Sofitel Hangzhou Westlake

The service was excellent, and the hotel was clean and well looked after, with great amenities. I found the lobby seating area lovely for relaxing, and the WiFi connected easily and worked reliably. There's no self-service laundry, though. Laundry has to be sent out for dry cleaning, so plan for that. The layout is a bit odd. One side sits very close to a residential building, which gives you little privacy. We were first given a room there, then asked to move to the other side, facing the street, where we felt much more comfortable. There were a couple of minor functional issues. The shower drained slowly and water leaked outside the shower area, which seemed to be a design flaw. The toilet flush was weak and clogged once, but housekeeping fixed it quickly and efficiently. In winter, the hotel uses heating only. We tend to run warm, so opening the windows helped, although the room still felt a little hot at times. All in all, we had a pleasant stay with good service and a few things to keep in mind.

The lobby was clean and pleasant, and the staff were helpful and full of information. One person told us it was the last day of the Westlake Impression show and helped arrange tickets and transport. Our room was spotless thanks to a great cleaning service, but it was quite old. There was a smoky smell when we came in, perhaps from the wooden ornaments or decorations. The AC control didn't seem to change anything, and the room stayed hot at around 26-27 degrees. Thankfully, we could open a window for cooler air. Malls are within walking distance. Breakfast was disappointing for a five-star hotel. There were plenty of choices, but the food lacked flavor, and even the fried rice was very oily.

The location worked well, close to West Lake and within a reasonable walk of some malls. Staff were helpful with directions and knew the local area. The rooms were standard, but conversations from next door carried through. The bathtub drains were unreliable and often filled faster than the water could go down.

We stayed three nights in January 2026 and had a good experience, as long as you don't expect a five-star feel. The hotel isn't new, but it's well placed by West Lake, reached through tunnels. Breakfast has plenty of good options, and Yintai shopping malls and supermarkets are about a ten-minute walk away. The rooftop on the sixth floor is a plus, with views of West Lake from above. The gym is dated and only has three treadmills, so jogging by the lake is a better option.