Review: the Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5 hotel (Part 2)

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This is Part 2 of our review of the Sofitel London Heathrow hotel. Part 1 is here.

In this final part I will look at the club lounge and the impressive variety of bars and restaurants on site, as well as drawing some conclusions.

The executive lounge at Sofitel London Heathrow

The lounge is called Club Millesime. Long-term readers may have visited it a few years ago when, for a short period, it was a Priority Pass lounge.

I had access via two routes – it was included with my suite booking regardless, but I also hold Platinum status in Accor Live Limitless which would have got me in.

It is based on the ground floor, up a short flight of steps. According to the timetable outside, it is open for breakfast between 6.30 and 10.30, afternoon team between 3pm and 5pm and evening snacks and drinks between 6pm and 8pm. In reality it seems to be open from 6.30am to midnight, albeit with nothing available except a coffee machine and cold drinks fridge outside the times above.

It is a surprisingly big space by hotel lounge standards, with a similar mix of wood and dark tones as found elsewhere:

and

Afternoon tea was a decent selection of cakes:

Sofitel London Heathrow lounge afternoon tea

Next morning, at breakfast, the food selection laid out was slim – just fruit:

Sofitel London Heathrow lounge breakfast

…. cereals (in cardboard boxes) and pastries. There was, however, a decent list of cooked to order options and so I took an Eggs Royale:

Sofitel London Heathrow club lounge breakfast hot items

I was totally alone in the lounge during breakfast and afternoon tea, apart from an attendant.

Evenings drinks and snacks in Le Bar Parisien

At present the lounge is closed for evening drinks and snacks. Instead you are invited to Le Bar Parisien directly opposite, which is one of two bars in the hotel.

This was an impressively slick affair. Cold items, mainly salads, bread, dips and cheese, were laid out on the bar. Staff came to your table and served you whatever drinks you requested.

You could also have a plate of hot items – in fact, I got two! The contents are fixed – a couple of spring rolls and gyoza:

Sofitel Heathrow hotel evening lounge snack

It was all very well done, and it was good to have (almost) full table service in an executive lounge.

Other eating and drinking options

La Belle Epoque

The main restaurant is called La Belle Epoque. This is very well regarded and has held 3 AA rosettes in the past (not sure about the present).

As you can see from the decor, this is not your typical airport hotel restaurant:

Sofitel London Heathrow La Belle Epoque restaurant

Incongruously, given the furnishings, the restaurant is one of the few places in the hotel where you can see British Airways aircraft parked up at the terminal.

La Belle Epoque does not come cheap. Starters run from £11 to £16 and mains from £19.50 to £35, with an extra £6 for each side dish.

Vivre

For something a bit cheaper, but not by much, there is Vivre. This is your standard burger / pizza / pasta / curry joint. Fish and chips comes in at £21, with lamb shoulder at £32. Pizzas are £14 – £18.

Tea 5

There is also Tea 5, a tea room in the lobby.

This has a hugely impressive looking selection of cakes which looked as good as any I’ve seen in London. During the day, it also serves a selection on paninis, wraps, pasta, pizza and salads. PR photo below:

Tea 5 Sofitel London Heathrow Airport hotel

Gym and spa at Sofitel Heathrow

I will quickly run through the other facilities – but not the 40+ meeting rooms that the hotel offers!

There is a good size gym:

At some point I believe that there was a proper spa with a hot tub etc. This is all gone. The only facilities available now are in a small treatments area which seemed to specialise in facials and nailcare.

The lack of a proper pool is, I think, the biggest issue with the hotel. For a 5-star airport facility I think it is necessary.

The ground floor has a substantial gift shop:

There is also a SIXT car hire office in the hotel. With Avis having relocated to the car park of the Holiday Inn on Bath Road, this is the only car hire office left in Terminal 5.

Conclusion

The Sofitel London Heathrow hotel is one of those places where the sum is greater than the parts.

It is easy to gripe about various things – lack of sockets, dated rooms, no pool, pricey restaurants, poor check-in experience – but despite this the hotel does give off an air of class and competence.

It was the little things – the high level of service in the bar / lounge in the evening, the quality of the cakes on display at Tea 5, the ‘cooked to order’ menu for breakfast in the lounge, a restaurant that has actually won awards for its food – that justify the five star rating and price tag.

Is it worth the money? Only you can tell. My suite – which was booked with a suite upgrade certificate for being Accor Platinum – was £299 vs £450+ at standard rate. I think the cheapest cash rate for the same night would have been around £249. Prices seem to be softening for advance bookings with £175-ish rates appearing for later in Spring.

Whether you are happy to pay 100% more than a hotel on Bath Road for the convenience and quality of the Sofitel is up to you. If you’re not flying from Terminal 5 then it is a far less attractive proposition given the alternatives attached to Terminals 2/3 and Terminal 4. If you have Accor Live Limitless Platinum or Diamond status and can get club lounge access then I’d definitely recommend it – you don’t need to spend anything in the hotel in this case.

You can see our other London airport reviews listed here.

You can find out more about Sofitel London Heathrow, and book, on its website here.

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New to Accor Live Limitless? Read our review of Accor Live Limitless here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our analysis of what Accor Live Limitless points are worth is here.

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This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

jj says:

30 Jan30 January 08:08

As others have said, for the >50% of HfP readers who don’t love in London, the Sofitel has two main attractions: the car park, and La Belle Epoque.

I have never bothered with the lounge, even when I have have been given a free club upgrade. The lounge closes too early if you are driving to the hotel after work, and, to me, a holiday starts with an excellent meal in La Belle Epoque. In the morning, we breakfast after travelling through security, so, again, the lounge is pointless.

The car park is as convenient as the official Short Stay, but costs a lot less. Keep your keys, no faffing with buses, and you’re on the road within a few minutes of collecting your luggage. If you’re driving, it’s well worth the premium over a Bath Road hotel.

Everything else is secondary but fine. As Rob says, the rooms are impeccable, albeit dated, the service is always flawless, and I sleep like a log. Personally, I have never been placed in a standard Queen room, even though that’s what I always book. An upgrade to a King is normal, but sometimes lounge access is given too.

Also worth noting is that car park and restaurant spend count toward Accor status.
- DaveJ says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 08:23
  
  “ for the >50% of HfP readers who don’t love in London”
  
  Is this even true?
  
  Rob has always said the majority live or work in/near London?
  - jj says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 08:25
    
    There was a reader survey a couple of years ago. The site is London-centric, as you would expect given the focus on British Airways, but still <50%.
    - Rob says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 08:52
      
      London and Home Counties is 70%. Sinead is in the Maldives on a jolly so I can’t double check, but the numbers are stark – out of 10,000 survey responders, literally under 10 lived in the whole of Norfolk for example IIRC.
      - jj says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 09:23
        
        The Home Counties aren’t London, of course. Once you’re outside London itself, public transport options fall off markedly and car become the normal mode of transport.
      - Rob says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 09:43
        
        Our readership skews older than you think, especially if you come to our parties – the average reader age is 5-10 years above that demographic. You’re looking at 35-40 years old on average, according to our last survey, which is the age people tend to move out of London to the home counties but commute in.
- Rob says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 08:55
  
  Re car parking costs – https://www.headforpoints.com/2018/10/07/heathrow-airport-fined-1-6m-fixing-car-parking-prices/
  - jj says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 09:55
    
    Interesting – that’s a piece of history that passed me by. Current rates for residents are much lower than the short stay at £20 per day or somewhat lower if you pre-book a package. Unfortunately, the packages can only be combined with a more expensive cancellable room rate, though, unless someone knows a trick that I don’t.
    - DaveJ says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 11:17
      
      “Once you’re outside London itself, public transport options fall off markedly and car become the normal mode of transport.”
      
      Does it? Even for a commute into London? No chance
      - jj says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 11:27
        
        For a trip to Heathrow airport it does
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 15:00
        
        100% getting to Heathrow from the midlands is a joke
        
        Contrast to living in Central London you could get to BHX or MAN easier.
Emma says:

30 Jan30 January 08:19

We’ve stayed here and few times and it’s the convenience that brings us back. That and the fact that we pay with Tesco club card vouchers making feel better value.

For the last three trips I have emailed in advance and requested that a bed be in the room for our daughter (always booked as 2 adults 1 child) and every time they have failed. The first time we requested a bed we waited two hours and complained multiple times as we had an early flight and needed to get to sleep. The manager assured us that emailing in advance would mean no future issues. They’ve let us down every time sadly.

We’re staying again later this year and expect the same difficulty!

Parking was a very good deal in 2021 as the room came in cheaper with parking than using short stay. It’s very convenient. We were told though that they would no longer be offering parking unless attending a conference and I don’t recall having seen any parking rates recently so I wonder if that’s still the case. They certainly had reduced the parking available when we last parked there and we struggled to find a space. Given we were leaving our car there for a week the amount of abandoned hotel furniture around the car park was a concern as they blocked many spaces and were often left right next to cars.
- Tariq says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 08:33
  
  Used the stay+park last New Years. A lot of parking is taken up by the Sixt depot but there were available spaces and car was fine for a few days. Didn’t notice any furniture in the car park so may have just been a temporary thing at the time you were there.
  - Bagoly says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 15:19
    
    So have Sixt taken over from Avis as the one hire company at Heathrow where one does not need to get a ‘bus to get to the car?
    I saw the earlier reference to Sixt office, but didn’t realise that included having the cars on site too.
- Kwab says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 15:54
  
  If you go down to Level -3 there is usually plenty of space and the lifts there bring you straight up to the Sixt desks. So, a slightly shorter return journey.
Michael C says:

30 Jan30 January 08:56

Any views on how the Sofitel Gatwick compares? We have an
option of staying there for a night in April, but have never been.
- FrontSeatPhil says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 09:15
  
  The Gatwick Sofitel doesn’t compare. It’s a converted hotel, I think from a Choice Hotel, and you can clearly tell it was never intended to be a premium offering. Nice enough, with a couple of good bars and restaurants, and it is, of course, incredibly convenient for the North Terminal.
  - Michael C says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 10:06
    
    Cheers!
  - AlexF says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 16:53
    
    The trick at LGW is to book the Premier Inn North Terminal but use the bars and restaurants in the Sofitel. The Premier Plus rooms at the PI are nicer than those I’ve been in in the Sofitel, but the PI’s communal area feels like a motorway service station.
    - Paul says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 17:15
      
      My one issue with the north terminal premier inn is that there are no proper twin rooms, only a double with a sofa bed. I stayed at the Gatwick Sofitel on Saturday night before a 600 ski flight and it was fine, but noticed that they have now removed the integrated doorbell/do not disturb/please clean panels and replaced them with white plastic blanking covers.
      
      Food in the bar was ok, but the urban cafe seems to be closed now, but the other two restaurants are still open
    - Michael C says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 18:00
      
      Great tip!
- Kwab says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 19:36
  
  We always get a suite at Sofitel Gatwick and the living room is now much better equipped and more homely. The other plus point there is the Pan Asia restaurant Vanda which I prefer to the Belle Epoque at Sofitel Heathrow. Also, like the lounge at Sofitel Gatwick. At the top of the hotel and you can see the planes take off and land depending on the day.
meta says:

30 Jan30 January 10:07

I paid £157 in December for standard room, booked two months before.

It’s £175 for next week (incl. Fri-Sat night). It’s £157 around Easter and that seems to be the usual advanded rate. Flexible rates are around £190.
- S says:
  
  30 Jan30 January 11:58
  
  Only stayed once, but I always check hotwire.com hot rates for this place. As the only 5 star at Heathrow you can be guaranteed getting it as a ‘mystery hotel’. Just checked some dates for mid March @ £146 a night which is about 30 quid cheaper than I could see elsewhere.
  
  I’d probably bite for that price, but theres much less tired properties on Bath Road for 100 quid a night if you can put up with the bus
  - BSI1978 says:
    
    30 Jan30 January 13:27
    
    Coming up at £112 for March 27th which is the date I need; it is the only 5* hotel that I can think of in Heathrow but that price seems too good to be true…….!
    - meta says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 13:46
      
      It’s because you’re booking via OTA, so no points and no benefits. If you’re not interested in status then I’d bite.
    - Rob says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 14:03
      
      They have 600 rooms to fill and you’re not getting breakfast or anything at that rate. Still makes them £50 or so after paying VAT, Hotwire and the room cleaner, plus the off chance you spend in the bar or restaurant.
    - cloudy says:
      
      30 Jan30 January 15:11
      
      how do you get £112 on March 27th? That’s the same date i need, but I only found £157 in the Accor app. I tried hotwire.com but it only provided USD prices and there were a few 5* hotwire hot rate results on 27th March. The lowest price was $158+tax ($208) which is about £168, so seems like it’s better to go direct.
      - S says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 16:16
        
        It’s a US site so you will only get USD – its $139 but thats without tax so £112 isn’t an actual price. $181 is the price for that date so £146 ish
      - BSI1978 says:
        
        30 Jan30 January 16:54
        
        Yes, as noted below – like an idiot I hadn’t clicked through to the final page which shows up their taxes/charges which makes the actual GBP cost £146
Derek Scott says:

30 Jan30 January 13:42

Last time I was here the bed wasn’t fixed or wheels locked so slid around when you tried to get into it. The mattress topper didn’t fit square on the mattress and the bedsheet simply wasn’t big enough due to thickness of the topper. It didn’t reach the end of the bed under the pillows and wasn’t wide enough to folder under the mattress sides.. so was an absolute mess in under 15 mins. Really poor standard for a claimed 5 star for the main item of the room
Scott says:

30 Jan30 January 20:09

We were thoroughly unimpressed with our 1 night stopover here a few months ago. Despite booking 2 adults and a child and paying close to £300, the hotel attempted to charge a further £35 at check-in for the second bed, and when I refused to go along with this they then insisted on sending housekeeping to remove the extra bed – all this at 11.30pm. A 30min wait to check-in, a 1980s room, disinterested staff – it was absolutely disgraceful for a 5 star hotel. In fairness my last Sofitel experience was Bora Bora Private Island which is quite different (!) but nonetheless I absolutely wouldn’t go back to Sofitel LHR unless the price is below the competition.
Hardpack says:

30 Jan30 January 20:25

The main attraction is simply the convenience of getting off a domestic flight and staying overnight for an early flight without having to factor in any travel to T5. I like the restaurants. I’ve no Accor status to speak of but I stay purely for the convenience.
Benjamin Murphy-Ryan says:

30 Jan30 January 21:54

Stayed here multiple times for convenience and often even if flying t3 it’s cheaper than the hilton garden inn there if you can get a parking rate – we stayed in a suite with our 13yo last summer and was great deal, including parking underneath. Suite included all free miniatures in the two minibars – which found their way into our luggage 🙂 – lounge was probably one of the nicest been in for a while, huge range of food in evening, generous reporting of drinks etc. and staff were lovely. This year haven’t found a decent rate so far though and no parking deals which is odd – so paying short stay and offsite hotel seems better. For convenience for T5 though can’t be beat.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

Review: the Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5 hotel (Part 2)

The executive lounge at Sofitel London Heathrow

Evenings drinks and snacks in Le Bar Parisien

Other eating and drinking options

La Belle Epoque

Vivre

Tea 5

Gym and spa at Sofitel Heathrow

Conclusion

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