One of the harbour city’s most illustrious hotels, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has set the scene for many a soiree. Created in the mid-1960s by Qantas, it officially opened its doors to the public in 1966 and swiftly became a place to see and be seen; it’s high society guests spanning royals, film stars, and dignitaries, including the likes of Princess Diana, Sophia Loren, and Elton John.
Like many icons that enjoyed their heyday in the golden era, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has, for the past decade or so, been looking a little worse for wear. Overshadowed by buzzy new boutique hotels and deemed a relic of the past, it’s been some time since the former celebrity haunt has generated some buzz of its own. However, that’s looking to change with the luxury stalwart having unveiled a $70 million renovation earlier this year.
Led by architecture and interior design firm FK Architects, the facelift encompasses the hotel’s public spaces, Club Millésime, and its 436 rooms and suites. Informed by both past and present, the design makes the most of the post-war minimalist architecture of the building, celebrating its glamorous heritage through a contemporary lens with elegant French-inspired interiors.
The makeover also includes a robust drinking and dining offering, care of a partnership with leading hospitality group House Made Hospitality, which sees the introduction of four distinct venues. The multi-venue offering comprises two bars, Bar Tilda and Wentworth Bar, and two restaurants, Tilda and Delta Rue.
The lowdown: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
The hook; why stay at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth ?
The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth wears the title of the city’s oldest luxury hotel well. Situated within the heart of the Sydney CBD, it’s mere steps away from the city’s financial hubs as well as cultural landmarks like the Art Gallery of NSW, Royal Botanic Garden, Hyde Park, and the Sydney Opera House. Come nightfall, the hotel’s comprehensive hospitality offering elegantly addresses imbibing and gustatory desires.
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Approaching its 60th year, a welcome facelift has breathed new life into Sydney’s first five star hotel. Paying homage to the unique curvilinear facade—upon the hotel’s official opening in 1966, it was the largest brick structure in the southern hemisphere—the lobby echoes its form in a contemporary manner through curved furniture and joinery, while the golden, bronze, mustard yellow, and green colour palette is an aptly elegant nod to Australiana and ensures the decor is rooted in place.
A striking lighting feature, inspired by the bygone Sofitel ritual of being taken to your room by candlelight, draws guests towards self check-in stations.
How to get to Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is ideally situated on Phillip Street in the Sydney CBD.
It’s a ten minute walk from St James station or a 25-30 minute drive from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
Rooms and suites
The newly revamped Sofitel Sydney Wentworth comprises 436 rooms and suites, each of which curves around the building’s unique facade. Rooms have received an interior makeover that pays homage to the hotel’s glamorous past; archival black-and-white photography adorns the walls while sculptural decor and layered soft furnishings in neutral tones set a refined tone.
We stayed in the Prestige Suite, a generously proportioned space with a separate living area and en-suite bedroom. A comfortable lounge is flanked by two plush armchairs, while a small table provides space to work—or enjoy the welcome amenity.
Being a heritage building, the rooms and suites in the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth are not without their limitations; namely, the lack of natural light. Pulling the gauzy curtains back in our Prestige Suite, we found one small window in the living area and an absolute sliver of a window in the bedroom; the latter with a harbour view (provided you stand at just the right angle, you can glimpse the Harbour Bridge peeking out between two corporate skyscrapers). However, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth manages to circumvent this issue through the incorporation of layered lighting, executed with designer table and floor lamps.
Making up for the lack of in-house gym facilities, each room comes with a wellness bag containing a roller, yoga mat, resistance bands, handles, and ankle straps, should you wish to partake in an in-room workout.
Bathroom products?
Bathroom products are by luxury French brand Balmain Paris. Expect to find shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower, as well as hand wash and body lotion by the bathroom sink and a soap bar by the bathtub.
Comfort factor
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth manages to nail the comfort factor. The lounge is satisfyingly plush and makes for a good place to sink into after a long day, while the king sized Sofitel MyBed delivers a comfortable sleep. We were content with the provided down and microfibre pillows, however those with specific head-resting requirements can tailor their pillow selection by ordering off the room’s pillow menu.
The comfort lighting in the bedroom was much appreciated, as were the sensor lights that activate when your feet hit the floor, making it easier to find the bathroom in the middle of the night. Said bathroom also features an LED magnifying mirror on the vanity, which was a welcome touch when getting ready to go out for the evening.
Food and drink
At the heart of the revamped Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is its new multi-venue hospitality offering. Helmed by House Made Hospitality (responsible for the likes of Grana and Hinchcliff House), the quartet of venues sees Bar Tilda and Tilda hold court in the lobby, while Wentworth Bar and Delta Rue are located on the fifth level.
Bar Tilda truly speaks to the hotel’s golden age of glamour. Moody lighting reveals burgundy walls and creamy banquette seating, with the elevated yet intimate decor setting the tone for future live jazz performances. The drinks menu features over a hundred whiskies (including Scotch, Australian, and Japanese pours) as well as a dedicated martini menu. However, it’s Bar Tilda’s signature cocktail menu that took our fancy. The Australiana-inspired menu (both Bar Tilda and Tilda were named for Banjo Patterson’s Waltzing Matilda, after all) features cocktails that pay homage to pivotal moments in the 1960s; Friday On My Mind nods to the 1966 song by Australian band The Easybeats with a zesty combination of tequila, hot honey, and curry leaf, while Dollars & Cents references the 1966 switch from British pounds and pence to dollars and cents with malt whisky, peach liqueur, macadamia liqueur, and lemon coming together to create a sweet, heady cocktail.
Just outside, Tilda crafts a polished yet welcoming space defined by soft, earthy tones that cocoons diners from the bustle of the lobby. Utilising Australian produce from small-scale producers, Tilda—helmed by Executive Chef Elliott Pinn (ex-Group Executive Chef of House Made Hospitality venues including Lana, Grana and Promenade Bondi Beach) and Head Chef Nathanael Merchant (ex-Bentley, The Ledbury London)—translates Australia’s heritage into an unpretentious, seafood-forward menu of classics with a contemporary feel. The bread and butter service serves two to four and sees A.P. Bakery saltbush focaccia paired with Pepe Saya butter, whipped macadamia, and jersey milk cheese before being drizzled with wildflower honey.
Prepared tableside and served from bespoke Dinosaur Design bowls, it brings a touch of New York glamour to Sydney. Naturally, one can’t go past the oysters (both the pacific and Sydney rock hit the mark), while the house made pastas and vegetable sides are also worth an order. The dessert menu incorporates nostalgic Australian favourites, like the raspberry yoyo and an elevated take on a Weis bar. That said, we’d recommend the bee sting cake and pineapple upside down cake with whisky anglaise.
On level five, Wentworth Bar represents an exciting new addition to Sydney’s growing rooftop bar scene. Presiding over the space is a copper and glass canopy conceived and executed by H&E Architects, with the contemporary structure echoing the building’s semi-circular design. The space, designed by FK Architects, sees natural finishes punctuated by an abundance of greenery, combining with the copper canopy to continue the Australiana-inspired colour scheme that begins in the lobby.
The cocktail menu is playful and approachable; standouts being the Tai Chi Mumma which sees Ketel One vodka, rosé, and prosecco, complemented by raspberry, lemon, and lychee, and the That Lush Slush, a pina colada-esque blend of coconut rum, watermelon sorbet, tonka bean, and prosecco. Those who like to keep the party going will be appeased by Wentworth Bar’s selection of party cocktails — priced from $220AUD, they hold 12 standard drinks on tap.
On the same level is Delta Rue. Billed as a French-Vietnamese fusion restaurant, the space sees chic botanical illustrations complemented by velvety green carpets, teak furniture, and banquette seating. The east-meets-west restaurant opens out onto the courtyard and offers both indoor and al fresco seating. The food menu is dominated by fresh Vietnamese flavours, while the French element dominates the wine list. The vegetable-forward dishes at Delta Rue were a highlight for us. Start with the oyster mushroom spring rolls and the bánh xèo, a crispy coconut turmeric crepe stuffed to the brim with bean sprouts, herbs, and shredded vegetables along with tofu, prawns or duck.
Mains are designed to be shared, with the stir fried glass noodles with shitake mushrooms and the stir fried chilli lobster proving popular. Must-try sides include the sticky eggplant, wok fried greens, and cucumber and pomelo salad. Come dessert, the French inspiration makes an appearance again, with dishes like the Paris brest and mille feuille, the latter of which incorporates Vietnamese flavours through coconut and black sesame filling with pineapple icecream.
Come morning, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth serves buffet breakfast in the Delta Rue space.
Spa and facilities
There’s no swimming pool, spa, or gym—and the Sofitel Wentworth’s heritage listing precludes it from changing this—however guests have complimentary access to the nearby Virgin Active facilities.
The service
The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has transitioned to self check-in facilities, which we were directed to by the (human) door person. Despite being an automated process, we were accompanied by one of the lobby staff, although there was little for them to do other than stand and watch me punch in my details (though letting me know what floor my room was located on would have been welcome information). The process was relatively efficient and we were in the elevator in no time (it was level 17, by the way). The hotel also has a dedicated concierge app to manage guest services, however I am an unreformed luddite and prefer to just call the front desk (old school, I know).
Service by hotel staff is friendly, however could be coordinated better. Case in point: we arrived at 3.30pm and had housekeeping staff ringing our door bell at 5.30pm while we were getting ready for dinner (which, coincidently, had been booked at one of the hotel’s own hospitality venues for 6.30pm). Despite telling the staff member not to come in (on account of the half-dressed state of chaos), they did and said they were here to do turndown service. While that would be appreciated when coming back to the hotel after a full day out, it’s probably not necessary two hours into a stay. Around ten minutes later, another staff member came to provide the welcome amenity — now, this one (a delightful cheese platter and Sofitel-branded wine) would’ve been nice on arrival but was a touch unwelcome given the pending dinner reservations and rush to get ready. Given our dinner reservations were in the hotel’s own venues—Bar Tilda and Tilda—this could’ve been communicated to housekeeping staff to provide a more polished experience.
Anything else?
The bread service at Tilda is an absolute must. Don’t bypass it.
AR Verdict
An elegant facelift has placed the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth back on the map when it comes to the best luxury hotels in the city. While a touch more polish from staff is necessary to reinstate it as the best of the best, its multi-venue hospitality offering goes a long way towards making it a viable post-work (or leisure) destination for guests and locals alike.
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is open for bookings, with rooms and suites priced from around $300AUD/night.
Address: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 101 Phillip St, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Words by T. Angel
