SO/ Paris

We stayed 4 nights in this hotel. For a 5 star hotel in Paris we were very disappointed with the service. We were unable to get timely housekeeping services including turn down service. The restaurant where we had breakfast was understaffed and even on one day there were no staff, the buffet was not completely set up and the manager was taking orders. Our room had a slatted bathroom door so my husband could not sleep while I took my shower. The light switches had no lights and were impossible to find in a dark room. Would not stay there again as there are many fine hotels in Paris for the same cost.

Pros: Incredible views from restaurant and hip bar on top of hotel. Cool vide and room interiors; good for couples not business. No desk in room. Cons: Concierge made an incorrect reservation and was slow to communicate; generally staff seems to need more training. Rooms are tight and not that well laid out particularly the bathrooms. Had to wait to check out because system not working fast.

I love this hotel so much! It is cool, artsy and beautiful! The beds are a dream, the rooms are well thought out and well laid out. The team is very accommodating and the location is great if you wish to be outside of the city (in Le Marais). Right off the Seine as a runner is perfect for a morning run :) I cannot wait to return someday!

The location of the hotel is wonderful…between La Place Bastille and Le Marais, on a very quiet street, with good access to Metro stations, and lots of good restaurants in walking distance. The view from the upper floor rooms, overlooking the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, is absolutely amazing. A real treat. Some of the staff are very friendly and helpful, some are kind of snooty and not that interested. The main drawbacks for my husband and me are that the service and functionality at the hotel are very uneven. For such an incredibly expensive hotel, I expected totally top rate service and functionality… Some people love high tech, up to date, modern hotels. For folks like that, this hotel would definitely fit the bill…the rooms each have kind of a fluorescent, neon like light that lines the door, which I found very cold and unattractive. The lighting inside the room was good and had a variety of settings, but it was all handled by buttons near the door and near the bed, and figuring out how to light part of the room or dim the lighting, which the maids do when they do turndown service, was a total mystery to us! It took me over a day to figure out how to get a hot shower…someone came up to check it out and I finally figured out how to turn the dial in a way that would enable me to get a more than warm shower! Turndown service was nice, but I was surprised that chocolates were not offered…the beds and the pillows are totally amazingly comfortable. I would love those pillows at home! Fluffy, yet they adjust to one’s head and neck and are just perfect. All in all, our experience was mixed…but we absolutely loved the location and the view, that’s for sure!

Hotel So is a beautiful new contemporary hotel not quite in the center of Paris, but a few blocks from the lively Marais and close to the Bastille. It is run by young, nice and very helpful people. The service for the most part is impeccable. The food is delicious. The bar on the top floor is just plain fun and very lively with amazing, astonishing views of iconic Paris. We originally complained about the bed being uncomfortable. They staff worked to make it more comfy. In the end they graciously changed the mattress. That’s service for you.