By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
If Summer in Sydney has a signature scent, the Sofitel has just lit the wick of its candle version, hundreds of them. The hotel brand has introduced a new after-dark ritual called The Candle Experience, a sensory-heavy in-room moment that turns a standard stay into something slow, cinematic and softly shimmering.
While its debut aligns with the festive rush, the experience is set to linger well beyond December, lighting up birthdays, anniversaries and any night that calls for a little theatre. In a city full of flashy stays, this one isn’t trying to hold a candle to anything else and yet effortlessly does.
Step through the doors of one of the participating Sofitel rooms and you’ll understand why guests are melting at the experience…a room washed in flickering amber as hundreds of LED candles glow across every surface. The effect is instant and almost disarming, like walking into a private glow show designed purely for you.
The scent in the air is the signature Sofitel fragrance, a bright mix of bergamot, white rose and sandalwood. Sound hums from a Devialet speaker, tuned to a playlist that unfurls gently in the background. A chilled bottle of Pommery Champagne waits in an ice bucket beside festive sweets, creating a scene that sits somewhere between Parisian romance and modern escapism.
For Nicolas Gronier, Global Brand Experience Leader, the concept is about shifting pace. "The Candle Experience is Sofitel’s invitation to experience luxury as a sanctuary – a moment of peace and presence,” he says.
He isn’t exaggerating. The glow softens the room, blurs the day and creates a kind of hush that feels rare in the thick of the season, or frankly, any time of year. It is a luxury that doesn’t need to shout. It simply burns on quietly.
Each Sofitel puts its own spin on the experience. At Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, guests receive the candle-filled room, the Sofitel scent, Devialet sound and Champagne, plus chocolate-coated strawberries for an additional $250 on top of the room rate.
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth offers the experience for $199, adding a box of Christmas chocolates and a Sofitel candle to take home so you can glow your own way long after checkout. Over in New Zealand, Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa offers the package for NZ $250 above the room rate, complete with gourmet bites and a playlist curated for the Phantom Devialet Speaker. With only one Candle Experience Suite available per hotel per night, it remains delightfully elusive.
The experience draws inspiration from Sofitel’s classic Candle Ritual. Rooted in 19th-Century Paris, the tradition nods to the era when more than 56000 gas lamps illuminated the streets and earned the city its nickname City of Lights. At Sofitel properties worldwide, this ritual marks the transition from day to evening as candles are lit and music signals an unspoken shift into a slower, softer mood. Each hotel adds its own cultural punctuation through music, movement and seasonal detail.
The new in-room interpretation brings that ritual into a private orbit. Instead of sharing the moment with strangers, The Candle Experience feels more like an invitation to settle in, exhale and let the night unfurl at its own pace. Couples might open the Champagne and sway along to the playlist. A solo traveller might savour the stillness.
Even those celebrating a milestone might find it the perfect setting for something heartfelt without tipping into cliché. Sometimes the simplest moments burn the brightest.
Nicolas says the multi-sensory focus is intentional. "At Sofitel, we magnify simple pleasures and it starts with the senses. We delight taste with warm, fresh croissants, smell with the zesty L’Essence de Sofitel, sight with glowing candle rituals, touch with cloud-like Sofitel My Bed and now sound with Devialet.
"Devialet is the master of acoustic engineering with powerful and immersive sound and an ideal partner for this sensorial excellence. With shared commitment for beauty and French Zest, we are proud to create moments that resonate with every guest.” It is a philosophy that leans into romance and restraint, rather than spectacle.
There are hotel stays that dazzle with views and amenities and then there are those that simmer quietly, drawing you in with mood and intention. The Candle Experience is the latter. Unhurried, subtly theatrical and built on the kind of atmosphere you cannot fake, it proves that sometimes a night needs nothing more elaborate than a room full of flickering light.
When everything else falls away, the glow is more than enough.
