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He was the first person to dine at the hotel’s San Francisco Grill when
the Hilton Sydney opened its doors in 1975 and he was the last person to swipe his card there when it
closed 27 years later. Today, 69 year old Ray Louis is back, this time as the first guest to check in to the all-new Hilton Sydney.
Closed for
30 months and and A$200 million rooftop to basement rebuild, the Hilton Sydney today
re-opened for business with a contemporary new design and some of the largest conference
facilities in Australia.
Koos Klein, President Hilton International Middle East & Asia Pacific,
said, “Today is the realization of a vision to completely rethink every single aspect of one of
Australia’s landmark hotels – from the service, through to the food and beverage, the uniforms, the rooms, and the technology.
“Three years of hard work from a talented team led by the Vice President of Australasia, Oded Lifschitz and Hotel Manager, Mike Nalborczyk, has gone into the
transformation. And it’s worth it. The result is simply stunning.”
Despite the overhaul, some things have remained the same. Ray Louis, the hotel’s first guest,
was welcomed by one of the original team members, Mamdoh
Kiriakos, Hilton Sydney's Doorman since 1978 who today returns to his post. Also greeting him
was Ms Kathryn Thiel-Sirett, the hotel’s current Credit Manager and the then cashier
who set up Ray’s first client account for his inaugural Steak Diane and Flambé.
Tonight Ray will continue a tradition that has seen him dine at the Hilton Sydney “probably a thousand times”. His family, including Dubai-based daughter Danielle who
has flown in especially for the opening, will dine at glass brasserie to celebrate his 70th birthday.
“To me, tradition is very important,” Ray said. “I first brought my daughters here when they were pre-school kids. They grew up eating at Hilton. Now I’m bringing them
back with their young daughters. It’s like a homecoming and a full circle. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
As for the new-look Hilton Sydney, Ray admits it was time for the hotel to move forward. “My first reaction when I saw it on the news was, ‘wow that’s impressive. There’s
so much more space and light. I can’t wait to experience it again,” he said.
A former chef, it was curiosity that lured Ray into the “brilliant new hotel” back in 1975 and to tasting his first ever meal with Hilton. Tonight under the creative direction of
chef Luke Mangan, the San Francisco Grill-styled Steak Diane will give way to glass’ French brasserie style Steak Tartare while the Flambé will become Stewed Rhubarb,
Spices and Honey Parfait.
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