InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has launched a limited-time high tea experience in Australia and New Zealand called Haut Patisserie. This offering blends visual art and refined patisserie with the long-standing tradition of afternoon tea, presenting a distinctive, regionally inspired take on a classic hospitality ritual.
The concept for Haut Patisserie was inspired by an installation created by artist Alexander Hall to mark the brand’s milestone of 200 InterContinental properties worldwide. Hall painted 200 Champagne bottles by hand, each bottle reflecting the character, design and location of a specific hotel or resort. That artwork serves as the creative foundation for the high tea, which translates the visual themes into edible forms.
Guests who reserve Haut Patisserie can expect a curated selection of pastries and sweets that echo the motifs and flavors suggested by Hall’s work. Among the highlights are macarons infused with Champagne jelly and other delicate confections that are presented as edible artwork. Each setting includes a glass of Champagne, reinforcing the connection between the painted bottles and the gastronomic presentation.
Haut Patisserie intentionally fuses the sensory elements of sight and taste. The patisserie menu emphasizes balance and texture, drawing on local Australian and New Zealand ingredients where possible to reflect regional produce and culinary traditions. The presentation aims to be visually striking without overshadowing the flavors, so that each component contributes to a cohesive tasting experience shaped by Hall’s artistic language.
In addition to the food, the experience highlights hospitality and conviviality. Champagne, for Hall, represents joy, celebration and togetherness, and that sentiment is central to Haut Patisserie’s design. Hall explained that painting on Champagne bottles was a way to capture each hotel’s personality, and adapting that work into a high tea format allowed the team to merge art and food in a way that celebrates place, design and community.
The offering is available at participating InterContinental properties across Australia and New Zealand through May 31. Pricing varies by property, and guests are encouraged to check with individual hotels for menu details, seating times and reservation requirements. While Haut Patisserie is limited in duration, the collaboration demonstrates how hospitality brands can create immersive, multi-sensory events that combine local ingredients, artistic vision and time-honored service traditions.
By pairing Hall’s hand-painted Champagne bottles with a patisserie-focused menu and a complimentary glass of Champagne, InterContinental aims to deliver an elevated afternoon tea that is both celebratory and intimately tied to each hotel’s identity. The experience invites guests to enjoy a moment of refinement and connection, framed by artful presentation and thoughtfully composed flavors.