Sense Hotel Sofia, a Member of Design Hotels

Top central location, really close to everything. We really enjoyed it

Sense Hotel Sofia has a five star but could do a lot better on the little things, The hotel itself is centrally located and an easy walk to metro station, trams stop and restaurants and bars, the staff are attentive with Prosecco on arrival a nice touch, we did arrive about an hour early and the room was ready so all looked great so far. We thought we had booked breakfast with the original booking but told not the case and we were offered a special price for breakfast which was fine with us. Breakfast was on the 9th floor with great views with an omelette station and buffet with a few cooked items and lots of other choices but you have to wait to be served your tea or coffee instead of being able to help yourself, which meant there were lots of staff milling around watching. Room was spacious and clean on the 4th floor with floor to ceiling windows making for a great view of the cathedral but only big shutters that didn’t block out all of the light in the morning. In the room there was a complimentary small bottle of water each and we could have one coffee or tea per day each from the mini bar which is a little cheap for a 5 star reputation, we have stayed in lesser starred hotels where tea, coffee and all that comes with it (milk and sugar etc) are free and refilled regularly or at request for no extra charge throughout the stay, so Sense lacking on that front. Check out was early on the Friday so we didn’t get a chance to get breakfast but they would not take it off the bill even though we hadn’t paid the bill yet which was a little confusing and felt like they were really penny pinching!

I want to start with the positives. The entire staff were 5-star and provided excellent service and professionalism. The hotel is in a great location and very walkable. It’s also close to the subway which is a huge plus. The restaurants and bars are gorgeous, as well. Our room was expansive and modern, with incredible water pressure in the shower. Now for the negatives. While this isn’t completely the hotel’s fault, they need to deal with the issue. The cigarette smoking at this property is completely and utterly out of control. The smoking was non-stop inside of the hotel lobby and the lobby level restaurant. The rooftop bar was a tour de force in cigarette smoking with literal clouds of smoke. We went in for drinks and dinner and ended up having to leave after one drink. We were the only table of people not smoking and ash trays were overflowing. I have not encountered anything like this anywhere! It was like taking a trip back in time. And, while our room was non-smoking, it could be smelled in there as well when the HVAC was running. It was clear that either people had heavily smoked in the rooms prior or that the fresh air intake for the HVAC system was in an area where people were smoking. Either way, less than ideal. We smelled this both nights we were there. I know this is a cultural issue but it is still illegal (and harmful) and the hotel management really should be dealing with it. I emailed the hotel to express my concerns and was met with indifference. The excuse for the bar was because it was open-air; I can assure you it most certainly was not when we were there. Even if it does open up in warmer weather, the smokers should be steered off property to imbibe in their cancerous habit. No one wants to smell cigarettes while they’re trying to eat a meal. Overall, I wouldn’t come back here.

Wonderful stay in a spacious room with a view to the Alexander-Newski-Cathedral. Perfect and professional service all the time. Delicious food in the Pure&Sense Restaurant. Fantastic rooftop bar !

It was a perfect stay for our business trip. Clean, modern and comfortable. I couldnt have wished for anything else.

A wonderful hotel the 5* level goes throughout the whole organization. From service, to cleanness, to the kind and swiftness of the staff. Especially Slavka at breakfast and Todor from reception made our stay that much better with their impeccable service.

I stayed with my daughter at the hotel and we had a wonderful experience. The room was spacious and clean. The staff was very friendly. The rooftop bar had amazing views and the food at the rooftop restaurant was delicious. We were greeted with a glass of complimentary sparkling wine and it was a great start of the dinner. We tried a variety of appetizer and the service was exceptional. There were gluten free options as well. We can't wait to be back and next time we plan to go to the spa.