World Of Accor Welcomes Over 350 Delegates

MEDIA RELEASE

20 August 2007

World Of Accor Welcomes Over 350 Delegates

More than 350 agents, wholesalers, inbound operators, corporate bookers and MICE organisers attended the World of Accor expo in Auckland on August 16, to discover all the latest accommodation news and trends across the region.

Held at Novotel Ellerslie, representatives from Accor’s 300 hotels across New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific and Asia updated guests on new developments, products and services. The expo highlighted the group’s vast expansion, which will see the Asia Pacific network grow from its current 300 hotels to more than 350 hotels by the end of 2008. Accor has also added six Sofitel and Novotel hotels in French Polynesia and is undergoing massive growth in China and India, as well as adding significant new hotels and resorts in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Accor’s global network includes more than 4,000 hotels in 92 countries.

One of the hot properties featured this year was Christchurch’s new Ibis Hotel, which opened on June 1st and is the city’s first newly built hotel in over a decade. The brand new, value-for-money three star hotel is eight-storeys, has 155 rooms and is situated in the heart of the city on Hereford Street.

General Manager Dick Breukink says the hotel has already experienced good numbers and good feedback from guests. “People like the fact that the hotel is great value for money, but has all the benefits of the international Ibis brand. The hotel is just off Cathedral Square, close to cafes, restaurants, museums, art galleries and many popular tourist activities, as well as offering facilities such as an on-site restaurant, a variety of retail outlets and a meeting room seating up to 40 people.”

Another key development is the extensive expansion and renovation of Novotel Gardens Queenstown, which includes the addition of 69 new guest rooms, a total refurbishment of the existing 204 rooms, and renovations to many of the hotel’s public areas, including the restaurant and bar. The upgrade is due to be completed in December this year.

The newly opened Le Spa at Sofitel Queenstown was another feature, the region’s first international-standard, five-star hotel spa offering a full range of health and beauty treatments.

Other news from the wider Asia Pacific region includes the opening of several new hotels in areas popular with New Zealand travellers, such as Cairns and Palm Cove in North Queensland; Bali, and Bangkok; the launch of new Club Sofitel lounges in Sydney and Melbourne and the re-launch of Nadi’s famous Mocambo Hotel as Fiji’s first Novotel. Accor is also opening Sofitel Wanda Beijing next week, offering a stunning five-star experience conveniently located in the CBD area in time for next year’s Olympics.

The expo would not be complete without the prizes given away throughout the day and Debbie Morley from Colgate Palmolive was the lucky winner of the major prize, a return seven day holiday for two to Tahiti and her Islands, staying at Sofitel Tahiti and Sofitel Moorea Beach Resort.

A welcome dinner for some of Accor’s business partners was also held on the evening before World of Accor, hosted by Accor Vice President for New Zealand Paul Richardson.

Photos:

- Paul Clark, General Manager Mercure Hotel Nadi, with guests
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- Thomas Klotz and Andrea Richards from Novotel and Hotel Ibis Rotorua with guests
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- Entertaining overseas clients: Frankie Lim, Business Development Asia (far left) and Bernie Schulz, Director of International Sales Asia, Japan & Korea (far right)
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- Lisa Daviet International Sales Manager Accor Hotels & Resorts French Polynesia with the winner of the grand prize, Debbie Morley from Colgate Palmolive
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- Service with a smile
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Accor is the worldwide leader in hotels, tourism and corporate services, employing 170,000 people in 100 countries. . It offers to its individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:

- Hotels: more than 4,000 hotels (475,000 rooms) in 92 countries (including 150 hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific under the brands Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1) as well as backpacker hostels, travel agencies, restaurants and casinos;
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- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services’ products – employee assistance programs, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs, events, food vouchers.
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Ends

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