Zalina Mohd Som soaks up French style hospitality with a dash of contemporary New York
WHEN a choice of two hotels in New York City landed on my lap, it was a no-brainer — I picked Sofitel New York. I had stayed in a few Accor hotels and resorts and I had enjoyed my stays at the group’s brands including Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure and Mercure, Novotel, ibis and more.
The brand that I like the most is Sofitel because of its distinctive character.
The Sofitel service and hospitality is seen in all — do expect to be greeted with French salutations. However each of these hotels carries its own personality, meaning it much influenced by local flavour and cultures. For instance, So Sofitel Bangkok is ultra-chic hotel but laden with Thailand’s beautiful essence — in its designs for pop art-like art deco, choice of furniture and trimmings to the welcome drink and uniform. So Sofitel is the label given to Sofitel’s designer boutique hotels.
So, imagine my expectations when I opted for Sofitel New York.
BONJOUR!
True to its brand, Sofitel New York’s frontline staff greet me with “Bonjour”. The lobby looks like a typical business hotel. It’s quiet, classic and serious — not what I’d expected.
But this one is different from the usual setting, with the reception at the mid-section of the ground floor instead. So far, the walk from the main entrance at 44 Street doesn’t reveal its unique character. “Perhaps without the word So, this Sofitel takes a more business-like aura,” I reason.
Checking-in is swift. Soon, I’m standing in front of my room, eager to see if it lives up to expectations.
Though there’s an absence of over-the-top pop art designs, the room is nonetheless tasteful. Everything, from furnishing and trimmings to colour and design, is carefully chosen to complement each other and to make an elegant space for a discerning traveller.
Pushing the day curtain to the side, the window reveals the “lush” concrete jungle of New York, each trying to outdo the other to poke the sky. This makes my room the perfect place to be, in the heart of the city, sans the noise and the cold weather.
Still looking for the New Yorker in Sofitel New York, I walk down to Gaby Brasserie Francaise, the hotel’s only F&B outlet which has its own entrance at the 45th Street. This is where I will be having my breakfast the next two days.
And there she is — Gaby Bar, the classic-looking bar which is named after a Parisian model of 1920s New York.
The setting reminds me of those black-and-white Hollywood movies with ladies in flapper dresses and cloche hats and men in sharp suits. It’s fun, chic and funky — distinctive New York traits based on all those Hollywood movies and TV series I grew up with.
ON THE STREETS
Stepping out of Gaby’s, I suddenly feel like I am out in the open — the chaotic traffic noise from the flanking 5th and 6th Avenues. Ironically, the streets — 44th and 45th — where the hotel’s two entrances are, are surprisingly quiet.
It’s quite an overwhelming dose of sight, sound and energy. But I like it. This is the real New York that I’ve been wanting to experience. Everything that New York is, is within walking distance — Times Square, Rockefeller Centre, Times Square, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, Grand Central, the Broadway theatres… everything!
I guess Sofitel New York doesn’t need to inject a local essence into itself as it is at the heart of it all.
FAST FACTS
SOFITEL NEW YORK
45 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036 USA
Tel: +1-212-354-8844
Fax: +1-212-354-2480
Website: www.sofitel.com
STAY 398 rooms which include 51 suites — four of whichare Prestige Suites and the expansive 1114 sq metre Imperial Suite.
EAT Only one — Gaby Brasserie Francaise that comes with the classic Gaby Bar. The all-day dining brasserie is known for its 30-minute business lunches served in bento boxes for executives on-the-go and pre-theatre menus for patrons heading to a Broadway show. Named after a Parisian model who found her milieu in 1920s New York, it serves classic French cuisine.
With its own entrance at 45th Street, the bar is the place to see and be seen while enjoying both creative and classical cocktails, fine wines and champagne.
DO There’s a fully equipped fitness centre and that is it. But why stay indoors when vibrant Manhattan is just at its doorstep.
GO Its location at the block between 6th and 5th Avenues puts it right in between the vivacious Times Square at 7th Avenue and the world-famous thoroughfare of 5th Avenue. This means almost all NYC major attractions are within walking distance. Like a 9-minute walk to the Rockfeller Centre, 12 minutes to the Empire State Building and 15 minutes to Central Park and the Grand Central Terminal.
HIGHS
It’s Sofitel! I may be biased because I just love the brand. But that aside, this Sofitel scores high with its superb location. Though it is sandwiched between two of Manhanttan’s busiest avenues — the 5th and 6th - it’s quiet and peaceful, quite a contrast to the two neighbouring avenues.
LOWS
There’s no sumptuous breakfast buffet spread. Breakfast buffets are something I look forward to during my hotel stays. Having stayed in a few Sofitels that so far have served among the best breakfast buffets I’ve had, my expectation falls flat when a Gaby Brasserie Francasie staff hands me a menu for my breakfast. My breakfast set is nonetheless deliciously filling.