A glamorous new look for the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel

The year is 1966. Harold Holt is Australia’s Prime Minister, The Beatles are busy recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Qantas – then known as Qantas Empire Airways – has just opened the Wentworth Hotel, Australia’s first five-star international hotel.

Adjacent to the dramatic curve of Qantas House at Chifley Square, in Sydney’s Hunter Street, the Wentworth is a symbol of the jet era; sleek, modern, and innovative, there are glittering rooms and bars designed for kicking up your heels, plus a city terminal next door where guests can transfer onto a flight at Mascot.

The original lobby inside Wentworth Hotel.

Almost 60 years and three owners later, it’s now the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, having joined the Accor stable in 2002.

And this September, it’s set to emerge from a $60 million makeover that’ll see it through many decades yet to come.

Ground floor cocktail venue Bar Tilda will boast a 100-strong whisky library.

Given past hotel guests include the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, Bill Gates, and the astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, Sofitel is no doubt aiming for the stars with this latest look.

Led by Melbourne design firm Fender Katsalidis, which is also behind The Darling Sydney’s recently-upgraded suites, the transformation spans all 436 guest rooms and suites, together with the wellness centre, lobby and club lounge.

Vietnamese-French restaurant Delta Rue.

Based on renderings ahead of the September relaunch, it appears to be just what the hotel needs to reclaim its place among the best five star hotels in Sydney, of which numbers have skyrocketed in the decades since its debut. 

Karen Morris, Associate Principal, Fender Katsalidis says the team’s honoured to be part of the refurb, describing its goal as one to “revitalise the guest experience while preserving the hotel’s rich cultural and social heritage, re-establishing its position as a luxury hotel destination.”

Another key element is the creation of a signature dining precinct featuring two restaurants and bars, in collaboration with local group House Made Hospitality.

A render of the new Tilda seafood restaurant.

Known for Sydney hangouts Martinez restaurant and the dimly-lit drinking den Apollonia, House Made is bringing that same flair to a ground floor seafood grill and bar Tilda, with an emphasis on storytelling and native ingredients.

The sprawling level five rooftop will also host a grandiose French-Vietnamese restaurant Delta Rue, expected to transport diners to a 1920s villa in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, complete with “the faded patina of old-worth elegance”, plus an equally vibrant bar spilling onto the terrace. 

Historic photos of the Wentworth Hotel.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is positioned in the financial hub of the city, in walking distance of Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens, or a 20-25 minute drive from Sydney Airport.