Issue:
January
2012

Story by Melanie Votaw
Photography courtesy of Sofitel, Tara Fisher, and Fabrice Rambert
 

The Sofitel London Heathrow is a five-star hotel in Heathrow Airport’s new Terminal 5. I hopped on the very convenient Heathrow Express train from London’s Paddington station and arrived at Terminal 5 in about 20 minutes. The Terminal has its own stop on the train.

The Sofitel is a large 605-room hotel with the kind of conference facilities that would make a meeting planner drool, i.e. 45 meeting rooms. There’s so much available at the hotel that you actually never need to go into central London. I suppose this is very attractive to the business traveler who has no desire to see the sights or deal with London traffic.

For the tourist, of course, it’s a great place to stay if you have a very early flight out or a very late night arrival. Coming back and forth from central London to Heathrow is easy on the Heathrow Express, but it’s not an option for a budget traveler, as even second class travel on the train (which is plenty comfortable, by the way) is £32 round-trip.

When I arrived at Terminal 5, it was a bit of a walk indoors from the terminal to the hotel, but I was able to transport my bags on a trolley most of the way. Plus, there are plenty of signs directing the traveler to the hotel.

The interior of the Sofitel is very modern and sleek. There are fountains and even a Zen garden with a water feature and live Bonsai trees. The furniture in the rooms is cherry and walnut. My room was very comfortable with everything I could want from a down comforter and pillows to plenty of space for my things to Wi-Fi and satellite widescreen television. The bathroom was spacious with a tub, as well as a large shower with a powerful, wide shower head.

The Sofitel is not an average airport hotel, however. Butler services are available for guests in the suites, and there’s a separate club area for suite clients where wine tastings and other events are held. The lobby lounge is accessible only to guests of the hotel, so you don’t have to worry about random travelers using the lobby.

I had dinner at Brasserie Roux, a nouvelle French restaurant within the hotel overseen by famed chef Albert Roux. The food was as fine as you would expect, as was the service. I found myself so full, however, that I couldn’t finish my delicious chicken entrée with lentils. I was told that the chef would be quite upset to find so much left on my plate, but I assured the waiter that the fault was with my stomach and not at all with the taste of the dish. I only wish I had had more room to sample more of the chef’s creations.

Sofitel London Heathrow also has two bars, one of which is a tea salon with French Madeleine cakes, coffees, pastries, and 40 different types of tea, many of which are rare. The tea salon even has a Tea Master (in my next life, I want to be a Tea Master.) I didn’t get a chance to visit the tea salon, but I had a great signature champagne cocktail in the quiet Library Bar prior to my Brasserie Roux meal. The bartender brought the drink to me at my table while I sat in a cushioned chair with a very tall back. The Library Bar also serves vintage wines. The Sofitel has yet another bar called Sphere and a less formal restaurant called Vivre, which is where breakfast is served.

The meeting facilities are as high-tech as you’d expect from a brand new Sofitel in one of the world’s most visited cities. They’re large enough for exhibitions with a 117-seat lecture theatre that has a wide screen and an automated voting system, and the boardrooms have built-in audiovisual equipment that can be operated with hand-held devices. A production staff is available on-site 24/7, and there is a separate entrance to the hotel for conference guests.

Of course, as you’d expect, the hotel also has a gym and a spa. The gym is open 24 hours, and it has a sauna, steam room, and vitality pool. The spa has five treatment rooms. I received a relaxing “Skin Brightener Facial” using the Spa’s signature products by ESPA, one of which contains Hawaiian algae. The Spa specializes in jet lag treatments and also has services for men, as well as a full menu of body wraps, scrubs, massages (including hot stone therapy), scalp treatments, manicures, and pedicures. There’s even a physician available for Botox treatments and chemical peels.

If you’re looking for a hotel near the airport in London, Sofitel is a great option, and I would certainly consider it among my first choices if I were planning a big meeting in the city.

 

 

 

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