With hotel owners under Accor brands having invested more than $450 million in renovations since the start of 2022, some of the recent renewals include plans to renovate even more properties.
A long-term franchise agreement with Silversea Investments will see the Novotel Sydney Parramatta and the Mercure Sydney Parramatta undergo refurbishments, with the latter to become Novotel Sydney Rosehill.
Sofitel Noosa Pacific has also renewed its partnership with Accor recently and is set to announce renovation plans.
“Accor has been operating in Australia for over 30 years now, and a feature of our outstanding relationships with owners is our commitment to ensure their hotels remain at the forefront of the market through elevated guest services, facilities and satisfaction,” said Accor Pacific’s chief operating officer, Adrian Williams.
“We are privileged to have many long-term owner relationships, and our team is continually working with their hotels to ensure they deliver above-market performance.
“While owners may initially be attracted to Accor because of the strength of our global brands, loyalty and distribution channels, the level of local on-the-ground support has been an equally powerful incentive for owners to renew partnership agreements with us.
“We recently invested in providing even more operational support for our hotels, growing the number of operational leaders based in key cities across the Pacific region so that decisions can be made more quickly and resources allocated to where they are most needed.
“We’ve developed the largest hotel management platform in the Pacific with more than 300 above property team members to help support and drive performance for over 200 managed hotels. We are the only operator to have dedicated operational teams with heads of operations based in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Launceston, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Auckland and Fiji.”
Accor Pacific’s chief development officer, Lindsay Leeser, also flagged Accor’s hotel franchise platform.
“Separate to our managed network, we have developed the largest dedicated hotel franchise platform, with the largest franchise support team in the market, allowing us to work with franchise owners or third-party operators in a way that suits their business and investment strategies,” said Leeser.
“We have over 30 years of franchising experience, and that really counts for owners operating in such a highly competitive market.”
Alongside its partnership renewals, Accor recently hit a major milestone in its sustainability commitment to have all of its Australian properties certified in sustainable tourism by Ecotourism Australia.
The Novotel Sydney City Centre has become the 100th property to be sustainably certified.
Queensland is leading the way on Ecotourism certified properties under Accor brands, with 33 properties certified, while Victoria as 25 and New South Wales has 21.
To be certified, properties must demonstrate commitment to a well-rounded view of sustainability – environmental, socio-economic, cultural and responsible management.
“Achieving certification is a rigorous process, involving over 200 key indicators across the four pillars of sustainability and strong business practices,” said Ecotourism Australia CEO, Elissa Keenan.
“It can take up to twelve months and includes an independent third-party audit before certification is awarded. Hotels must demonstrate ongoing commitment, with periodic independent audits required to maintain certification.
“It has been remarkable witnessing each of the hundred properties take up the challenge and demonstrate spirited enthusiasm toward their certification, implementing a range of creative and impactful solutions to sustainability challenges,” she said.
Accor aims to have all of its Australian properties certified by the end of 2025.
