SO/ Paris

We stayed at SO/ Paris through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and, unfortunately, the service was nowhere near what I would expect from a five-star hotel, especially at more than $1,000 for the night. We arrived around 2 p.m. and asked about early check-in through the Amex FHR benefit. We understood that early check-in was based on availability, so it was completely fine that the room was not ready. Standard check-in was at 3 p.m., and the front desk told us they would let us know as soon as our room was available. We spent a few hours shopping around Paris and came back around 5 p.m. We had never received any notification, even though the room was ready and standard check-in had already passed by two hours. When a staff member walked us to our room, he tried to get the speaker to work and could not. We had not even realized there was an issue with it. He was the one who noticed it, told us it was broken, and said he would have it replaced right away. Bonnie has a separate restaurant and bar, and that evening we went to Bonnie Bar for our 7:15 p.m. reservation. We ordered a drink right away. After we finished that drink, we sat for about 45 minutes without anyone coming back to take another drink order or our food order. We finally had to get up and track down a server ourselves just to place an order and get another drink. We wrapped up around 10 p.m. and returned to the room. The speaker still had not been replaced, so I called downstairs and asked about it again. Even after following up, it was never replaced during our stay. The room itself was very nice, but at this price point, the service matters just as much as the room. At check-in, the hotel also asked whether we would like something prepared for us in the morning since we were leaving for the airport at 6 a.m. We had already assumed we would simply miss breakfast because we were leaving so early. They were the ones who offered to have something ready for us, so we asked for only coffee and yogurt. At 6 a.m., neither was ready, and we had to leave for the airport without either. I understand that service culture in Paris can be different from what some travelers are used to, but that is exactly why this was so frustrating. Why offer these things if there is no intention of following through? We did not ask them to discover and replace the speaker, and we did not expect breakfast at 6 a.m. They offered both. What was most frustrating was the complete lack of follow-through. During a one-night stay, they made three specific commitments to us: notify us when the room was ready, replace the broken speaker, and have coffee and yogurt ready for our early departure. Zero out of three were completed. On top of that, we had to track down a server ourselves after sitting at Bonnie Bar for 45 minutes without service. Any one of these things on its own would have been minor. Taken together over the course of one night, they reflected a consistent pattern of poor service and no follow-through. I cannot understand how this level of service meets a five-star standard. The property itself is beautiful, but the service was the worst I have experienced at a five-star hotel.

Recently stayed at the SO and it was a wonderful experience! The location was great to explore the local neighborhood with several restaurants nearby and the river. Close to Notre Dame as well. All of the staff we interacted with was fantastic, but our favorite was Lorenza in Bonnie. He was extremely pleasant, made great drinks, fun to talk with, and remembered us each night we came back. Going to the bar at the end of the night to see him became a highlight of our trip! We also had an amazing meal in Bonnie. After spending 12 days in France, Bonnie was still our favorite meal! The service was fantastic, the view of Paris unmatched, and all the food we ate was delicious. Photo is our view from dinner. The room was very spacious for two adults. Since we were there during a heat wave, the AC was of good quality so we were very appreciative! If we ever return to Paris, I would stay again at the SO.

This was our second stay at SO/Paris, three years after our first visit in 2023, and it was just as memorable. From the moment before our arrival, the experience was handled with genuine warmth and professionalism. A special thank you to General Manager Magalie and the reception team for their thoughtful arrangements, friendly welcome, and efficient check-in. We appreciated being able to access our room at 13:00, well before the standard check-in time. Our room on the 15th floor, with a private balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, was a real highlight and made the stay even more special. We encountered a small challenge when placing an in-room dining order on our second evening, but Alex from the In-Room Dining team resolved everything with exceptional professionalism, courtesy, and efficiency. It's often the way a team handles an issue that leaves the strongest impression, and Alex did exactly that. Thank you again to Magalie and the entire SO/Paris team for another wonderful weekend. We look forward to returning again.

Booked two rooms under the Paris skyline room category, each for 3 nights. This was booked under Amex FHR. Beautiful room and hotel is in a good location. However, I had to make a review given how surprisingly bad the service management in this hotel is. I have been to Paris 8 times and have stayed in a mix of mid tier ie. Hilton types to luxury hotels here. Firstly, there was a complete water outage in the hotel on one day until 2am. No toilet flushing or tap or shower access for almost the entire day and night. I arranged explicitly to have access to the spa toilet to shower but that was also mixed up and they were going to send me to the next building (a hostel) to take my shower until I realized i was being directed to outside the hotel. I protested of course and the staff were able to find me a slot at the spa shower facilities, and I emphasize with them being put into dealing with a tough situation. However, to the management team of the hotel, seriously what were you thinking sending guests to a hostel outside the hotel to use toilets and showers. Doesn’t sound right for a 500 euro a night hotel. Furthermore, no service recovery for the complete water outage for the entire day.. not even “here’s some bottles of water for your room to brush your teeth” or “here’s a drink voucher”. Even the bare minimum expectations were not met. Secondly, housekeeping was also terrible. I had called the front desk, concierge and directly told the housekeeping to make up my room one day (since it was still not made up by early afternoon). Also pressed the “make up my room” button. However when I got back to my room at 10pm, nothing. It was too late for making up the room so I asked them for bottles of water and at least one housekeeping manager brought some up for me. However, I can forgive one mistake as one-off, two mistakes on the same issue as them having a tough day, but three to four is unacceptable. Don’t they also do turn down service? The “make up my room” sign was turned on + my room is literally facing the elevator bank. This speaks to neglect. Lovely room, yes. Were there some staff who were great? Yes. However the overall experience was let down by these experiences. I hope the management improves.

We couldn’t have had a better stay. The room was clean, comfortable and well appointed with a beautiful view of rhe Seine in the Eiffel Tower. The staff at the hotel, the restaurant, and the bar couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. The views from the restaurant in the bar are simply spectacular! Well, we did not eat dinner at the restaurant, we did have breakfast and it was very nice. Thought the location was great to see the major sites, and experience a nice neighborhood in the 4th. Highly recommend SO Paris.