PARK IN THE HOTEL AND HOTEL IN THE PARK
LOCATION
The hotel is tucked away next to the south edge of the Borisova Gradina city park. This part of Sofia, perched at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, is hailed as prestigious. The legendary National Palace of Culture is within spitting distance, directly linked to the hotel with an overpass. The city centre, the largest shopping centre and the heart of the Bulgarian capital is at your fingertips. The city park’s green leaves unfurl in the summer, conjuring a welcoming and verdant street food oasis. Several similar gastronomical pop-up experiments are scattered across the city. If you are more culture-savvy, the landmarks are only fifteen to twenty minutes away on foot. As you stroll the eclectic streets of Sofia, time will pass you by in the blink of an eye. Sofia is an exuberant, safe and cosy European capital. Hilton’s location seems ideal for exploring the city’s secrets. Several famed museums worth visiting are close, including the Museum of Contemporary Art.
ACCESSIBILITY
A footbridge connects the hotel with the city centre, leading past the NKD Congress Centre and into one of Sofia’s busiest streets. The airport is not far away unless you have to get through the usual traffic jams in Sofia. That is when twenty minutes can quickly turn into a slow meandering with yellow-hued taxis that are relatively affordable. That is why we advocate opting for the clean, modern and efficient metro, linking the airport and the heart of Sofia. You will help preserve the environment and save both time and money. If you are headed to the hotel by car, there is a spacious parking next to the hotel. It is not free of charge, but not too expensive, either. After the recent renovation, owners of EVs can look forward to electric charging stations. Hikers and nature lovers will feel great in this hotel. The bravest among them can summit Vitosha Mountain. Sofia remains the Wild West for cyclists. The city municipality has a long way to go to render the city cyclist-friendly. Driving on two wheels resembles an adrenaline ride rather than a relaxed urban pedalling.
COLD STARTER - Architecture and aesthetics
The iconic Hilton hotel underwent a thorough renovation in 2024. The U-shaped building now has a revamped interior. Three new hotel annexes were added, whilst the restaurant, lobby, bar and conference centre were expanded. The revamp aimed to implement sustainable solutions, including energy optimisation and sustainable elements that pay homage to the adjoining city park. Architects achieved the latter by adopting eye-catching vertical green facade elements that thrill guests upon arrival. Although the elementary monolithic U-shape of the hotel remained largely intact, the sustainable intervention appears elegant and up-to-date. The interior, conversely, has changed beyond recognition. The typical modern Hilton design features numerous lounge areas in pastel colours, designer elements and unmistakable dark walnut furniture. Hilton lovers will be impressed, as will ardent fans of chic design.
WARM ENTRÉE - The staff and the culinary experience
Most of the personnel is exceptional, with the rare exception of employees who should seek a job in another industry. The general impression is superb overall. As apt for a five-star hotel, the concierge and the entire team work flawlessly, ensuring a memorable first impression. We must praise Hilton for rolling out the concept of Oxbo Restaurant. The farm-to-fork approach is praiseworthy, as are the bees that buzz around in the rooftop beehives. Their honey is among the restaurant’s star dishes.
The way the restaurant elevates traditional Bulgarian cuisine is impressive. You will learn about the source of the food and ingredients, even if you only stop by for breakfast. Less-is-more works well, and guests will indulge in handpicked quality dishes. Regardless, our search for an a la carte menu was in vain, which is otherwise the usual standard for five-star hotels. That is one of the reasons the hotel can improve in terms of breakfast and service. Less may be more, but we felt it was too little for the five-star category. The silver lining of gastronomy is the hotel bar, with a spectacular offering of concoctions mixed by top-tier mixologists. You can include them as part of a unique experience for your event attendees. Sublime!
MAIN COURSE – The meetings offering at the hotel
Hotel rooms
Hilton seldom disappoints. If you are a fan of Hilton aesthetics, your expectations will be met entirely. This wishlist includes a superb bed, elegant but not extravagant design, pastel colours and quality furniture. The latter is of premium quality, as are the wall tapestries, perhaps somewhat dull yet omnipresent in Hilton’s rooms. We stayed in the airy King Deluxe room, which met our expectations. The bathroom and splendid illumination are its most noticeable advantages. Power outlets are strewn across the room, ready to fill your phone or tablet. Also, the air conditioning is user-friendly in Hilton hotels, which is not often the case in other hotels. One of the only remarks concerns the round work desk, which is not the most practical for remote work. Hilton has recently stopped making rooms with minibars. To quench your thirst, you must stroll to the tiny shop behind the reception (not the most affordable prices). Be that as it may, the room is inviting and has a feel-good air about it. The hotel should repair the doors of the rooms so they close better.
Meetings centre
In our opinion, the conference centre is the hotel’s trump card. Besides the existing meeting halls, Hilton Sofia has an alluring lobby and a spacious hall on the south side. The novel addition seamlessly seeps into the nature of the park opposite it. Existing banquet halls have evolved thanks to the boutique conference rooms. The conference centre is compact, modern and made according to the taste of the event organisers (thanks to the high ceilings). The staircase leading to the meeting halls is incredibly photogenic.
DESSERT – The extras
The centre of the hotel is the lobby that exudes a zen-like air with its images, designer elements and sustainable vertical wall. A space that is often hectic and boring has been rendered Instagrammable and congenial. Big kudos to the designers.
FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES
After the renovation, an odd cable hangs from the walls, a sign of a design not yet completed. Once everything is in place, this will be a superb hotel. Some doors will need recalibration to make everything function without dramatic sounds. Renovation is a complicated process that rarely wraps up on its own.
TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES
The vertical facade of the hotel next to the entrance is a welcome surprise with an appealing look and impressive functionality as it reduces the temperature. It is a testament to implementing modern tools to manage a hotel’s energy efficiency. We find this part of the hotel’s sustainable transformation groundbreaking.
SUSTAINABLE ENDEAVOURS
We must praise Hilton Sofia for allowing guests to pour water into dispensers located on each floor. To this end, they also prepared neat reusable water bottles. The hotel also banned plastic and adopted Crabtree cosmetics in environment-friendly dispensers. Most of all, the sustainable culinary story impressed us. We hope it will pay off financially. The hotel stated they calculate the carbon footprint of all events, which is then compensated as part of the ClimeCo Green scheme. This initiative, if praiseworthy, requires further explanation about the methodology behind the calculation. We could not find it.
FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY
When opening in 2001, Hilton Sofia stuck to a classic design. Today, however, its development into a sustainable institution is noticeable. In our opinion, Sofia’s Hilton belongs to the (upper) middle hotel class, which provides guests with decent interior size, comfort, quality beds and above-average hotel rooms. The hotel’s concrete sustainable endeavours in energy efficiency and gastronomy also didn’t go unnoticed (solar panels and much more).
We see Hilton Sofia as the next stage of evolution for classic Hiltons. It aspires to remain comfortable, spacious and functional while striving to be modern and dynamic. Above all, we were in awe of the modern conference centre, which shows how hotels design their conference centres. For us, this is a mature, alluring and homogenous Hilton with some particular drawbacks. On top of that, it is among a handful of Hilton hotels where the value justifies the price.
FINAL GRADE: 4.91 THREE MEETING STARS⭐⭐⭐ City Meeting Hotel
3 MEETING STARS⭐⭐⭐ final score from 4.81 to 5.00
2 MEETING STARS⭐⭐ final score from 4.61 to 4.80
1 MEETING STAR⭐ final score from 4.41 to 4.60
