There has been a hotel bearing the name Wentworth in Sydney, in one incarnation or another, since 1855. It began when Miss Onge chose to name her boarding house at No 3 Charlotte Place after her landlord, one William Charles Wentworth.

Wentworth was born in what was then the colony of New South Wales in 1790. He would become a leading figure in the colony and go on to become the first native-born Australian to achieve recognition overseas for his exploits as an explorer, author, barrister, journalist and politician. In 1813 his adventurous spirit drove him to join the party that discovered a way across the impenetrable Blue Mountains and opened up the colony to the west. He published the first book written by an Australian, and advocated for legal reforms in the colony and for settlement by emigrants, not convicts. In 1824 he started the colony’s first independent newspaper, The Australian, which was printed and published in a house he owned – No 3 Charlotte Place. 

The Wentworths never lived in the house on Charlotte Place. Their family home was the opulent Vaucluse House, which still stands today. No 3 Charlotte Place was sold sometime between 1861 and 1901, though the hotel continued to bear his name.

More than 160 years later it is a testament to Wentworth, one of the giants of 19th century Australia, that his name still hangs above the city’s most prestigious hotel.

The story of the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth begins less than a kilometre to the west of where the hotel stands today. 

Some time before 1823, the government constructed three two-storey houses on Charlotte Place in central Sydney. Two of these would go on to become part of the Wentworth Hotel.

For the next three decades, these buildings would play a key role in the life of the colony, housing its first independent newspaper, The Australian; its first post-secondary college; and the office of the Colonial Treasury.

However, by the 1850s the prestige of the houses on Charlotte Place had fallen considerably and boarding houses occupied two of the buildings.

One of these was operated by a Miss Onge, who first began using the name Wentworth House in 1855.

Mrs Mary Hayes purchased the hotel in 1882, renaming it the Wentworth House Family Hotel. The hotel’s early life came to an abrupt halt when the building burned to the ground in 1888. When Mrs Hayes began construction on a new building on the site, she was laying the foundations for what would become Sydney’s grandest hotel. The rebuilt 32-bedroom Wentworth Hotel opened in 1890.

In 1903 Mrs Hannah Maclurcan stepped through the doors of the Wentworth and ushered in a new era for the hotel. In 1912 Mrs Maclurcan added two floors and 51 new bedrooms to the property. Eight years later, she opened the Wentworth Ballroom, a sumptuous Georgian-style space that could hold a thousand people. It quickly became the place for Sydney society, hosting balls, weddings, luncheons, and visiting members of the royal family.

When Mrs Maclurcan passed away in 1936, her son Charles took the reins. The following year he integrated a second of the terrace houses into the hotel and added three floors to it, giving the hotel an extra 50 bedrooms with bathrooms. The modern Wentworth Hotel had begun to take shape.

Celebrating Our 50^th Anniversary

Step back in Time with Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

2016 is a special year for Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, as the luxury heritage hotel celebrates 50 years since opening as the city’s first 5-star hotel in 1966. Sofitel Sydney Wentworth marks this impressive milestone, reflects back on our beginnings and invites guests to embark on the historic journey of the Wentworth Hotel.

Australia’s first international hotel, The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth was built in 1966 and elegantly blends its French traditions with the hotel's significance as the largest single brick structure in the southern hemisphere, with 15 storeys curving gently around an elevated garden courtyard.

Notable dates in our history:

In 1800, the site of the first Wentworth Hotel on Lang Street became part of a developing area of the new colony of Sydney called Church Hill.

In 1824, three substantial, two-storey terrace houses were built on Lang Street. The last terrace, No 3 Church Hill, became the future Wentworth Hotel

William Charles Wentworth and Dr. Wardell launched "The Australian" newspaper, which was published from No 3 Church Hill in 1833.

In 1854, a boarding residence was operated on the site, which became known as Wentworth House.

In 1882, Mary Hayes purchased Wentworth House and renamed it the Wentworth House Family Hotel.

On Christmas Day in 1888, fire destroyed Wentworth House.

In 1901, the lease on the Wentworth Hotel was given to Donald Samuel Maclurcan and remained in the Maclurcan family until 1950.

The Wentworth Ballroom was added and opened in 1920. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor after abdication, danced in the new ballroom on a number of occasions.

By 1925, the hotel was a well-established and popular destination and was expanded to 100 rooms and further expanded in 1940 to 200 rooms.

In 1950, Qantas Empire Airways negotiated a controlling interest in the hotel, thus beginning a new phase in the development of the hotel.

In 1961, approval was granted for Qantas to build a new 400-room hotel next to Qantas House in Chifley Square.

The new Wentworth Hotel was completed in 1966 and became the first 5-star hotel in Sydney.

In 1982, the hotel was resold and further refurbishments were done.

In 2002, Accor Hotels became the new operators of the hotel. Sofitel, as part of the Accor group, manages the day-to-day operations of the Wentworth.

Since opening, the Wentworth Hotel has hosted many international dignitaries and celebrities, such as Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Other visitors have been Prince Charles and Princess Diana, numerous film and sports stars as well as the first men on the moon.

To mark this milestone, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth invites to book one of our celebratory offers, click discover more

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