Accor has finalised its landmark hotel management portfolio agreement with Salter Brothers, resulting in a further nine Mercure hotels joining its collection, as well as a Sydney CBD Ibis Styles property.
The deal grows Mercure’s Australian properties from 44 to 53, making it the largest and fastest-growing global midscale brand in the country.
“We are delighted to be adding these great hotels to our portfolio,” said Accor Pacific Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Derry.
“The hotels are located in highly desirable central city locations and in the best metropolitan areas. The properties will have access to our powerful network and we are working closely with our partners Salter Brothers to rejuvenate the properties and set them up for success.”
In what is believed to be an Australian first, the management agreement includes an “industry-leading link” to ESG outcomes.
“Both Salter Brothers and Accor are committed to leading the way with ESG hotel benchmarks and our agreement will see us working together to structure performance against targets, which are linked to commercial outcomes,” said Salter Brothers Managing Director, Paul Salter.
“With energy costs rising, the importance of ESG hotel benchmarks is now more important than ever and we’re looking forward to establishing these targets with Accor as they move into full operation with the portfolio.”
The 10 hotels span five Australian cities, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle. They include Mercure Brisbane Garden City, Mercure Newcastle City, Mercure Sydney Bankstown, Mercure Sydney Blacktown, Mercure Sydney Macquarie Park, Mercure Sydney Manly Warringah, Mercure Sydney City Centre, Mercure Melbourne Southbank, Mercure Perth on Hay, and ibis Styles Sydney Central.
Derry said Accor is focused on expanding its presence across the Pacific region.
“Accor has one of the most appealing brand portfolios in the world, positioning us well to continue introducing more choice and more experiences for leisure and corporate travellers,” she said.