Accor has surpassed 150 franchise hotels across Australia and New Zealand, marking a milestone for the company’s Pacific franchise network. The announcement coincides with the Accor Pacific Franchise Conference in Sydney, bringing together more than 270 franchise partners, hotel owners, industry leaders and Accor executives to discuss operational performance, market trends and franchising’s continued evolution across the region.
Leire Leoz, Accor’s chief franchise officer for its Premium, Midscale, and Economy division, said the Pacific region has become a key growth market.
“Franchising is playing an increasingly important role in Accor’s global growth strategy, and the Pacific region is a strong example of that momentum in action,” said Leoz. “We continue to see strong interest from hotel owners seeking flexible operating models that allow them to retain the individuality of their assets while benefiting from the strength, scale and support of a global hospitality leader.”
“Our franchise network today represents a highly collaborative, performance-driven ecosystem built around owner success,” said Adrian Williams, chief operating officer for Accor in the Pacific. “We continue to see strong demand from hotel owners who want access to Accor’s powerful loyalty, sales and distribution platforms while retaining the flexibility to run their hotels in a way that reflects their local character and identity. Importantly, many of our existing franchise partners continue to grow with us, with around half now owning multiple hotels within the network. At the same time, managed hotels remain strategically important to our long-term growth strategy across the Pacific. Our focus is on providing owners with the solutions that best suit their asset, market and long-term objectives.”
“The franchise landscape across Australia and New Zealand is evolving rapidly as more owners recognise the commercial advantages of partnering with established global hospitality brands,” said Danesh Bamji, vice president of Franchise in the Pacific. “We are seeing particularly strong interest in conversion opportunities from independent and regional hotel operators looking to enhance competitiveness while maintaining their local identity. The introduction of greet into the Pacific reflects how we are continuing to evolve our franchise offering to meet changing owner and traveller expectations.”
Accor currently operates more than 420 hotels across the Pacific under brands including Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure and ibis.