If, like me, you grew up on a teenage television diet consisting largely of The Hills, Gossip Girl and, a little later on, Sex and the City, you’ll know two things to be unequivocally true. 1) Paris changes everything. 2) There is no city on earth cooler or more glamorous than New York.
So, when late last year an email dropped into my inbox explaining that Sofitel, the quintessentially French luxury hotel group, had recently finished revamping its flagship hotels in New York and Montreal, and asking if I would like to be among the first to experience them, my inner 16-year-old couldn’t reply fast enough. Having visited NYC only once before – on a family holiday aged 15 – and now with an appreciation for travel and culture that, mercifully, extends beyond reality TV and HBO sitcoms, Canada has long been on the bucket list. Oui, s’il vous plaît.
And so, a week before Thanksgiving, just as NYC was lighting up with Christmas displays and ice rinks, I touched down at Newark Airport, was shepherded into an SUV the size of a mobile home, and delivered to the rather impressive marble lobby of Sofitel New York.
Now, before we get into the meat of things, a word on Sofitel for our UK audience. If, like me, you largely associate the group with airport hotels this is an unfortunate, but entirely understandable, misconception. The group has three properties in the UK – two of which happen to be at Gatwick and Heathrow. And, while Google may describe them as ‘high-end’ and ‘upscale’ respectively, everyone knows there is really no such thing as a glamorous airport hotel.
Sofitel New York
It is, however, a misconception Sofitel is working hard to correct. Along with its gorgeous central London hotel in St James, home to Michelin-starred restaurant Wild Honey, Sofitel parent company, Accor, has also recently acquired lauded Cotswolds estate Lucknam Park; part of its new Emblems Collection of storied stays, which also includes Tuscany’s Palazzo Sozzini Malavolti and Rimrock Banff in Canada. Airport hotels these are, decidedly, not.
Which brings me back to my visit to the Big Apple – because the Emblems Collection isn’t the only newsworthy thing happening over at Accor. In 2023, Sofitel got a new CEO in French powerhouse Maud Bailly, and boy is she making her presence known. Over the next four years, Sofitel plans to open 39 new properties, while 30 per cent of its current network is undergoing major refurbishment, with New York and Montreal the poster children for what is to come. The mission: transform Sofitel from a fading legacy hotelier to a modern luxury lifestyle brand for the contemporary traveller.
A one-bedroom suite at Sofitel New York
“Three years ago we were getting nothing but complaints,” says Bailly of the decision to begin the rejuvenation project in NYC. The hotel, she explains, opened in 2000 – and had barely been touched since. The dark wood, heavy furnishings, and imposing members’ club vibe that was so chic 25 years ago simply wasn’t cutting it anymore. Add to that a change in guest demographic from short-stay business clients to families making longer sightseeing trips and it was simply no longer fit for purpose.
Accordingly, design firm HBA San Francisco was called in to give the original Pierre-Yves Rochon interiors a face lift, with a brief of ‘New York dynamism meets French sophistication’. While the layout remains unchanged, save for a 30 per cent increase in suites for the aforementioned families, the whole vibe is lighter and brighter, while still nodding to the building’s Art Deco roots. (Given the sheer scale of NYC’s skyscrapers, you’ll spend most of your time here with your head craned upwards, but it’s still worth taking a moment to stop and appreciate Sofitel New York’s original Brennan Beer Gorman façade. It’s really quite something.)
Social 45 Bar & Bistro
In my Signature suite, natural light pours in from large curved windows, complemented by a vast sofa and TV area in the separate living room, while a walk-in wardrobe leads to a glorious marble bathroom with both tub and shower. It’s modern and refined with touches that are both luxurious and functional. A lacquered minibar/tea station adds a little Art Deco glamour, as do sculptural pendant bedside lamps and a selection of chic coffee table books.
Downstairs at Social 45, the in-house bar and restaurant, bank-style green marble floors and pitch perfect low lighting complement cocooning boucle stools and an impressively stocked bar running the length of the room. Like the wider property, it’s classic New York with a touch of French flair – think a menu featuring various signature twists on martinis, negronis and, of course, Manhattans served alongside Caesar salads, shrimp cocktail and steak frites. I’m told it’s become quite the after-work hotspot.
That said, you can add all the Lasvit chandeliers, haute couture upholstery and gilded accents you like but, when it comes to city hotels, location is everything. Sofitel New York’s address, fortunately, is probably what helped it survive those pre-refurb complaints. Right in the centre of Midtown, mere moments from Broadway and Times Square, on our first day (and with the help of an NYC CityPass) we manage to take in Central Park, the Guggenheim, the 9/11 memorial, have a leisurely lunch at the recently-opened Maison Passarelle, tour the new Printemps department store on Wall Street, see a Broadway show and visit the Rockefeller Centre. Manhattan may be compact, but that’s still pretty good going.
But why, with only a few days in the city, spend time visiting a department store? Well, aside from it being a marvel in its own right (if you thought Harrods was impressive, it’s got nothing on Printemps), it’s also part of Sofitel’s commitment to keeping every hotel and guest experience firmly grounded in its French roots. No matter where you are in the world, Sofitel staff will always greet you in French first, followed by the local language, and the team has collaborated with French luxury brands such as ceramics artisan Astier de Villate and designer Cordelia de Castellane, artistic director for Dior Home and Baby Dior, to create custom table lighting and staff uniforms respectively.
A suite at Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile
Of course, infusing a bit of French elan into the guest experience is hardly a problem in Montreal. The largest city in Quebec, French is the first language here and everything from the architecture to the food (save the ubiquitous if, sorry Canadians, rather disappointing poutine) is distinctly European. In fact, I have to remind myself multiple times that I will not, in fact, be scorned for speaking English and the exchange rate is from Canadian dollars (excellent), not Euros (terrible).
The first of the new-era Sofitel hotels, Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile reopened in late 2025 following a full redesign by Toronto-based studio 2pir Design. Taking inspiration from classic Parisian townhouses, with a little of Montreal’s contemporary spirit thrown in, the lobby of this large glass block is made cosy with a fireplace surrounded by shelves stacked with a veritable library of coffee table books. At sundown, porters dressed in early 19th century cloaks traverse the area recreating the daily lighting of Paris’ gas lamps (there’s a location-specific version of this Candle Ritual at every Sofitel property worldwide), and behind a curved copper screen you’ll find an elegant salon à cocktails serving Pommery champagne, French 75s and lemon-and-honey gin martinis.
Nini cocktail bar. Image: Citizen North
A selection of works by local artists rotates throughout the hotel and this vibe continues in the rooms, which are more colourful than their NYC counterparts. The view over the picturesque (and thrillingly snowcapped) Mount Royal from my Golden Mile suite is framed by lush teal and burnt orange velvet trimmed curtains, a theme which continues across the upholstery in the living area and provides a chic juxtaposition to the monochrome marble bathroom.
Food is equally artistic and, while the flagship Renoir restaurant had not opened quite in time for last year’s Michelin awards, with executive chef Olivier Perret already earning two toques from fellow French food association Gault & Millau, hopes are high for 2026. Combining classic French cooking techniques with the best local, seasonal produce, dishes range from all-out luxury (Canadian lobster and sturgeon caviar with sea water jelly and Quebec apples) to delicate and refined (Montreal Ferme Opercule Arctic char with endives, chickpea puree and Grand-Marnier sabayon), each prettily presented like miniature masterpieces.
Renoir restaurant. Image: Citizen North
The theme continues at breakfast where pastry chef Paul Peyrat has put a Canadian twist on Sofitel’s tradition of La Haute Croissanterie. Another touch designed to reflect Sofitel’s French heritage, La Haute Croissanterie takes the everyday pastry and transforms it into something truly spectacular. In this case, croissants the size of bricks are filled with either maple cream or ham-infused cream cheese and piled high with more of the same, before being embellished with sculptural adornments of pecan and cranberry or Quebec cheese and local ham. Your Monday morning Pret this definitely is not.
Even the gym, an impressively large and well-equipped space with a separate yoga/barre studio, boasts its own art collection and treadmills positioned for views from its floor-to-ceiling windows. As a hotel that caters to a large business clientele, it is touches such as not relegating its gym to the basement that has seen Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile achieve Platinum-level SHe Travel Club certification – a globally-recognised acknowledgement of the hotel’s commitment to the safety and comfort of its female guests.
Image: Citizen North
Of course, should you not be in town for business, there is plenty to recommend the Golden Mile neighbourhood. In fact, during our stay the adjoining Sherbrooke Street West is named the fifth coolest street in the world by Time Out. Home to the sprawling Montreal Museum of Fine Art (where I discovered an unexpected fondness for Inuit art), the historic McCord Stewart Museum, hikes up Mount Royal for breathtaking views of the city, eclectic independent boutiques and excellent drinking dens like the no-menu speakeasy Cloakroom bar, accessed via a secret door in the entrance to an adjoining menswear shop, it would be entirely understandable if you never made the 20-minute stroll to Old Montreal.
But stroll you must, because, with its cobblestone streets, 17th century architecture and quirky shops and restaurants, Old Montreal is the very definition of charming. Start your day with a coffee at Crew Collective, a show-stopping coffee shop/co-working space in a grand space originally built as the head office of the Royal Bank of Canada, before a spot of shopping on Rue Saint Paul and Place Royale. Stop for a beaver tail (think churros but, well, beaver tail-shaped) before taking your pick from the Montreal Big Wheel, Science Centre, Museum of Archaeology and History, or the market at Place Jacques Cartier.
Lunch at Terrasse William Gray, an al fresco restaurant overlooking the Old Port, promises indulgent French onion soup, squid ink pasta, steak focaccia and butternut squash gnocchi, while the Notre Dame cathedral’s Aura Experience is a spectacular way to end the day. Shrouded in secrecy, and with phones strictly forbidden, I won’t spoil the surprise.
Like all multi-national hotel groups, Sofitel must navigate that tricky tightrope: how do you go global without becoming cookie-cutter? Should local culture trump brand identity, or vice versa? In its subtle nods to French cuisine, style and tradition, while occupying prime positions that encourage exploration beyond the hotel lobby, Sofitel is proposing a solution that allows for a best of both worlds. C’est très bon.
Rooms at Sofitel New York start from £340 per night, visit sofitel-new-york.com; rooms at Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile start from £291 per night, visit sofitel.accor.com.