Overview
Not to be outdone by The Continental's multi-million dollar renovations down the road, Hotel Sorrento has just announced its own expansion plans.
And they are ambitious. As in, shoot-for-the-moon ambitious.
For nearly 150 years, Hotel Sorrento has sat on the cliffs overlooking Sorrento front beach. The historic sandstone building has been tweaked and renovated dozens of times, but this is by far the biggest overhaul yet.
By early 2023, the Pitt family — who have owned Hotel Sorrento for three generations — want to install 50 luxury suites, a new 30-metre pool, a wellness retreat, a pool bar, a new restaurant, a rooftop yoga studio, a gym and two state-of-the-art conference centres.
They're also pulling in some serious culinary muscle. While The Continental has thrown its hat in with Scott Pickett, Hotel Sorrento has teamed up with George Calombaris, who will be managing hospo strategy behind the scenes.
"I'm really enjoying working with the Hotel Sorrento team," Calombaris says. "The owners have taken a holistic, root and branch approach, and there's no doubt the Hotel will become a beacon for local and visiting lovers of food, all year round."
It doesn't look like Calombaris will actually be heading up the new kitchen – that'll be the job of longstanding chefs Matt Henke and Shane Holt – his role will probably be Bigger Picture. But you can already see his fingerprints, with the Hotel recently launching a Summer Souvas pop-up bar, which will be running throughout summer.
"Lounging on the lawn with an ice-cold drink, a magnificent view of the water and a delicious 'souva' in hand, is a great way to celebrate summer," says co-owner Robb Pitt.
There's also Cellar Bar: a new wine and cocktail bar set to open in late December. This will be the Hotel's 4pm-till-late venue, dishing up fancy bar snacks and top-shelf booze to Sorrento's clientele.
As Hotel Sorrento gears up to celebrate its 150th birthday, it'll be exciting to see these new renovations take shape. The build is expected to wrap in early 2023, but it'd take a brave person to predict anything these days.
In the meantime, grab yourself a souva and enjoy the views.