Adelaide is often called one of the world’s most livable cities, and with large increases in the city’s urban development projects, new cultural and recreational attractions and a booming real estate market, the number of business and leisure travelers to the city means more new hotels are opening throughout Adelaide’s Central Business District.

© Sofitel Adelaide

Known throughout the world for its luxury French-style hospitality and a passion for art de vivre (the art of living), Accor’s newest Sofitel hotel, the 251-room Sofitel Adelaide, opened in fall 2021, becoming the first internationally recognized 5-star hotel built in Adelaide in 30 years.

When guests arrive at the mixed-use, 32-story, $105 million hotel, they are greeted by an original piece by Australianphotographer Alexia Sinclair, titled “Field of Dreams,” which forms the centerpiece of the hotel lobby. Segments of this French-inspired artwork appear on lightboxes to illuminate the entire porte cochère ceiling. Interestingly, modern manifestations of churches are featured throughout the hotel, weaving in influences from cathedrals in both Adelaide and France by merging floor patterns to create the signature floor design used throughout the hotel.

© Sofitel Adelaide

“Our vision for Sofitel Adelaide was to bring to life three quintessential Adelaide themes, city of churches, arts and culture, and wine, and to weave these narratives into the hotel’s contemporary interiors, all of which are also a nod to the hotel’s cultural link to the city of Bordeaux in France,” said Carl Almeida of P49 DEESIGN Associates, the hotel’s interior design firm.

The first 24 stories of the glass tower are dedicated to the hotel and its leisure and business facilities including Garçon Bleu, a French-inspired restaurant, two bars, swimming pool, the SoFIT health and fitness center, meeting spaces and the Sofitel Club Lounge. The hotel is just steps from the river Torrens, and a short walk to the Adelaide Oval and Adelaide Convention Center.