower and a toilet.
The central pillar separates the bathroom from the hallway and holds a mini-bar, an illy pod espresso maker and kettle for tea. I’m a Nespresso fan, but was impressed with the quality of the illy machine and coffee products.
The free WiFi internet in the room was fast and reliable at an average speed of 19.6Mbps, enough to stream video, have video calls or get work done.
Amenities: If you didn’t score a room with a view, don’t worry. The Sofitel So has an infinity pool on the 10th floor with the same stunning views of Lumpini Park and the Bangkok Skyline. It’s well decorated and even has some trees and greenery to enhance the environment.
There are loungers with umbrellas along the pool and there were plenty on a Sunday morning to get a spot.
It’s a great place to relax after a long day of sightseeing, shopping or work and if you had an especially stressful day, you can take advantage of the jacuzzi tub in the corner.
Every last Saturday of the month, the SO holds a WaterClub pool party from 1-9pm, it’s free for hotel guests or THB600 for external guests, with a DJ and a young party crowd.
On the same level is the fitness center with plenty of cardio and weight equipment for a full workout. The equipment is professional gym quality, so there are no excuses to skip your routine here, well, other than the next-door pool bar, maybe…
If you feel like a little pampering instead, you can try the So Spa for massages and treatments.
Bars & Restaurants: If you still don’t have enough of those views, head to the rooftop bar of the So Bangkok, HiSo, a cheeky play on the local term for wealthy, upwardly-mobile, hi(gh) so(ciety) players.
You have lounge and table seating across the roof deck outside with great views and great cocktails.
Inside is the fine-dining restaurant Park Society, so you’ll never have to give up on those views. The lounge-y music fit the atmosphere and clientele, making it one of the better rooftop bars in Bangkok. Even if you are not staying at the So Bangkok, you should stop by – no visit to Bangkok is complete without sunset and night-time views from a rooftop bar!
Breakfast, lunch and “Drunch” (“Drunkn Brunch” on Sundays, not kidding) as well as dinner and a late-night dinner are served at the main restaurant Red Oven. It takes inspiration from market-style street food brought to a buffet restaurant. We tried it for breakfast. A huge variety of food is offered at various islands and stalls. Some are a bit more fun than your average hotel breakfast, like the “Donut Worry” station.
You’ll find plenty of pastries, fruit, yogurt and drinks, each offering more variety than most hotels. There are hot dishes from around Asia and some Western dishes as well. There are made-to-order smoothies and egg dishes, as well as pancakes and waffles.
A “Noodles Boat” also gives you lots of options to customize your meal. I tried a lot of food (way too much, actually) and I was impressed by the quality and taste of each item. I’ve seen a lot of huge breakfast buffets at luxury hotels in Asia, but the Sofitel So Bangkok buffet still stands out as special.
As Accor Platinum members, we had access to the excellent Club Signature Lounge. It’s designed by Christian Lacroix and features bold art work, bright colors and whimsical touches for a one-of-a kind decor.
This is the opposite of the in-offensive beige most luxury hotels choose, so you’ll probably love it or hate it. We enjoyed it, but see for yourself…
The lounge offers a small breakfast buffet with made-to-order dishes in the morning, snacks, coffee and soft drinks during afternoon tea and a happy hour with cocktails and snacks in the evening. The selection at breakfast was fairly small, so we chose the Red Oven restaurant, but it’s great if you just want to have a coffee and something small to start your day in peace & quiet. The happy hour offered very nice wines, some of the best I’ve been served in hotel lounges, and very tasty food, including a variety of cold and hot snacks. I’d consider it restaurant quality food and, again, some of the best I’ve seen in lounges.
The So Club Signature lounge contributes to a significantly better experience at the Sofitel So and I’d recommend paying for it, if you are not a Platinum member – it’s well worth it!
Value & Rewards: I used a AccorPlus free night certificate for this stay. The cash rate for our stay was $162/night. I consider that very good value compared to similar hotels of US chains. You can find the current rate here.
As an Accor Live Limitless Platinum member, I received a room upgrade to the next category, welcome drinks (good for wine, beer, cocktails, soft drinks at the rooftop bar) and access to the lounge. Disappointingly, a late checkout was not granted, despite rooms being available. I’d consider the elite treatment less than average, with only the bare minimum offered based on the program commitments.
Bottomline: The Sofitel So Bangkok offers bold luxury designed by Christian Lacroix, true to their marketing, with stylish rooms, great views, great, casual service and a full set of amenities including an infinity pool, gym and rooftop bar & restaurant, all geared towards young & hip travelers. It’s a fun place to stay in Bangkok at reasonable prices and I’ll stay at the So Bangkok again. If you like what you see in the pictures, you should give it a try!