Sofitel Wentworth Sydney to Unveil $10m Enhancement

The historic Sofitel Wentworth Sydney is preparing to unveil a $10m enhancement that will introduce the elite Club Sofitel concept to Sydney and provide a landmark restaurant for the city’s first five-star hotel.

Timed with a worldwide move to reposition the French-inspired Sofitel brand within the luxury hotel market, the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney will be relaunched on September 18 to offer a whole new level of experiences and services.

More than 100 rooms and luxury suites will be upgraded to Club Sofitel status, bringing Sofitel’s exclusive “hotel within a hotel” concept to Sydney after its debut in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Club Sofitel guests will enjoy a higher standard of room amenities and services, a stylish new interior design and exclusive access to the hotel’s new fifth-floor club – an urban oasis set around the hotel’s rooftop garden, offering specialist services, dining, the latest technological features and the attention of a dedicated concierge.

Created by Joseph Pang Design, the Club Sofitel will provide a contemporary space in which guests can enjoy private breakfasts and all-day light dining, make use of the modern business facilities, or simply relax with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Club Sofitel guests can opt for private check-in at the club, an express service that allows them to bypass traditional check-in in the hotel’s lobby.

Other Club Sofitel facilities will include state-of-the-art workstations with wireless internet and audio-visual technology, meeting facilities, a quiet room and a recreation room with the latest plasma televisions and entertainment options.  The dedicated Club Sofitel concierge is available to arrange anything from forgotten cufflinks to business appointments. 

Alongside Club Sofitel will be the hotel’s new Garden Court restaurant under the stewardship of Executive Chef Jess Ong, serving contemporary cuisine with the unmistakeable French influence of the hotel’s Sofitel peerage.

It will curve around the hotel’s fifth-floor urban garden, creating a courtyard feel, and will connect with an open kitchen and central bar and lounge.   The Garden Court’s interior design by Ara Design Studio will be cosmopolitan, vibrant and chic, with a black and white marble floor contrasted against contemporary colours, black tables and striped banquettes.

Other new elements include a new high-tech Executive Board Room and a redesigned Adelaide Room on the fourth floor, complementing the hotel’s grand ballroom and other conference rooms on the third floor.  The hotel’s lobby and its well-known lobby bar have also been redesigned and modernised.

Originally opened as a guest house in 1854 and rebuilt several times before its current building opened in 1966, the Wentworth has long been an institution in Sydney and the scene of events from Royal visits and celebrity appearances to political dealings and corporate machinations.

As the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney, the hotel offers luxury and refinement with a sophisticated French flair, inspired by the heritage of the Accor global hotel group.

Report by The Mole