Spread the love

Recently voted Australian Luxury Hotel of the Year at the prestigious HM Awards, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour vows to continue to delight leisure, corporate and business guests for the coming season and announces a wide range of initiatives, offers and French-inspired
culinary experiences.General Manager Greg Brady expresses his joy for the team’s accolade: “Winning the HM Award for Best Luxury Hotel of the Year in Australia, a mere two years after our opening, is superb recognition for our team’s talent, dedication and passion for guest service. It is also a credit to our hotel owners, the Schwartz Family Company, for their vision and investment in such a flagship hotel for the region.”

“When we opened our doors two years ago, our ambition was to become one of the best luxury hotels in Australia. Our eyes are now firmly set on becoming one of the best hotels in the world,” he adds.
– Meetings & Events –
 The hotel is now offering private evening functions in its top-floor executive lounge, Club
Millésime, on Level 35. Usually reserved for Club guests and Le Club AccorHotels Platinum
members, Club Millésime is sure to wow event delegates with its floor-to-ceiling windows and
stunning panoramic views of the city skyline at night.
 Major event clients have the unique opportunity to light up the hotel’s imposing façade in their
corporate colours and welcome delegates in grand style – owning the Darling Harbour skyline.

 And to celebrate the Australian Luxury Hotel of the Year award, the hotel will give new events
the VIP treatment if booked by the end of the year, with an upgrade of the Daily Delegate
Package lunch to Atelier restaurant, 20% of the room block upgraded to VIP status (with stunning
Darling Harbour views, early check-in, late check-out 3pm and VIP amenities) and a
complimentary Prestige Suite upgrade for the Event Organiser.

– Christmas and New Year’s Eve –
In line with Sofitel’s acclaimed Art de Noël, the hotel’s Executive Chef Eric Costille and Chef de Cuisine Jordan Hajek have created an exciting culinary program for the festive season, available for individual dining as well as Christmas parties.

One of their sources of inspiration was the old Provence tradition of the 13 Desserts of Christmas,
reimagined with a creative twist. In Provence, 13 desserts were traditionally placed on the table on
Christmas Eve for all guests to share, as a way to bring good luck and good health for the year to come.

Ingredients typically included fresh oranges and mandarins, dried fruits and nuts, chocolate mendiants, white and black nougats, honey, marzipan and candied fruits.

 Executive Pastry Chef Puti Firmansyah has joined forces with Australian master chocolatier
Kirsten Tibballs, of MasterChef fame, to create signature desserts such as the Sofitel “Bûche de
Noël”, with salted burnt honey parfait, pain d’épices, macadamia and citrus.

 Champagne Bar will offer signature Christmas cocktails inspired by the 13 desserts of Provence,
such as the ‘Black & White Old-Fashioned’, with Disaronno Amaretto, Lagavulin 16 Year Old
Scotch Whisky, crème de cacao, orange zests and a nougat cube.

 On Christmas Day Lunch, restaurant Atelier will offer a lavish buffet with the freshest Australian
seafood, including Sydney Rock Oysters, King Crab Leg, Blue Swimmer Crab, scallops and Moreton
Bay Bugs ($199 per person). Special degustation menus will be available for Christmas Day Dinner
($119 for 4 courses) and New Year’s Eve dinner ($169 for 4-course menu early seating, or $229
for 5-course menu).

 The Holiday Saver package is available from November 8 to December 26 and includes daily
breakfast in restaurant Atelier, a Christmas cocktail in Champagne Bar inspired by the tradition of
the 13 Desserts of Provence, and a chocolate Christmas amenity on arrival.

 For New Year’s Eve, because there is no finer vantage point to view Sydney’s spectacular
fireworks than from one of the city’s tallest buildings, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is offering a
VIP package exclusive to Club rooms and suites, with a private party in top-floor Club Millésime,
on Level 35, with sweeping views of the 9pm and midnight fireworks. The party includes a
luxurious buffet, glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne on arrival, free-flow house sparkling, wines
and beers, and live entertainment with Sydney-based Kahuna Duo.

 On New Year’s Day, what better way to celebrate the new year than with our epic ‘Boost’
brunch, with Mimosa & Bloody Mary stations, a carvery & butcher selection, boulangerie, classic
French dishes, salads and live cooking stations ($120 per person including 1 glass of Sparkling or
Mimosa, $40 supplement for free-flow Mimosa & Bloody Mary station).

– Infinity Pool and Le Rivage Pool Bar –
With warmer weather, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s outdoor infinity pool and Pool Bar remain a major
attraction for guests, with a new menu that celebrates the hotel’s French heritage and waterfront location:
 New Spritz cocktails with SOFI Spritz, a Bondi-born, all-Australian and all-natural take on the
classic Italian Spritz. Crafted with natural ingredients including premium Australian wine, locally
sourced juices and herbal extracts and no added sugar, SOFI Spritz is Australia’s answer to the
Mediterranean aperitivo.

 A stylish bar takeover for the launch of the new Chandon x Seafolly limited edition, with two
special designs for Chandon Brut and Rosé by rising Australian artist Gemma O’Brien. The project
marks the third collaboration between two iconic Australian brands: Australia’s #1 sparkling wine,
born in France but grown and crafted in the Yarra Valley; and one of Australia’s most beloved
swimwear labels, gracing our beaches and swimming pools for over 40 years.

 New cocktails inspired by the hotel’s harbour location, such as ‘Marée Haute – High Tide’ (Brix
Distillers White Rum, Lime, Mint, Rosemary), and ‘À la Dérive – Adrift’ (Cargo Cult Banana Spiced
Rum, Coconut, Pineapple, Orgeat).

 Focus on local Sydney drinks and spirits, with brands such as Manly Spirits, Brix Distillers (Surry
Hills), Archie Rose Distillery (Rosebery), Sydney Brewery and Sydney Cider joining Bondi-born SOFI
Spritz, and Four Pillars Gin from the Yarra Valley in Victoria.

 New menu celebrating the hotel’s South of France inspiration, with Provence staples such as Aix
Rosé, Niçoise salad, Onion Pissaladière (a Niçoise pizza), and Pampelle Ruby l’Apéro, an artisanal
aperitif liqueur from the South of France featuring read grapefruit from Corsica.

– Food & Beverage –
Under the creative leadership of Executive Chef Eric Costille and Chef de Cuisine Jordan Hajek – both trained at highly renowned Michelin-starred restaurants such as Paul Bocuse, Georges Blanc and noma in Copenhagen – Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour offers authentic French-inspired culinary experiences:

 Award-winning Champagne Bar will launch a new ‘Apéro Time’ Happy Hour from November 1
(Monday-Thursday 5-7pm). The bar will also launch Thank God It’s Krug with the iconic
Champagne brand every Friday evening from November 22, with a DJ from 5pm.

 Restaurant Atelier is introducing a new seasonal menu, with a new $25 business lunch (main +
glass of wine) and new signature dishes such as Niçoise salad with sardine espinaler, olive
tapenade and heirloom tomatoes; and Mushroom flatbread with Stracciatella, sherry butter,
Comté and herbs. The restaurant’s meat station also features a Mibrasa grill, delivering authentic
charcoal flavours to the high-quality cuts of meats sourced from Victor Churchill, Australia’s
oldest continually-run butcher shop in Sydney, Woollahra.

 Restaurant Atelier will host a series of special culinary events, including on Melbourne Cup on
November 5 with Champagne Pommery, and a “One Night in Nice” degustation dinner on 26
November with guest chef Virginie Basselot, the acclaimed two-Michelin star Chef from
legendary Le Negresco Hotel in Nice, which has been welcoming artists and celebrities for over a
century – from Salvador Dali and Princess Grace of Monaco, to the Beatles and Elton John.

 Wines of Provence – the global leader for premium rosé wine – will run a Summer in Provence
takeover throughout the hotel. This special summer partnership includes an extended list of 12
Provence rosé wines & related events available all summer throughout the hotel outlets