Room:
I upgraded to a SoElite room, which is 425 sq. ft., with a King bed. The room is laid out like a rectangle with a large and a small triangle both cut diagonally at the top corners. The large triangle is the bathroom, which was very large for a hotel bath, with a fully glass-enclosed rainfall shower, vanity and toilet. The small triangle is the step-in closet. There are two sets of French doors leading out onto a tiny balcony (about as deep as a shoe), but it’s still a nice touch.

The bed was one of those “almost” Kings; my 6’ husband’s feet reached all the way to the end. But the bed was very soft and comfy with plenty of pillows. It you like a very firm bed, it will likely be too soft for you. There was good lighting on either side of the bed for readers. Also in the room were two small dressers (one doubled as a nightstand), a chaise, and a desk on wheels. It was a little cramped to fit that much furniture in, but not overly so. The room is advertised as having a plasma TV, but it was actually a LCD. Still a very nice TV. The alarm clock does have an adaptor for your mp3 player, but it wasn’t very obvious.

The bathroom had good lighting (which took a few minutes to figure out with multiple position rocker/dimmers). There is a phone next to the toilet, for those who need to be connected at all times. The TV sound can also be played into the bathroom, if you want to hear the TV as you get ready. The water pressure was good also – too much for my hubby, who would have preferred a bit less in the shower. The sink has a small towel rack next to it, and a shaving/makeup mirror that can be used at the sink, or from in the shower (through the glass wall). The huge shower is stone/tile with a small built-in bench, a shelf for toiletries, and a photoelectric window that looks out over the bed into the room. Flip the switch and it’s opaque, flip it again and it’s clear. We had much fun, flipping the switch back and forth, and it was nice to shower with a view of the Hollywood Hills.

Amenities:
The closet had 2 Frette robes, 2 pairs of slippers, padded lingerie hangers, a well made shoe horn, and safe that can fit a laptop. I thought the slippers were a nice touch, even if I was a little put off about the idea of wearing “used” slippers. The closet also had a terrific sewing kit (the Queen of all amenities!) In the bath was a small canister of cotton puffs and Q-tips. There were plenty of fluffy towels, and the usual array of soap, shampoo, and body lotion, all Roget and Gallet brand. There is a hairdryer in a small cubby in the vanity, which was nice as it didn’t take up excess counter space. Also in the bathroom was a loofah mitt in a sealed package. I thought it was a little silly until I wore an adhesive bra out for the evening and had to scrub off the excess adhesive the next morning!

There is high speed internet, but you have to pay $10 a day for it. That seems a little steep when most low-end motels are now offering free wifi. My computer savvy husband was able to find an unsecured network easily, so if you have some computer skill, you won’t need to pay. The mini-bar was well stocked, although crazy expensive, as most mini-bars are.

Don’t try to get anything you’ve left behind at the hotel gift shop. They sell everything in the room, from the soap, to the robes, to the lamps, to the sheets, to the mattress, but not a toothbrush or bottle of aspirin. There is, however, a 24-hour drugstore/chemist's right around the corner for your every need.

Staff:
The staff were all very polite and helpful, but we still had a few small snags. Although I specifically asked for a Hollywood Hills view when I made my reservation, at first we were given a room that would have faced the Beverly Center. (Be sure to get a Hollywood Hills view, it’s much nicer.) We also asked at check-in for 4:00PM check-out on our last day, but when we got the new room the request didn’t seem to go with it, so on our last morning we had a chambermaid trying to get into our room while we were still in bed. A call to the front desk straightened it out quickly, but it was a bit of a hassle. The first night we stayed, I wanted to watch a pay movie, but their system was down. I called the front desk and someone was supposed to call back when it was fixed, but I’m glad they never did, as we went to sleep at midnight. We were skipped for turndown service one night – not a major issue as I know how to take the decorator pillow and throw off the bed.

The valet stand always seemed like no one knew what was going on, but the car was always waiting for us as soon as we called down. It’s not made very clear that parking is $26/day, but given the location you really have no other choice.

All-in-all, very small snags, and I certainly will be staying at the Sofitel again.