When it comes to taking flights out of Gatwick and wanting to stay in luxury at the airport, you only really have 2 choices of hotels. 1 being Hilton at South Terminal, and the other being Sofitel at North. Today, I'm going to be reviewing the Prestige Suite at Sofitel London Gatwick, which is the hotel best suited to passengers flying out of or into the north terminal.
Sofitel London Gatwick is one of only a handful of hotels in the Sofitel brand that isn't 5*, instead, it's a 4* but don't let that distract you! From the moment you enter, you realise it's just as luxurious as any other Sofitel, the main difference being that this one doesn't have the spa. The reception, bar and restaurant area is in an open lobby concept making it a welcoming space to those staying, and also adds an airy feel to the hotel.
For this review, I've stayed in the Prestige Suite. The prestige suite is the largest of the rooms at Sofitel London Gatwick and is 2 rooms which form 1 suite. As you enter the suite, you have the bedroom directly in front of you which has a king-sized bed as well as TV, complimentary minibar including alcoholic drinks and storage. Then the other room contains the extremely spacious living area! The living area has another TV, a sitting area and a dining area with a writing desk to the side.
The bathroom in this suite was directly to the left as soon as you entered the suite. The bathroom comprised of an over-bath shower, and the sink area was large enough I could use that to help with transfers to and from the toilet. There were also toiletries from Hermès Paris in the bathroom.
None of the suites are tagged as wheelchair accessible, and it was quite tight to get the wheelchair into the bathroom as the door is narrow, the rest of the suite, however, was really easy to navigate around in my wheelchair. The suites provide panoramic runway views, and if you're after the view then 850 is the best room (we were in 400 this time) however, the bathroom door in 850 is even smaller and more difficult to get through if you're a wheelchair user like me, so using 850 wouldn't be recommended even if you are after runway views. However, the prestige suites come with one welcome feature...
Club Millesime lounge access!
Yes, the suites come with lounge access and this is one feature I'm so glad we had! The prestige suite doesn't come with a Nespresso Machine? Not a problem, there's one in the lounge! But you're on a room only rate? You still get breakfast in the lounge even on room only, and you get food in the afternoon and evenings in the lounge too! There's even alcohol served at the same time as the Canapé's and Petit Fours if you need a glass of wine. The lounge also has business services and is open 24/7 for soft drinks. The lounge also has the best of the runway views, so if you're after the suite purely for space and the views, the lounge helps you get that regardless of which suite you're in!
Overall I love the suites at Sofitel London Gatwick, space and views are incredible, and the complimentary minibar is one of the best I've seen apart from the fact that the Pringles were in the minibar fridge itself! I also love that on a room only rate, you still have breakfast included in the lounge as well as other bites to eat if you're at the hotel at the right time. It means if you're lucky, you don't have to worry about paying extra for food. However, if you are just after lounge access for food and views, you can also get this on another category of room which is slightly cheaper than the prestige suites.
Once again as always with hotels that have multiple suites, I'd love for Sofitel to make some of these suites wheelchair-accessible in the future. The last thing to note, however, is that if you are in the prestige suite, make sure you have enough room keys! You need two room keys to work the electric in both the bedroom and living area since they are technically 2 separate rooms. I only found this out part of the way through filming the video to this review, as you'll see when you watch it if you haven't already done so.