Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port

My husband and I came from the US to celebrate our honeymoon, and we really enjoyed our time here. The spa and breakfast overlooking the Vieux waterfront were highlights. Some parts of the hotel are a little aged, but the attention to detail and accommodating service were unlike anything we’d experienced before. Everyone was helpful and upbeat, and made our stay feel special.

Sofitel was wonderful. Everyone, from the concierge to the check-in staff and the restaurant teams, was courteous, kind, and helpful with every question. It was a lovely experience, and I’d stay again in a heartbeat.

The porter, concierge, and turndown team were great, and the common areas looked fine. But this stay was a letdown, mainly because of check-in. This was the second time in two years that the hotel couldn’t find our reservation, and the two incidents were handled differently. This time, it seemed to be under my mom’s name. I’d put her name on the second room so she could get it re-keyed if needed, but the receptionist asked condescendingly whether we’d booked at the Novotel next door instead. She told me to sort out the name change in the app, although the reservation already showed the right name there, and the issue never got resolved. She made no effort to help and wasn’t welcoming at all. The first time they lost our booking, it was due to a reservation system upgrade, but someone eventually found it and treated us kindly. Housekeeping missed basics too. Trash wasn’t taken out every day, coffee wasn’t replenished daily, and crumbs stayed on the carpet, so the room may have been skipped for vacuuming. I also only spotted in the app on our last night that one room had a welcome drink. The front desk experience really dragged down this visit. We stay in hotels 100+ nights a year, so it was disappointing. We’d brought my mom and her sister because they’d wanted to visit Marseille for years, and we thought they could enjoy the spa without needing to go out much. We’d stayed here before and liked it, despite the earlier reservation trouble. We’d also tried the Grand Hotel Beauvau Vieux-Port in the same chain. It may be a lower tier, but its location is excellent and the service was great. We only avoided it this time because of the AC, though in hindsight we should have booked there. The hotel hasn’t responded about this stay, so I’m posting the review here.

We’ve stayed here many times, usually for longer, and have always found it excellent, with a friendly team. This visit was short. The hotel is right at the entrance to the port, and the old port’s bars and restaurants are just a short walk away. We love it.