Château Élan at The Vintage is operated by Château Élan Hotels and Resorts, founded by Don and Nancy Panoz in the US. The property was co-developed by Château Élan and The Stevens Group, one of the leading development groups of NSW. It is located in the heart of the Hunter Valley. Offering a luxury escape for up to 200 guests, the resort comprises a spa with 17 treatment rooms, a hair and beauty salon, 20 super-luxury spa suites and a series of private lifestyle villas.

The $40m development is just two hours north of Sydney. The Vintage is the Hunter Valley’s premier residential lifestyle community. At its heart is a Greg Norman-designed course which is ranked #2 in New South Wales and current host of the NSW Open. The Vintage has bar, conference and full dining and catering facilities; the Clubhouse is home to the renowned Legends Grill restaurant.

For the development of the five-star Chateau Elan Spa and accommodation designer Lyn Pritchard’s intention was to create an ambience that people will respond to on a personal level. The fundamental aim was to create a unique guest experience that was
warm,rich and memorable.

The palette of materials was selected to suggest a rather casual sophistication. Stone, simple painted surfaces and rich timber detailing instil a traditional aesthetic without being too plush or formal.

The double height lobby and high ceilings throughout add to the sense of luxury and grandeur typical of a large country manor.

The colour palette is neutral to highlight the views to the rich greens of the Golf course. These are accented with plum tonings in the soft furnishings and rich chocolate timbers.

The clients brief to theme each of the Spa Suites to a different city of the world was achieved by maintaining the same décor for each room but overlaying reproduction artworks, dvds, cds and objet d’art relating to each city.

The villas are more contemporary in both detailing and colour palette. Again a neutral base is used but with light timbers and fresh lime greens and aquas.

Château Élan at The Vintage is a three-phase project. Phase One saw the construction of the Spa, Spa Villas and Carriage House; Phases Two and Three will see expanded conference facilities and new accommodation and entertainment facilities