Sydney’s swanky new Sofitel …

THERE’S a new star on the Sydney hotel scene after the official October 4 opening of the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.

The address, which boasts 590 guest rooms including 35 spacious suites, is the first new-build hotel wearing an iconic luxury brand to open in the capital’s CBD in more than 15 years and is located beside the International Convention Centre in the heart of the renowned waterside entertainment precinct.

The new Sofitel cost $500 million to bring online with those in the know explaining the

unveiling signals the start of a “renaissance of new hotel development in Sydney with over 40 hotels scheduled to open in the next five years”.

Guest rooms promise magnificent views across Sydney, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing vistas of the CBD’s concrete jungle and harbour blue, and every chamber features the signature Sofitel MyBed while suites come complete with in-bathroom television and soaking tub.

When it comes to drinking and dining guests can choose between three bars and a restaurant — the French-style rotisserie and grill Atelier by Sofitel, the Champagne Bar, Esprit Noir lobby bar, and Le Rivage Pool Bar — and the jewel in the crown of recreational spaces is the 20m infinitely pool on the fourth floor.

“Each Sofitel hotel has a number of identifying elements, which they adopt to help bring the hotel to life, and the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour will have everything from a signature fragrance to evening candle-lighting ceremonies,” a hotel media release explains.

“Every Sofitel around the world is culturally linked with a city or region in France that shares similar attributes in terms of culture, landscape and design and (the new Sydney property) is culturally linked with Marseille.

“From industrial ports to sophisticated harbours, the energy of transformation which runs through Marseille and Darling Harbour make them an appropriate pairing.”