• Cafe Opera and The Cortile offer festive fare for Christmas in July
• Four Pillars Gin partnership brings cheers with two bespoke Christmas Cocktails

This month, InterContinental Sydney will transport guests to a traditional Northern Hemisphere Christmas featuring festive flavours from the iconic hotel's talented culinary team, as well as bespoke cocktails conceived by the renowned Four Pillars Gin.

Guests will be invited in from the frosty Sydney winter to celebrate sophisticated Christmas in July festivities, with the hotel reimagined as a welcoming winter wonderland.

During the final week of July, Monday 22 – Sunday 28*, both dining venues of the iconic luxury hotel, Cafe Opera and The Cortile, will include an array of festive experiences including buffets of succulent Christmas roasts, traditional mince pies, pudding with brandy custard, a festive High Tea and warming mulled wine.

Jennifer Brown, General Manager, InterContinental Sydney says, “We are proud to warmly welcome both Sydneysiders and travellers to InterContinental Sydney to celebrate this unique holiday, Christmas in July, and to experience the beauty of Sydney in winter within the walls of our hotel. For our international guests, especially those hailing from the Northern Hemisphere, it gives them a comforting taste of home amidst beautiful Sydney surrounds.”

At The Cortile, guests can enjoy a Yuletide-themed High Tea, featuring traditional flavours of gingerbread, chestnut, turkey and cranberry, with the optional pairing of a bespoke Christmas Gin Cocktail. Special winter beverages will also be severed at The Cortile throughout July, including Hot Chocolate Baileys and Mulled Wine.

Cafe Opera's indulgent buffet will feature mouth-watering roasts, accompanied by aromatic stuffing and roast vegetables, while to finish the feast guests can select from an array of irresistible Christmas desserts. 

As part of the celebrations, InterContinental Sydney has partnered with Four Pillars Gin to serve two bespoke cocktails for guests to savour with their High Tea. Each incorporates the famous Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin, distilled using a Christmas pudding originating from a 1968 family recipe with notes of juniper, cinnamon, star anise and angelica.

As a gift to take away, each High Tea guest will receive a luxurious Appelles Apothecary & Lab Hand Cream infused with essential oils of Cinnamon, Mandarin, and Rosemary, evoking the iconic scents of Christmas.

Details of InterContinental Sydney's Christmas in July offerings are as follows;

HIGH TEA STAND | Monday 22 – Friday 26 July, 11am – 4pm, $80pp (ages 13+), $30pp (ages 5-12), Children 4 and under dine complimentary

• Cocktail or Champagne: Four Pillars Christmas Gin cocktail or Glass of G.H. Mumm on arrival
• High Tea stand of festive delights including mince tarts, gingerbread macarons, chocolate raspberry tartlets, chestnut cream meringues and pistachio cherry cheesecake, as well as savoury Christmas flavours including turkey & cranberry tea sandwiches
• Ronnefeldt loose leaf tea selection
• Appelles Hand Cream gift with Cinnamon, Rosemary and Mandarin scent (70mL).
• Children 4 and under dine complimentary

HIGH TEA BUFFET | Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July, 12:30 – 2pm or 3 – 4:30pm, $95pp (ages 13+), $30pp (ages 5-12), Children 4 and under dine complimentary

• Cocktail or Champagne: Four Pillars Christmas Gin cocktail or Glass of G.H. Mumm on arrival
• High Tea stand of festive delights including mince tarts, gingerbread macarons, chocolate raspberry tartlets, chestnut cream meringues, pistachio cherry cheesecake, and more as well as savoury Christmas flavours including turkey & cranberry tea sandwiches
• Ronnefeldt loose leaf tea selection
• Appelles Hand Cream gift with Cinnamon, Rosemary and Mandarin scent (70mL).
• Children 4 and under dine complimentary

FESTIVE BUFFET | Wednesday 24 July, lunch & dinner; Thursday 25 July, lunch; Friday 26 July, lunch, $69 per adult –20% off saving applies to this

• Christmas-style roasts including orange & maple glazed Berkshire ham on the bone; roast turkey with thyme stuffing; rosemary-infused roasted vegetables
• Pastries and desserts of mini mince pies, Christmas stolen and Christmas pudding with brandy custard
• In addition to the Signature Buffet of fresh oysters, prawns, mussels, succulent roasts from the Southern Highlands, hot dishes, salads, artisanal antipasto, international and Asian cuisines, a show-stopping dessert bar as well as a curated selection just for children
• Children 10 and under dine complimentary

DELUXE FESTIVE BUFFET | Thursday 25 July, dinner; Friday 26 July, dinner; Saturday 27 July, lunch & dinner; Sunday 28 July, lunch & dinner, $99 per adult –20% off saving applies to this

• Christmas-style roasts including orange & maple glazed Berkshire ham on the bone; roast turkey with thyme stuffing; rosemary-infused roasted vegetables
• Pastries and desserts of mini mince pies, Christmas stolen and Christmas pudding with brandy custard
• In addition to the Deluxe Buffet of Balmain bugs, blue swimmer crab, spanner crab, salmon sashimi, and grilled whole salmon on top of the delights on the Signature Buffet
• Children 10 and under dine complimentary

Bookings are available at Cafe Opera and The Cortile. To reserve your table and access special promotions**, visit: www.icsydney.com.au/christmas-july-2019

-ENDS-

For more information or any media enquiries, please contact:

Summer Ellis-Waldie via InterContinentalSydney@decpr.com.au or +61 2 8014 5033

*select dates per offer

**Existing promotional offers are available during this time including complimentary dining for children aged 10 and under at Cafe Opera (food only), 20% off dining at Cafe Opera until 31 July 2019 (food only), 20% off dining for Seniors at Cafe Opera until 31 December 2019 (food only) and 25% off the total bill at Cafe Opera for Signature Dining Members (InterContinental Loyalty Dining Program)

EDITOR NOTES

About InterContinental Sydney: Allow the allure of sandstone arcades and a soaring glass atrium to welcome you into the pinnacle of definitive luxury. Nestled in the renowned dress circle of Circular Quay with unparalleled views across the harbour city, InterContinental Sydney has been an icon of choice for more than 30 years. From exceptional service to cultural craftsmanship, InterContinental collides old-world wonder with a brilliantly cosmopolitan vibe offering guests an elegant window into the luxury of travel as it should be.

With 509 guest rooms, including 28 suites, each room contains a picture frame view of the city skyline, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House or the Royal Botanic Gardens, WiFi access, spacious work zone and luxury window seat and chaise lounge to enjoy the views. At InterContinental Sydney, discover an array of tantalising dining options suited for any celebration or occasion. From Sydney's best fresh seasonal buffets at Cafe Opera, to The Cortile's specially crafted cocktails, or renowned High Tea and High Coffee experiences.

For more information and to book visit https://www.icsydney.com.au/ or connect with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/InterContinentalSydney and Instagram https://instagram.com/intercontinentalsydney/

About InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts: The InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts brand makes travel alluring, with insights from over 70 years of experience. Each of our properties provides a gateway to the glamour of the InterContinental Life. As a brand, we aim to embody global sophistication through our superior, understated service and exceptional amenities. What makes us truly different is the genuine interest we show our guests through personalised and attentive services. We offer our most valued guests signature VIP services through a dedicated InterContinental® Ambassador programme and an exclusive Club InterContinental® experience. We connect our well-travelled guests to what's special about a destination, so they enjoy authentic local experiences that will enrich their lives.

For more information and to book, visit www.intercontinental.com, and connect with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/intercontinental and Instagram www.instagram.com/intercontinental

About IHG: IHG ® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, voco™ Hotels, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, Holiday Inn Resort®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,600 hotels and approximately 837,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with more than 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

In February 2019, IHG acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, adding 16 hotels (1,347 rooms) to its system and 18 hotels to its development pipeline.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 400,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/IHGCorporate, www.facebook.com/IHGCorporate and www.linkedin.com/company/intercontinental-hotels-group

Appelles Apothecary & Lab: Appelles was developed with the intention of creating an exceptional skin and hair care offer, featuring a combination of the finest essential oils with botanical extracts to deliver outstanding results. A combination of advanced cosmetic technologies, native botanical extracts, pure essential oils and powerful vitamins are the foundation of the stunning Appelles range. Utilising the highest quality natural ingredients results in an efficacious and results driven range. Packaging is environmentally friendly and recyclable, with a focus on environmental impact and social consciousness. Formulations are all paraben free and not tested on animals.