Sofitel Hotels in Beijing

We recently stayed for 3 days at this hotel as a family with an infant and while the overall stay was pleasant, I feel compelled to share some important points that made our experience fall short of what we expected from a five-star establishment. To begin with, we had booked a Premier Suite, anticipating a top-tier experience. Unfortunately, several issues left us feeling like we were staying in a three-star hotel at best. * Cleanliness was disappointing — the floors were visibly dirty, and when we wiped them with a white towel, it turned dark. Photos attached clearly show the level of cleanliness we encountered. * The room showed noticeable wear and tear, with interior elements feeling aged and in need of refurbishment. Some parts felt like they hadn’t been updated in decades. * On our last night, the bathroom light could not be turned off, which made it very difficult to sleep. With our baby already asleep, we couldn’t call anyone to fix it without disturbing her. * The spinning chair in the room looked stylish but made loud, unpleasant noises, making it impossible to sit and relax in peace. * Several power sockets (about four) were not working, which was frustrating — especially when we tried to make tea or charge devices. We had to use inconveniently placed sockets instead. * A lingering smell of cigarette smoke was present in the room throughout our stay, suggesting the furniture and fabrics have absorbed it over time. * The female sauna was completely non-functional, which was a disappointment. * We consistently pressed the ”Do Not Disturb” button, hoping for privacy, but every time we left the room, it was cleaned despite our request. While it's nice that the room was cleaned, our preference should have been respected. * We also attempted to order food by phone twice, and our orders were never received. Whether this was due to a language barrier or other reasons remains unclear — but it was frustrating nonetheless. Considering that Sofitel is a well-established and globally recognized luxury hotel brand, you would never expect to come across such issues. All of the above certainly will influence our families and our friends future decisions when choosing Sofitel hotels . I want to stress that the stay overall wasn’t terrible — we enjoyed our time together as a family and had some positive moments. However, the above issues significantly detracted from what should have been a premium five-star experience. For the price and rating, we expected more attention to detail and basic functionality.