August 2, 2022 | By Bronwen Largier
InterContinental’s new accommodation offering and event spaces in the trendy beachside town of Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula have just opened for business.
The 108-key hotel features both rooms and one or two bedroom suites, alongside penthouses to be unveiled later in the year.
The sprawling precinct has undergone a more-than $100 million renovation to transform from Continental Hotel into an InterContinental and food and drinks hotspot, after it was bought for a reported fraction of the refurbishment price in 2020. Following redevelopment and sale failures, the hotel is now open for the first time since 2015. The food and drinks venues have been operating for some time.
The property includes a new wing where hotel suites also include private outdoor terraces.
Alongside accommodation, the InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula is debuting three event spaces: its grand ballroom for up to 132 attendees in theatre or 90 in banquet, Halcyon Hall and the outdoor Sunset Terrace for up to 120 pax in banquet or 219 in theatre and the Gallery for long table banquets of up to 70, or 130 in theatre. There is also a private dining room at the flagship onsite restaurant Audrey’s, helmed by iconic Melbourne restauranteur and chef Scott Pickett, for groups of up to 30.
The hotel is offering buyouts of the hotel for events, which include exclusive use of all guest rooms and suites, exclusive access to all of the event spaces and the pool deck and bar. Buyout packages also feature breakfast and lunch menus overseen by Pickett, who supervises the the culinary offerings across the property more broadly.
Apart from Audrey’s, there are six other food and drinks offerings in the redeveloped precinct, including a speakeasy bar, Barlow, all-day dining European café style at The Atrium, the Pool Deck Bar and Coppins Lounge, which can also be hired exclusively for events.
“Sorrento’s heritage as a place to escape to has been reimagined with a serious dash of glamour and an array of ways to unwind, celebrate and retreat, but we can’t wait to welcome our guests from both near and far with our service,” said general manager of InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula, Adam McDonald.
“InterContinental is a much-loved brand across the globe, renowned for its worldly know-how and service style – we’re looking forward to sharing a truly international hotel in this very special part of the world,” he said.
IHG’s managing director in Australasia and the Pacific, Matthew Tripolone, said the hotel group’s luxury and lifestyle offering was undergoing significant expansion.
“We are in one of the most exciting periods of growth and transformation across our luxury and lifestyle portfolio.
“The opening of InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula is wonderful milestone in our vision to bring the InterContinental life to the world’s most sought-after destinations, and we have no doubt that the brand-new experiences will offer a memorable stay for both locals and international visitors alike.”