CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA Pullman Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns is the first hotel to be accredited under Accor’s new program to optimize service standards for Chinese travelers.
Earlier this year, France-based Accor—Australia’s largest hotel group, with 150 hotels in operation—announced that it would implement an optimum services standards program for hotels in its group that aim to attract large-scale visitation from the Chinese and Indian markets. Accor is implementing a range of services to cater for the specific needs of these two growth markets, and only hotels that meet and maintain these standards will be accredited to pitch for this business.
Pullman Reef has led the way with adopting services to meet the needs of the emerging China market. These effort include translation of in-room collateral and the compendium to Mandarin; making Mandarin-speaking staff available to handle guest queries; training all reception staff to give basic greetings in Mandarin; and adding Chinese breakfast and minibar items, green tea and comfort items like slippers. In addition, the hotel has implemented training for all staff on Chinese cultural practices.
“The growth in Chinese inbound isn’t new, but the pace of the growth highlights the need for the industry to really look at what is being provided for Chinese travelers and to enhance the offer, because this market represents a significant future for our tourism industry,” says General Manager Adrian Williams. “Many of the measures under the optimum service standards program are fairly straightforward, but it sends a strong signal to Chinese operators that Australia is not only welcoming their clients, but going out of their way to ensure they feel as comfortable as possible when they are here.
The formal accreditation follows an announcement this week by the Australia government of a 10-year strategic plan to boost tourism from China, which is the fastest growing inbound market for Australia and is already worth more than A$3 billion annually.
