My husband and I landed in Mexico City at 3 am for our anniversary, arriving at Sofitel at 4:30 am. On August 20, he emailed corporate about early check-in and an airport taxi. The taxi got an immediate reply--$2,600 pesos (~$150 USD) for a 15-minute ride that costs $5-$10 on Uber. The check-in question? Silence, until he chased through the app the day before our trip, when it was too late to adjust.
The answer: ~$500 for a full night, ~$250 if waiting until 6 am, or wait until 3 pm. For a four-night anniversary stay, they could have shown goodwill and let us in if a room was free. By simple prorating ($25/hour), a 4:30 am arrival should have cost ~$187.
At the desk, one staff member almost handed us a key, until another--who clearly knew the email exchange--stopped him and demanded payment. Too exhausted to argue, we tried resting near the bell desk but were woken up and told to "sit up," as lying down wasn't allowed. No rest area offered, just cold rules.
When we asked about canceling, the front desk said they couldn't authorize a refund because of "policy" and that the manager was "sleeping onsite until 9 am." By 8:40, we'd had enough and left.
We took a $5 Uber to the Intercontinental, where they warmly welcomed us and checked us in at no extra charge, explaining their simple policy: if a room is open, guests are welcome. That's hospitality.
Sofitel showed the opposite--quick to upsell a wildly overpriced taxi, slow and dismissive when it came to basic guest comfort. We will never return and will share this experience widely. read more