Accor is celebrating 20 years in Australia and to commemorate the occasion, the company has set up a special website, www.20years.com.au, which features a video of people sharing their happiest, saddest and most life changing moments over the past 20 years from the comfort of an Accor bed.
People are invited to contribute to the blog, and those who share their reminiscences will receive a $20 voucher to use during their next stay at an Accor hotel. In addition, they will go into a draw to win one of twenty $200 Accor Gift Vouchers.
Participating Accor hotels across Australia are offering 20% off rates throughout the birthday period for stays from 3 July to 4 October. For bookings visit www.accorhotels.com/20thbirthday
Accor was born at Sydney’s Darling Harbour with the launch of the pioneering Novotel in July 1991. It was conceived in the middle of the “recession we had to have”, a time of great economic hardship, airline collapses, Middle East conflict and ferocious competition in Australia’s hotel industry.
But, in retrospect, it was the perfect time for Europe’s leading hotel group to take on the largely American competition and build their hotel network to over 150, by far the largest in Australia.
In the two decades Accor changed the face of the Australian hotel scene with the introduction of a vast range of brands from 5-star Sofitel and Pullman to the economy and budget brands Ibis and Formule 1.
The Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour was where it all began for Accor in Australia, opening in July 1991 contributing significantly to the transformation from disused railway yards to Sydney’s most vibrant tourism, hospitality and entertainment precinct.
The Novotel was Accor’s flagship hotel for many years, and is now part of a network that reaches as far west as Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth WA, north to Darwin in the Top End and Palm Cove in Far North Queensland, and as far south as Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and including the great wine regions in the Yarra Valley, Victoria and Barossa Valley, South Australia – and everywhere in between!
“A lot has happened in 20 years and we want to share this moment in history with everyone,” says Accor Australia Vice President, Simon McGrath.
“We started with one hotel in Australia back in 1991 and – against the odds – grew into a dominant player in the Australian hotel sector. We have been a real innovator over the period, introducing new hotel concepts, particularly in the mid and economy sectors of the market, and not only helped establish Darling Harbour but also Sydney Olympic Park.
“Our guests and staff have been part of all these experiences and reaching 20 years is a time to celebrate, reflect and share some of the most memorable moments over the past two decades.”
Follow the unique #20yearsAU hashtag on Twitter for regular updates and visit www.facebook.com/AccorHotelsAsiaPacific for more information.