The 436-room hotel has almost finished a thorough renovation which went through all guest rooms and the lobby and created four new hospitality venues – some of which essentially create a new precinct on the partially open-air fifth floor of the hotel. The new food and drink venues will be run by House Made Hospitality – the group behind Hinchcliff House – and include Australiana and French-Vietnamese offerings.
Full completion of renovation works is expected next month.
Having undergone refurbishment relatively recently, prior to these major works, conference spaces at the hotel have also had a technology upgrade with Encore, the in-house production partner.
Encore has installed one of Australia’s largest LED screens in the Sofitel’s Wentworth Ballroom and completed LED upgrades throughout the hotel’s meeting spaces which number more than 15. Lighting, presentation and staging technology has all been upgraded and the hotel has hired a new Michelin-trained executive chef, Bektaş Özcan, to oversee the culinary offering for the hotel’s event spaces.
Attending last night’s relaunch event, micenet spied sumptuously decorated, cozy spaces and found greater weatherproofing on the fifth floor, expanding the capacity of the new hospitality venues there no matter the weather – tried and tested in last night’s rain.
The relaunch drew some high-profile figures – guests included the French Ambassador to Australia, Pierre-André Imbert, Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, various politicians, celebrities and tourism figures.
The global CEO of Sofitel, Maud Bailly, was also in attendance and offered insight into Sofitel’s sizeable growth plans over the next three years as well as capturing attendees with small details of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth’s history which brought a sense of intimacy to the crowd of hundreds.
“What is hospitality about?” she asked.
“It’s about emotions and memories which last through people and encounters,” she said, before calling out a couple amongst the attendees – Paul and Debbie. Paul had stayed at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth as a child in 1966 when it was first opened by Qantas and his wife Debbie was wearing a dress his mother had bought during that stay – a detail which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Bailly also name dropped a variety of key Australian Accor figures – from Graham Wilson to Michael Issenberg – and highlighted the fact that the global Sofitel COO, Markus Keller, started out as a front office manager at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.
She also spoke of Sofitel’s ethos and growth.
“It’s tough to last for a brand. There are so many brands. What makes a brand different? What makes a brand last? It’s a matter of clarity, consistency of the network, of commitment, it’s a matter of passion, it’s a matter of people.”
“Today Sofitel is growing. I’m lucky to be a leader of 120 Sofitel hotels in the world. We are going to open 30 new Sofitels in the world in the three coming years. In Vietnam, in Mexico, in Jaipur, in Cairo, in Australia, in New Zealand – everywhere,” she said.
One of the consortium of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth’s new owners, Ben Hopkins from Futuro Capital, highlighted the considerable growth in the hotel’s staff members with the opening of the new hospitality venues within the hotel.
From a team of 30 during COVID, when the property was a quarantine hotel, the team grew to 350 in the twelve months following its reopening to the visitor economy and has just taken on another 200 staff to service its expanded offering.
In a nice final touch, last night’s guests were sent home with a piece of crystal from the original chandelier in the hotel’s lobby.
