Arc de Triomphe Paris Sofitel Demeure Hotels, Paris

...whilst there was the Sofitel Arc De Triomphe. This hotel was another one of my favourites due to the nice standard although I did prefer the sister hotel Sofitel Le Faubourg out of the two.



The hotel:
As I am sure is obvious by now from my opening statement the hotel is part of the Sofitel chain. It is classed as a 4 star luxury hotel and is certainly fair to say it is. The hotel is more of a classic luxury type ...
...located pretty close to the Arc De Triomphe which I'm sure is obvious by the name but, I thought it might be worth mentioning that this is indeed the case, as with so many hotels nowadays the name can sometimes be just that and not actually be in connection with location at all! So yes the hotel is located close to the famous Parisian landmark and is actually at 14 Rue Beaujon and is in the 8th Arondissemont.



First ... more

I have recently been to Paris as many people who read a lot of my reviews will know and another hotel that I saw whilst there was the Sofitel Arc De Triomphe. This hotel was another one of my favourites due to the nice standard although I did prefer the sister hotel Sofitel Le Faubourg out of the two.

The hotel:
As I am sure is obvious by now from my opening statement the hotel is part of the Sofitel chain. It is classed as a 4 star luxury hotel and is certainly fair to say it is. The hotel is more of a classic luxury type rather than modern luxury by the way it is designed and the style of the rooms.

Location:
The hotel is located pretty close to the Arc De Triomphe which I'm sure is obvious by the name but, I thought it might be worth mentioning that this is indeed the case, as with so many hotels nowadays the name can sometimes be just that and not actually be in connection with location at all! So yes the hotel is located close to the famous Parisian landmark and is actually at 14 Rue Beaujon and is in the 8th Arondissemont.

First impressions:
As soon as our vehicle pulled up outside the hotel it was obvious this hotel was of a good standard by the porter who rushed to greet us and the doorman all suited and booted who greeted us all individually. Then once we entered the lobby the porter was back to take our coats and hang them up for us in the cloakroom. The lobby is very elegant and although small you are instantly aware that this is a luxury hotel. There are some seats in the lobby and the bar is also located just across from reception too. Overall I thought the hotel made a good first impression as I certainly felt welcome!

The rooms:
The hotel called their standard lead in room type a 'superior' which I think is makes it sound more in line with the hotels overall standard - of course you'd expect the room to be nice and it doesn't disappoint! The room is a good size with a huge bed - in fact it is king sized not double. The bed is actually a 'Mybed' which is the design used in all the Sofitel hotels which offer a truly comfy bed! The room is furnished with a desk and flat screen TV. There are complimentary robes and slippers and a nice big wardrobe which is where the in room safe is also located. The bathroom is nice and big and decorated in a modern style and has a shower over the bathtub. The superior rooms overlook an inner courtyard.
I also saw a Prestige suite which was very nice. The room has a small living room as you walk in which is also big enough to have a small business meeting if you only had a few people to entertain. There is a small corridor that leads to the bedroom to the right as you walk in. The bed is tucked away in an alcove which has a set of curtains in front - this allows you to draw them should you wish to do so. The bathroom is in between the two and is similar to that of the superior room type in the colour scheme, however it has a separate bath tub and shower and is very large in size. The last room I saw was the Sofitel suite and was slightly smaller than the Prestige but still very nice - in fact I preferred this one out of the suites as it seemed less 'fancy' but, still very nice. It again had the huge bed but the room had a nice sofa one side and the bathroom although big was slightly smaller.
The main things I really liked about all the rooms was that they all had French windows that you could open fully with little railings across the bottom half and a small table just in front of them. I liked the idea of being able to order breakfast to the room and sit by the window in the summer months. Small reason to like a room I know but, for me it is what makes a hotel in Paris feel more authentic!
All rooms have free Wi-Fi and 24 hour room service which is a full menu of hot and cold food.

Food and drink:
The hotel has a piano bar named 'Le Windsor' which is located just across from the reception - I didn't have a drink in here but I imagine it would be very pricey! It didn't seem that busy when I was here with literally just a couple of people sat in the bar area but it had a lot of nice big chairs dotted around and looked like it would be a nice, if not expensive place to relax for a few moments!
The hotel restaurant is named 'Le Clovis' and is where breakfast is served in the mornings and then later on becomes a much sought after place to eat. There is even a separate entrance straight into the restaurant where diners can enter if they are not staying at the hotel and they have simply made a reservation to eat here. The restaurant is not overly large and is located just down a small corridor from reception but it is one of those places that as soon as you enter you know it will be expensive. The restaurant is one of those that do ask gentlemen to wear a jacket and tie to dinner. I may not have ate in this particular part of the hotel but, I was served a selection of canapés and Champagne during the small meeting we had and if that was anything to go by I can guess the standard of the main meals would be very high!

Other facilities:
The hotel has a selection of small meeting rooms and lounges and we had a meeting in one that was located just to the right of the reception desk. The thing I liked most about it was that because it was held in the lounge type room it had an open fire as well as a huge dining table. Our selection of canapés were laid out on the dining table (of which you could tell they had gone to a lot of trouble to lay on for us by the selection they gave us!) and they were even kind enough to have one of the staff start the fire and serve us Champagne whilst we listened to the presentation. Generally the rooms they use for these kinds of functions are elegant but, a lot more comfortable than your average meeting room.
The hotel have a concierge too who can arrange trips for guests should they require it and generally will try to do whatever they can for guests.

Price:
The hotel is not cheap by any means and unfortunately if you want a nice hotel like this then it will set you back! The superior room type starts at around £220 per night based on two people sharing a room and including breakfast. Considering the average guest stays 3 nights in a city like Paris this is not cheap - the suites are obviously higher with a Sofitel suite staring at around £320 per night again including breakfast for two people. The Prestige suite starts at a staggering £800 per night so it is a little pricey for a room you probably won't spend much time in unless of course you are using it as a base to have meetings rather than hiring one of the meeting rooms which I was informed is what the idea of having the living room area is for.

Overall opinion:
I was impressed with this hotel - a trend really during my trip as I was also very taken by the Sofitel Le Faubourg. However I liked them both in different ways as the Sofitel Le Faubourg is more modern with a more relaxed feel about it - the Sofitel Arc De Triomphe although really nice is probably somewhere more suited to those people that want a really elegant hotel with the service to be of the formal kind. I thought the rooms were nice and the hotel in general is great for a luxury trip but, I don't think it would be my first choice out of the two Sofitel hotels I went to see simply because I would feel out of place here! Other than that the hotel is of a very good standard and would probably be ideal for a special occasion. 

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