The So/ Hotels & Resorts brand by Accor is a specialised high-end offering which blends a long tradition of world-leading French expertise in luxury hostelry with the needs and expectations of a 21st century clientele that knows what it wants. It is an interpretation of a new kind of luxury, where time, space and the kind of ambience that forms the canvas for special moments blend with style, comfort and pampering service.

“So/ Sotogrande is not a resort hotel in the conventional sense; not the sum of its amenities and décor. It is a concept that moves from the more tangible, the real estate of a hotel, to the atmosphere it creates and the senses it evokes,” says Robert Kmita, General Manager of the SO/ Sotogrande. “In essence, it is an experience – the experience you wish for when you book a trip to a stylish Mediterranean destination.”

The SO/ Hotels & Resorts concept is a coming together of two ages, a distillation of the best of both, so that guests may enjoy classic five-star deluxe service, comfort and attention to detail along with those aspects that define luxury and wellbeing in the modern age. As a result, the style is contemporary and superbly tasteful, but in contrast to previous eras luxury here is not defined as ostentation, as a measure of quantity. In fact, SO/ Sotogrande is all about quality over quantity.

Unlike Any Other Hotel

Change begins with a fresh concept, a new way of reimagining things, and so it is with the thought pattern that led to the creation of the SO/ Hotels & Resorts brand. Instead of concentrating hotels in large buildings, the SO/ Sotogrande is a fine example of a luxury resort that sprawls comfortably between gardens, pools, terraces, leisure facilities and water features. Moving away from a tourist concept that is now around 70 years old, it has evolved into something a little different.

Indeed, you won’t feel like a tourist/hotel guest at SO/ Sotogrande, even an upscale one. Instead, you’ll have the distinct sensation of staying at a gorgeous country retreat. One that is private and tasteful, but also endowed with all the amenities you could wish for in an upmarket resort, including gorgeously styled designer accommodation, equally refined contemporary leisure areas and of course a very high standard of gastronomy, but all with a very 21st century touch.

You could well describe the concept as avant-garde, but it is also grounded in a very natural interpretation of luxury – measured in time, space, quality, service and sensory experiences in an evocative setting. “SO/ Sotogrande offers classic five-star deluxe, but with a contemporary/natural twist. There’s a 21st century ‘modern chic’ about it, and you’ll notice this in the emphasis upon wellbeing that pervades everything from cuisine made from gorgeous natural ingredients to the fine quality natural materials as well as a laid-back but also energising ambience.”

With the SO/ Hotels & Resorts concept, the hospitality industry has gone back to the drawing board, and in keeping with the natural philosophy each hotel is that little bit different, be it in Paris, Dubai, Koh Samui, Melbourne or Sotogrande.

“Each hotel is the product of the SO/ concept being merged with the local terroire, the uniquely local setting, climate, views, culture, sights, scents and flavours. This is reflected in the design, décor, the restaurant offering and in fact the whole ambience, so that when you stay at SO/ Sotogrande, you know you’re in Andalucía, Spain.”

Far removed from the uniform branded approach of years gone by, SO/ hotels each have their own character, look and aura, though you’ll recognise the spirit that gave rise to them all. But when you stay at SO/ Sotogrande, the experience is not only distinctly SO/ but also ‘Spanish’, as the hotel celebrates all the best of the country, region and location, but does so with the flair of modern refinement and understated cultural references.
“As with everything we offer, it’s a special feeling that we create, an atmosphere of possibilities that each guest gives their own flavour to.”