We do love a hotel with a bit of history, and the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has it in spades. The first five star hotel in Sydney, its fascinating story starts with the construction of three housing terraces in the new development of Church Hill. The third of these premises, No3 Church Hill, was taken on by William Wentworth and Dr Robert Wardell in 1833 as the headquarters of The Australian – the colony’s first privately-run newspaper (a liberal publication unrelated to Rupert Murdoch’s current paper of the same name).
The Australian, although an important newspaper of the time, was relatively short-lived, and by 1854 No3 Church Hill was a boarding house known as Wentworth House, named after its previous occupant who had moved into politics. In 1882 a new owner renamed the building again, this time to the Wentworth Family House Hotel, but six years later on Christmas Day a fire all but destroyed it. Donald Maclurcan picked up the lease in 1901 and the hotel remained in the Maclurcan family until 1950. In the mid-twenties the Wentworth Ballroom was added, and visits by dignitaries such as the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) helped cement the hotel’s reputation as a venue of note, expanding in 1940 to 200 rooms.
Princess Diana at Wentworth Hotel, Sydney
28 March, 1983
Quantas Empire Airways took over in 1950, and in 1966 a new 400 room hotel was completed next to the company’s headquarters in Chifley Square. The royal patronage continued, however; Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Diana all visited the Wentworth Hotel, as well as a host of film stars and the astronauts who achieved immortality as the first men on the moon.
Sofitel has been looking after the historic Wentworth since 2002, and there have been plenty of modern additions to keep the hotel among the country’s premier venues. Indeed, the hotel’s two-storey arcade has a comprehensive range of boutique shops and services that ensures publicity-shy royals and chart-toppers don’t even need to leave the confines of the hotel at all.
We attract fewer papparazzi, but our stay was still worthy of glowing headlines. Those who’ve stayed at a Sofitel will know just what to expect: understated glamour, exceptional service, ridiculous beds and that signature aroma. Where countless hotels waste time playing around with bells and whistles, the French brand get to the heart of what makes a hotel experience. Which is not to say contemporary culture is shunned completely; artist-in-residence Daniel McKewen is staying at the hotel throughout the 19th Biennale of Sydney, his video work Running Men playing out in its Soiree Bar until 31 May. A captivating tale of history, celebrity and style – Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is a real superstar.
***
