It was an great experience to stay in Sofitel peacful and comfortable environment and staff is really welcoming

Beautiful facilities, very peaceful, and they even left a cake for my husband’s birthday which was lovely! However service really lacked around the pool bar and at breakfast. In the morning it took 30mins to get the eggs we ordered, we kept asking but they didn’t seem bothered and it wasn’t busy. Scrambled eggs were like rubber but the rest of it was ok, nothing special. Room service was also slow or non existent, had to call multiple times before it showed and sometimes it didn’t. Overall lovely facilities but lacked customer service.

I have always received an excellent service from Muharam always… i have dealt with other staff like saad who don’t care much about cm satisfaction but muharam has excellent service skills excellent

Everything was just perfect from the check in experience, the stay, the dining, Kids club, pool, buggy service, check out experience… It was my son’s birthday and Thin from the restaurant made sure that my son had a memorable birthday. Amazing service, the staff were all very helpful and professional and friendly. Kids had a nice time at the water slides… they just loved it! Thank you Sofitel Al Hamra team

Unfortunately, our stay at Sofitel was extremely disappointing, particularly considering the price and the standard expected from a five-star resort. From the moment we arrived, the experience felt chaotic. Check-in took around 20–25 minutes due to an enormous and poorly organized queue. The lobby was uncomfortably hot, and the air conditioning was actually dripping. It was not a great first impression. Once we got to our room, we found it noticeably dated and in need of refurbishment. We called to request a simple pair of slippers and had to follow up four times. It ultimately took over an hour for them to arrive. Each time, we were told there was a “huge influx” of guests. While I understand that hotels get busy, occupancy levels should not become the guest’s problem. A five-star resort should be adequately staffed and prepared for the number of guests it accepts. Unfortunately, this became a recurring theme throughout our stay. Our first visit to the pool was equally disappointing. There was nowhere to sit, towels and guests’ belongings were scattered everywhere, there was leftover rubbish, and the bar area was dirty. The entire area felt overcrowded and poorly maintained, so we left in less than an hour. Before dinner, we had specifically asked reception which restaurants required reservations and were told that only one did. Based on that information, we decided to visit the French brasserie. We then called three or four times requesting a buggy and waited approximately 45 minutes. It never arrived, so we eventually gave up and walked. When we reached the restaurant, we were immediately told that we could not be seated because we did not have a reservation — despite reception having told us otherwise. We were eventually offered seats at the bar but warned that service would be slow and food would take at least 40 minutes. To give credit where it is due, the food at the French brasserie was excellent. In fact, food at the hotel’s restaurants was one of the few consistently positive aspects of our stay. Breakfast the following morning, however, was extremely underwhelming. It had been described as an international breakfast, but the selection was surprisingly limited, basic and lacking variety for a hotel of this level. The dining area also became overcrowded very quickly. Service at the pool the following day was another ordeal. We placed an order through the QR code and it simply never arrived. We ordered again and waited more than an hour for our drinks. Eventually, we had to stop a passing waiter and ask him to check on them. Twenty minutes later, he returned to ask whether we wanted our original order or our second order. We asked for the second order and requested some water as well. He disappeared again for around half an hour. The drinks eventually arrived, but the water did not. It never came at all. We eventually had to walk to the bar ourselves and ask for water. This was unfortunately representative of the service throughout the resort: endless follow-ups for very basic requests, extremely long waits and, in several cases, requests simply being forgotten altogether. We also requested extra pillows for our room, which never arrived. The spa experience was another major disappointment. We booked the Arabian Journey treatment expecting the facilities and experience of a five-star hotel spa. In my opinion, this spa falls well below that standard. The changing and shower facilities lacked privacy, including no locks on the changing rooms or showers, and the facilities did not feel particularly clean. The treatment room itself was acceptable, although the treatment beds were smaller and less comfortable than what I have experienced at other five-star hotel spas. The massage and body scrub were okay, but the scalp massage was extremely uncomfortable and the facial was particularly disappointing. Both my friend and I also experienced itching and skin reactions following the treatments, and my facial caused me to break out. Thankfully, dinner at Waka was the complete opposite of most of our experience. The service was excellent and the food was genuinely 10/10. It was easily one of the highlights of the stay. The quality of food in the hotel’s restaurants overall was very good, which makes the huge disparity between the restaurant experience and the rest of the hotel’s service even more noticeable. The room-service menu, on the other hand, was extremely limited and disappointing. Ultimately, the biggest issue with this hotel is not one isolated incident — it is the accumulation of them. Waiting over an hour for slippers. A buggy that never arrives after 45 minutes and multiple calls. Incorrect information from reception. Pool orders taking over an hour or disappearing entirely. Water that never arrives. Extra pillows that never arrive. Overcrowded and poorly maintained common areas. Underwhelming spa facilities. Being told repeatedly that the hotel is experiencing a high influx of guests is not an acceptable explanation. If a hotel accepts that number of bookings, it needs to have the staffing and operations in place to service those guests appropriately. We booked this staycation as a group of friends hoping for a relaxing, enjoyable couple of days. Instead, we spent far too much of our stay waiting, following up on requests, chasing staff and dealing with unnecessary frustration. The restaurants — particularly Waka — were genuinely excellent, and I would happily compliment the food and restaurant teams. Unfortunately, good food alone cannot compensate for the overall experience. For the price and for a hotel positioning itself at this level, the service simply does not match the standard expected. Based on our experience, I would not consider this stay worth the money, nor would I return for another staycation.

First impressions were poor however having spoken to the management they turned it around into a great stay.

This was not my first stay, but unfortunately, it was the first time the service was this disappointing. I stayed from Friday to Sunday in Room 2307. Buggy service was extremely slow, often taking more than 30 minutes, even when requested in advance with a specific time. The valet service was also very delayed, and I waited over 40 minutes for my car despite calling ahead. Cleanliness was also below the usual standard. The villa stairs were dirty, and the room did not feel as clean as during my previous stays. I have visited before and had much better experiences, so I hope management reviews the weekend service, especially buggy, valet, and housekeeping.

Enjoyed every second of my stay

DeaDear Dear Hotel Management, I am writing to formally express our deep disappointment with our recent stay. Unfortunately, the overall experience fell considerably below the standards expected from a five-star hotel. The issues began at the reception, where the staff appeared unwelcoming and lacked the warmth, courtesy, and professionalism expected when receiving guests. Even a friendly smile and genuine willingness to assist were noticeably missing as if they all are tensed and not ready to accept the rush/high volume. The breakfast experience was particularly disappointing. The variety and quality of the food were inadequate for a five-star property. More seriously, we observed several concerning hygiene practices: At the omelette counter, the same spatula was repeatedly dipped into water that appeared dirty. A staff member used a bare hand to pick up green olives from the serving area and return them to the main container. Cutlery was placed directly on cleaned tables without a napkin or any protective covering- immediately after cleaning the table with cleaning liquid, despite being items guests place in their mouths. Some water glasses had an unpleasant odour, raising serious concerns about whether they had been properly washed and sanitised. The restaurant staff appeared unprepared to manage the breakfast rush effectively. We raised these concerns with the restaurant manager/lead (a guy), who assured us that he would call me to discuss the matter in detail. However, no call was received. This gave us the impression that the assurance was merely given to avoid addressing the complaint at that time. The washbasin area inside the room was also dirty, while the waste bin inside the toilet was rusty and unclean. Furthermore, the water from the taps had a strong, drainage-like smell and did not seem suitable even for rinsing one’s mouth. The buggy service was another disappointment. The drivers appeared inexperienced and lacked a proper understanding of basic hospitality and guest-handling standards. Most concerningly, one of our pieces of luggage was not loaded into our car at departure. We discovered this only after reaching home in Dubai. After contacting the hotel, we learned that the bag, containing our clothes, had been left behind and placed in Lost and Found. This reflects a serious lack of attention and responsibility in handling guests’ belongings. Taken individually, each of these issues is concerning. Taken together, they demonstrate a significant failure in service quality, hygiene, staff training, and operational supervision. While the property may officially carry a five-star classification, our experience did not come close to genuine five-star hospitality standards as we have been experiencing several other hotels within the UAE and sorry to say that even 4star hotels- show better standards than yours. We request management to investigate these matters seriously, particularly the food-handling and hygiene concerns. We also expect the hotel to arrange the safe return of our luggage without any inconvenience or cost to us. We hope this complaint will be treated with the seriousness it deserves and not dismissed in the same manner as our concerns at the restaurant. Regards, Allan 05…

Everything was perfect and lovely

Unfortunately, the overall experience was very disappointing for a Sofitel property. We waited approximately 1.5–2 hours in a very crowded check-in queue after a long journey with our children, which was exhausting. One of the main reasons we booked this resort was the swimming facilities and water slide. Only after arriving were we informed that the water slide was closed that day. We received no email or prior notification, despite this being an important reason for choosing the hotel. Cleanliness was also well below expectations. The balcony was extremely dirty and appeared not to have been properly cleaned for a long time, and the windows were dirty as well. Our suite had a kitchen area, yet there was no microwave, refrigerator, glasses, plates or basic kitchenware, making the kitchen area practically useless. Communication was poor. When I called about the Kids Club, I was given incorrect or unclear information about the available facilities. Only the following day, after speaking to reception, did I learn that additional children’s facilities/services were available. Service from some staff members was also below expectations, including at the restaurant. Even simple requests, such as arranging an extra bed, required unnecessary follow-up. This was my first experience with Sofitel, and unfortunately the service, cleanliness, communication and overall guest experience were far below what I expected from a hotel of this level. Based on this experience, I would not choose to stay here again.

As a family, we were extremely disappointed with our staycation at this hotel. It fell far short of the 5-star standard we expected in every aspect. The only redeeming feature was the room size, but even that wasn’t enough to make us consider returning or booking again. Our experience was so horrible that words alone can’t fully capture it. The pool, food, drinks, and overall comfort were all subpar. To make matters worse, there was an incident in the pool during our stay, which was particularly upsetting. This was undoubtedly the worst stay we’ve ever had.

lack of staff and food as lunch diner and breakfast is below average and the concept of all inclusive is that nothing is inclusive and very limited option

Over all was good, But passage roof was leaking on the first floor.was told I will get garden view from my room but could not see anything.

We stayed at the Sofitel during the month of August 2026. We stayed with our 2 young children. Hotel facilities were good - the pool areas and staff were great and the children really enjoyed the water slides. The biggest let down we felt was the food. We paid for a full board package thinking it would be great to at least get the kids fed! Unfortunately the selection and variation of food was extremely limited. We ended up only eating breakfast at the hotel and then venturing out daily for our lunch and evening meals. This was overall a disappointment as we have stayed in many Accor hotels throughout the world and this was a first on the food front. Frankly due to the food offering being so limited and some of the finishings around the hotel and pool being a bit scruffy (considering the hotel has undergone a refurb recently) we do not feel this is a 5 star experience.

We appreciated the pool and dining experiences, which were excellent. Unfortunately, the room did not meet expectations, mainly because of an unpleasant smell. Although we reported this issue, no corrective steps were taken. We also asked for a room upgrade as our children were uncomfortable with the buggy ride, but the request was declined due to the hotel being fully booked.

The whole experience was most enjoyable

The location, Facilities, Staff all were extraordinary.

We had a pleasant stay however we felt that the staff were not well trained and seemed not to be well informed about the hotel services.