Hotel Review: Sofitel London St. James

Opened in 1923, Sofitel London St. James is a grade II listed building, owned by The Crown Estate and was formerly the headquarters a Lloyds Bank subsidiary.

A little bit of trivia in case you are wondering what a grade II listed building is. There are three types of listed status for buildings in England and Wales:

Grade I – buildings of exceptional interest

Grade II – particularly important buildings of more than special interest

Grade III- buildings that are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.

Location

Just off Pall Mall and Lower Regent Street in the City of Westminster, and is located near St. James’s Park and Buckingham Palace.

Very central to the city’s West End (and a lot of other attractions) , a 5 minute walk to Piccadilly Circus and many theatres.

I had a great time walking along Piccadilly Circus, discovering Jamie Oliver’s Diner one evening, and also stumbling upon London’s Chinatown the next day.

Interiors

The white coloured building of Sofitel London St James is like a jewellery box. Once you enter, you are welcomed into a different, colourful world of London in the 1920-30’s

We arrived late in the afternoon, around 1730 (early evening actually). We were greeted warmly by front desk, and the manager-on-duty that Sunday , the hotel’s head chef Vincent, welcomed us personally.

Video Tour

Room

Pine green, black and accents of maroon. I love the dark colour combinations in the room (but not overly done so the mood isn’t dour)

The bed was comfortable and though we had single beds each, my mom and I both slept wonderfully.

Bathroom

I love how the bathroom set up is consistent to the 1920’s-30’s vintage London feel but at the same time isn’t too serious (with the room’s clock wallpaper pattern) and the bathroom’s checkered floor.

Bath and shower are separate, and my only comment would be that the material used for the shower area floor are not tiles. It felt like hard plastic so it was abit out of place with the other elements of the bathroom.

The handles and fixtures though, were solidly classic and vintage.

Toiletries are from Hermes. I really love the scent , a mix of musk and orange, but their conditioner is abit drying.

 

Breakfast

 

Breakfast is a grand affair at Sofitel St James. I’m a fan of sleeping in, but after I’ve seen their breakfast setting, I would now advise you to arrive early so you can have a very leisurely breakfast.

The Balcon, where breakfast is served, is nothing short of striking and majestic. It’s the sort of venue that the great Jay Gatsby would hold a party.

As with all Sofitel chains, there’s an impressive selection of breads (two sections in fact), and an array of continental breakfast, cereals and hot meals.

Final thoughts

I had quite a pleasant stay at Sofitel London St. James. I really enjoyed the well-designed interiors and furnitures, and can totally imagine how the hotel was like back in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Wi-fi was reliable and complimentary, and the staff overall had very pleasant service.

I do recommend this to lovers of interior design and seeking a more quiet hotel atmosphere (I did not see any children during my short stay though I’m sure they are very much welcome).

Sofitel London St. James is a pure testament to how Sofitel manages to expertly combine English heritage and history with French hospitality.

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Sofitel London St. James

6 Waterloo Place London SW1Y 4AN

A Classic Room rate at the Sofitel London St James begins at AUD 676.00 a night

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We were guests of Sofitel London St James, but this has not influenced the thoughts and views of my stay. 
ALL opinions of this review are mine.