The French Art Of Luxury

Sofitel Brisbane:

(07) 3835 3535 or www.sofitelbrisbane.com.au

Sofitel is upping the ante. The primo French hotel chain is giving its brand a polish, thanks to a name change (Sofitel Luxury Hotels) and a regime of oo-la-la refits. The Sofitel Brisbane is one of the more recent to benefit from a makeover, $7m worth to be precise. The refurbishment encompasses 1800sqm of ground floor real estate, including a new lobby, the Thyme² restaurant and Cuvee Lounge bar. The Gallic touch is something Sofitel has been endeavouring to fiercely guard, so it should come as no surprise that French champagne flows freely and genuine patisserie (from the operators of Parisian two-star Michelin restaurant The Pre Catalan) are also a feature. Sofitel instructed the architects to inject some Iron Chef-like theatrics into the design of Thyme², notably by opening up the kitchen, allowing patrons to observe all the sacra bleu carry-on. Elsewhere the ‘luxurious art of hospitality’ is manifest in the stick sculptures running down the centre of the lobby (crafted from a combination of wood and stainless steel set into marble), and the flowers in the feature wall sculpture separating the bar and the restaurant. Jardan supplied the furniture throughout, and all the tables and drybars were the work of Osiris.