French hotel brand Sofitel Luxury Hotels is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014, a special milestone that marks a half-century since the brand launched its first hotel in Strasbourg to now offer more than 120 luxury addresses in 40 different countries worldwide.

To celebrate the occasion, Sofitel's hotels across Australia has commissioned Donald Williams of Global Arts Projects to curate an exhibition of compelling and evocative images of Paris (in homage to the brand's elegant French origins and art-de-vivre) by San Francisco based, Melbourne born photographer, Jon Rendell.

Titled Iconic Paris, Photographs by John Rendell, the exhibition has commenced a national tour for free display over the next six months. Launching at the Sofitel Brisbane Central this month where it will stay until 24 August, Iconic Paris By Jon Rendell will then travel to the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth from 1 September to 5 October, the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach from 8 October until 9 November, and conclude after a summer season at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins where it will be on public display from 9 December until 30 January 2015.

Most of the Paris photographs in this exhibition were taken by Rendell in January 1978 and ten years later in January, 1987 just after the opening of the Musée d'Orsay. The exhibition features beautiful black and white photography which as the artist explains; “I began with black and white and limited finances meant that a jump to colour was unattainable in the 70s and 80s, but nowadays with colour everywhere, all the time, I believe that black and white photography, more than ever, has something new for us to observe”.

While not clichéd, Rendell's subjects are the familiar iconic images of Paris that we have all grown to admire. They follow in the tradition of other photographers of that city including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Brassaï, and Eugène Atget.

Over the course of its 50 years, Sofitel has continuously strived to be the symbol of French elegance in luxury hospitality. Sofitel's anniversary year offers a nod to both its history and traditions, while simultaneously looking ahead to the future, with more than 30 hotel openings planned around the world through the second half of 2014 and 2015.

“Fifty years is a major milestone by any measure. We are looking forward to marking this event throughout the year with our loyal guests and our more than 25,000 Sofitel ambassadors, or employees, around the world,” said Rick Harvey Lam, Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing and Communications for Sofitel Worldwide.

“With a special focus on Sofitel's design, gastronomy and culture themes, 2014 is the most magnifique year of our history yet.”

Follow Sofitel's 50th anniversary news on www.sofitel.com and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sofitel.

Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance

Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 120 addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than 30,000 rooms). Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today's more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, London, New York, Shanghai or Beijing, or nestled away in a country landscape in Morocco, Egypt, French Polynesia or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French “art de vivre”. Sofitel Legend and & Sofitel So are two labels that come to enrich Sofitel Luxury hotels. Sofitel Legend hotels are iconic and mythical; they are often centuries-old listed heritage buildings: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam and Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan, Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena Sofitel So hotels are new boutique hotels characterized by a stylish focus on contemporary design by famous architects and/or embellished by international celebrities from the world of fashion, design or art: Sofitel So Mauritius Bel Ombre, Sofitel So Bangkok and Sofitel So Singapore (2014).

Find out more about Sofitel at www.sofitel.com

MEDIA CONTACTS: Rebecca Freestun PR & Communications Accor and Sofitel, Pacific Mobile +61 (0) 417 667 042 rebecca.freestun@accor.com