In case you missed it, Sydney’s hotel dining scene is having a moment. Back in 2022, Mitch Orr led the charge: opening the doors to Kiln, the fire-powered restaurant on the 18th floor of Surry Hills’ Ace Hotel. In early 2023, we saw Capella Sydney join the movement with the glittering Brasserie 1930 occupying the ground floor, and the much-anticipated W Hotel opened in the middle of the year with an ambitious hotel restaurant in the form of Btwn. So far in 2024, we’ve already seen Birdie Bar and Brasserie open at Novotel Sydney City Centre, and Sydney Common open at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park. Now, Sydney Sofitel Wentworth has revealed the plans for a $60 million refurbishment, with a food and drink partnership with House Made Hospitality (the team behind Apollonia, Martinez and Promenade Bondi Beach, among others) one of its cornerstones. Interested? Us too.
The towering 15-storey hotel in the centre of Sydney CBD – known for its uniquely curved design – was Australia's first five-star hotel, opening its doors way back in 1966, owned at the time by Qantas as their major Sydney accommodation offering. Former guests range from the late Queen Elizabeth II to Bill Gates to American Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and though the hotel has maintained its luxury status throughout its life, the $60 million refurbishment is set to help it reposition itself as one of Sydney’s most undeniably high-end hotels.
As a nod to Sydney’s glittering dining scene, the reimagined hotel will feature an extensive dining precinct – home to four different venues ranging from an Australian seafood grill to a French-Vietnamese inspired rooftop bar. Curated by the House Made Hospitality team, the dining precinct will also feature a contemporary 90-seater bar and a grand 150-seater dining room inspired by the palatial hotels of Vietnam’s French-influenced cities.
“Our ambition is to set a new standard for Australia’s hotel dining scene by offering a world-class variety of venues all located in the one luxury destination,” explained Sam Panetta, General Manager of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.
Sydney-based architecture firm Fender Katsalidis has been tasked with the hotel’s redesign, which includes renovations to the 436 guest rooms, 15 event rooms and additional spaces (including the gym, lounge and lobby).
The exact opening date is yet to be announced – keep an eye out for updates via the Sofitel website over here.