We tried the fashion-forward design property, SO/Paris Hotel near the Sarbonne and we have definitively found our new home in the city of lights.
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.
If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.
Location
For first-time visitors to Paris, the SO/ Paris hotel is probably outside of where they want to be. For frequent visitors to the city, and especially for those who love St. Germain and Notre Dame, this location (eastern side of the city, Right Bank) is a little farther than they might like from the core tourist areas.
For my family, we love this area of Paris. It feel smore like a neighborhood, but it’s a ten-minute walk to St. Germain, five to ten to Bastille, a convenient metro stop on the opposite corner from the hotel, and beautiful views of the river Sienne. Over the last couple of visits we have stayed in Vendôme twice, Trocadero, and now Bastille – this was our favorite.
Address: 10 Rue Agrippa d’Aubigné, 75004 Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 78 90 74 00
Property
The SO/ hotel line from Accor has a limited footprint with just ten properties. It’s a fashion-forward brand similar to W once was or Andaz but a little more seriously. For example, during our stay one evening Bonnie had been closed to the public for a private event which was held by a major fashion house – models and tastemakers filling the lobby and sharing elevators with plebes like us.
In the basement, the property is home to a very large fitness club including a number of machines, and a large pool. When I went to take photos of the pool, there was a senior women’s water aerobics class taking place and I didn’t choose to take photos to share here. One note on the pool, it is open to members as an area gym and swimming caps for all swimmers are enforced. The hotel has them available for those interested.
Room
We split our stay at SO/ Paris over a couple of stays on the same trip. As such, we had two different types of rooms during our stay: King Courtyard and Collection King Rooftop. The rooms are slightly different, but not enough to distinguish them or make two reviews, rather, I will just show both photo sets. I didn’t see enough of a difference between our rooms and suites to upgrade further.
The rooms were moderately spacious, certainly not sprawling but comfortable. In almost every aspect, there was a design element that felt elevated but in a subdued way. There were occasionally kitsch pieces (like the dog shaped bluetooth speaker – why?) but mostly it felt on point.
There are two layers to the mini bar. Help yourself items include soda and juices, and coffee (we were also treated to a welcome amenity and nightly chocolates but I don’t know if this was because we own a travel agency or if they do it for every guest.) Booze and snacks incur an additional charge.
Bathroom
In the rooftop King, the water closet was separated from the rest of the bathroom. I appreciate this for when someone stops by the room. They can use the bathroom without invading your personal space.
In both rooms, the bathroom was spacious and relaxing. But the shower… the shower was incredible. A combination of sprayer and waterfall with terrific pressure and temperature ranges made us realize just how important it is and how it can change your priorities when choosing a hotel. We were making excuses to fit in a second shower of the day and we’ve lived in Europe, traveled to the continent extensively, and can honestly say that even in the Park Hyatt, Renaissance, or Intercontinental throughout Europe simply don’t compare.
If you read nothing else, read this: book this hotel just for the showers and you’ll be a very happy (and clean) guest.
Restaurant: Bonnie
On the top floor, Bonnie, a restaurant, bar, and club is host to breakfast in the morning. Our rate included breakfast for all the guests in our party. It was an excellent experience. The juice was fresh-squeezed (a particular point for me), the entrees were brought quickly, and the staff was top notch.
In addition to menu items, three walk-up tables offered pastries, fruit, and other breakfast items (a mix of hot and cold) like quiche.
In a tragic personal failure, I lost two key photos for Bonnie. The hotel has outdoor seating and from both inside and outside the Eiffel Tower can be viewed as well as Sacre Coeur.
Value
Admittedly, I am not proficient in the Accor ALL loyalty program and can’t speak to whether an award redemption provides good value. What I can say is that rates range between €250-500/night. For the quality of the property, especially with a rare pool, and if included breakfast anything sub €350/night is a fantastic value for travelers to Paris. At the higher end of that range, one should consider how important being close to the Champs Elysees, the Louvre, and the Arch D’Triomphe is to their trip.
What do you think?
Sorry, I spend 90 days in France each year and only use Paris for the airport. It has nothing “French” I can’t get better and way cheaper in other cities. I’d get nearly a week in Lyon for what this charges for a night. The only reason I spend any time in Paris is to visit the Musee d’Orsay.
Looks like a nice hotel & Paris is my second home. Take another look at the walking distance to St. Germain- it’s 30+ minutes on foot, not 10. Do they have a sauna, did you notice? Other than that, thanks for the review!
Accor is the Southwest of hotel programs- points have a fixed value for redemption tied to the euro- 1,000 points is a 20 euro ‘voucher’ toward a hotel bill but an unlimited number of vouchers can be applied to any hotel rate as long as it’s not a deep discount promotional offer, any time with no blackout dates, and any room category. You won’t get outsized value unless the euro is really strong against a local currency, but it’s wonderfully versatile and Accor has a good footprint in some places where Hilton/Marriott/IHG are thin on the ground as well as some interesting niche redemption options like safari properties and the Orient Express.
Accor is a cash back rewards scheme so alas there are no sweet spots. The only gaming of the system is to pay cash at hotels that offer 100% points (most of the full service and mid range hotels) and use points at hotels that only offer 25 or 50% points eg IBIS and several brands in Australia
I love this hotel. The review is on point, although my experience is that the rates are a bit higher.
One thing that isn’t mentioned is that the rooms have no desk (which is strange for rooms this size – it’s a decision, not lack of space). This can be an issue depending on whether you need to work out of the room.