Travel industry invited to World of Accor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 July 2008

New Zealand's Largest Hotel Expo Comes To Auckland In August

Travel industry invited to World of Accor

World of Accor, the largest hotel expo in Asia Pacific, is coming to Auckland next month, providing agents, wholesalers, corporate bookers, PCOs and MICE organisers with all the latest accommodation news and trends across the region.

On August 18, representatives from some of Accor's 330 hotels across New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific and Asia will host the annual trade expo at Novotel Auckland Ellerslie, offering insight into the group's new developments, products and services.

Due to the popularity of the annual event, three sessions will be held during the day to allow as many travel industry personnel as possible to attend the expo. The times are:
 Breakfast session 08:00am - 10:00am
 Lunch session 11:30am - 02:00pm
 Afternoon/Evening session 04:00pm - 07:00pm

Refreshments will be available throughout the day and registered visitors will have the chance to win a range of accommodation prizes across the Asia Pacific region. The major prize is a five night stay for two in an Alpine Suite with lake views at the award winning St Mortiz hotel in Queenstown, an alpine style lodge boasting superb views and European style, as well as a divine degustation menu accompanied with pinot noir the region is famous for and luxurious treatments at LeSpa.

The New Zealand event is part of Accor's Asia Pacific series of trade expos and will once again be held at Novotel Auckland Ellerslie, with more than 300 delegates expected to attend.

Accor has experienced significant growth in the Asia Pacific region since last year's event - with new destinations, new product and new brands launched, including the upscale Pullman brand which debuted in Asia last year and will open at Sydney's Olympic Park next month. Accor also announced its plans to develop a Pullman hotel out of the former New Zealand Reserve Bank building in downtown Auckland, due for completion in the second quarter of 2010.

Delegates will be able to hear more about other key developments in New Zealand such as the construction of Novotel Christchurch, the extensive refurbishment of Novotel Queenstown Lakeside (previously Novotel Gardens Queenstown) and the addition of hotels such as Hotel Ibis Christchurch, Ibis Tainui Hamilton, All Seasons Christchurch, the iconic Princes Gate Hotel in Rotorua and, most recently, Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco Apartments.

News from other destinations includes Accor bringing Tradewinds Hotel & Conference Centre in Suva onboard, the re-launch of Nadi's famous Mocambo Hotel as Fiji's first Novotel, as well as a number of new hotels in areas popular with New Zealand travellers such as Bali, Bangkok and Beijing in Asia. In Australia, highlights include the launch of Novotel Cairns Oasis, Mercure Hotel Broome, and Ibis King Street Wharf, the only new build hotel scheduled to open in Sydney's CBD this decade. There have also been significant upgrades to a number of hotels including Novotel St Kilda; Novotel Manly Pacific and Sofitel Gold Coast.

"It is a really exciting time for Accor in the Asia pacific region with a vast number of new hotels across the region, as well as new brands and significant upgrades to our existing brands," said Accor's Area Director Sales & Marketing for New Zealand and South Pacific, John Farrell.

"World of Accor is an event that provides a one-stop shop for the travel industry. We can offer face to face meetings, briefings and great hospitality. With the widest range of locations and hotel styles in the region, there is plenty of helpful information and inspiration here."

Register at www.worldofaccor.com

Accor, the European leader and a major global group in hotels, the global leader in services to corporate clients and public institutions, operates in nearly 100 countries with 170,000 employees. It offers to its clients over 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands, representing more than 4,000 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenôtre.
- Services, with 30 million people in 40 countries benefiting from Accor Services products in human resources, marketing services and expense management.

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