Property: Sofitel Adelaide
Room booked: Superior (cheapest flexible rate available)
Room upgraded/type: Yes, two categories to Luxury King City View, floor 19
Rate: Flexible, $621 for 2 nights, reduced to $335 using 10,000 ALL points
Welcome drink: N/A, had club access
Early check in/late out: asked and received 1pm check out
VIP treatment: Fruit, 3 macarons, 2 sparkling waters and a bottle of Pinot Gris in the fridge on arrival. A bottle of bubbles was later sent as a service recovery gesture.
Access to executive lounge: Yes, Club Millésime
General comments:
First stay at Sofitel Adelaide and my first since making Diamond the week before. I had high hopes but wasn't overly optimistic, having read that there's often little difference between Diamond and Platinum treatment in Australia.
Unfortunately that was our experience. I'll admit my expectations were shaped by how Asian properties treated us as Platinums, which is usually over the top.
We were celebrating my husband's 70th, which I flagged through the pre-arrival messaging. It wasn't acknowledged at any point. The upgrade felt like a standard room on a high floor. Shower pressure was low, and the technician who came to check it left grubby boot prints from the door to the bathroom. I complained and the duty manager responded quickly and offered a bottle of bubbles and to have the floors refreshed, but they were never cleaned.
The lounge was a mixed bag. The first night with AFF members at the annual gathering, service was mostly good and the drinks were ok. . The second night the team were young and not proactive, and I had to get up 4-5 times to ask for another drink. G&Ts were also weak the second night.
Afternoon tea was average and we waited 15 minutes for a cup of tea while the pots sat there ready to go. Not sure why table service is insisted on for something guests could do themselves in 30 seconds.
Pommery was $33 a glass in the lounge but $20 downstairs at Garçon Bleu. They also wouldn't apply the Accor Plus Explorer 15% discount, with an explanation that seemed to relate to the lounge having unlimited drinks during happy hour. I didn't really follow the logic.
Breakfast was satisfactory but nothing special. Coffee was very good and welcome after the disgusting capsule coffee in the room (some alternative to Nespresso I hadn’t heard of). Dinner at Garçon Bleu was very good and the best part of the stay.
Overall I was underwhelmed and won't be rushing back.
