ACCOR CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN AUSTRALIA

From 1 to 100 hotels in 10 years...and more to come

Accor celebrates its 10th anniversary of operating hotels in Australia on 14 July, 2001.

Ten years ago, on 14 July 1991, the Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour was launched. The hotel was the first in the Darling Harbour precinct, which was formerly an industrial and freight area on the western side of the city.

The opening of the Novotel complemented the earlier opening of the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, and was part of a master plan to regenerate the area into one of the world's leading tourism, convention and entertainment areas.

While Darling Harbour and the Novotel were initially dubbed as "White Elephants", Darling Harbour has evolved to be one of the main catalysts for Sydney's and Australia's tourism boom in the 1990s, culminating in the winning of the 2000 Olympic Games, staged at Darling Harbour and Homebush Bay.

Accor followed up the Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour with two other new hotel developments alongside the hotel - the Hotel Ibis Darling Harbour and the Grand Mercure Darling Harbour. In addition, Accor manages the nearby Mercure Lawson and All Seasons Darling Harbour, as well as the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The French-owned group has grown to 100 hotels and resorts in Australia in 10 years - three times more than its nearest competitor - under the brands, Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1. And the growth is set to continue with the launch of the Novotel Daydream Island Resort later this year, and a number of new Formule 1 and Ibis hotels.

Accor's Blue Line Cruises is also expanding its Sydney Harbour cruise fleet, with the arrival of a $5 million catamaran in September aimed at the upmarket tourist and MICE sector. The Magistic Two will operate out of Blue Line Cruises' new base at King Street Wharf, opposite Darling Harbour.

Commenting on the 10th anniversary, Accor Asia Pacific Chairman, David Baffsky, said that Darling Harbour had played a crucial role in both the success of Sydney as a tourist and MICE destination and the growth of Accor in Australia.

"Darling Harbour was an adventurous project that showed great foresight and vision," said Mr Baffsky. "It has enabled Sydney to become the region's - and one of the world's - leading tourist and conference and exhibition centres and has contributed substantially to the doubling of Australia's tourist numbers over the past decade.

"The launch of Accor and the Novotel overcame a number of hurdles at the time, including global and local recessions, airline disputes and closures, a massive over-supply of rooms and the lack of market awareness of the Novotel brand.

However, the downturn in the industry gave Accor a unique opportunity to grow rapidly and make its mark, and since then we have introduced all the other Accor brands to Australia.

"Our involvement in key infrastructure projects has continued, with Accor being the first hotel group to establish a hotel in an Olympic Park, contributing significantly to the success of the 2000 Olympics.

"Tourism is now Australia's fourth largest contributor to the economy, and is the most dynamic creator of employment. Accor alone employs 8,000 people across the country and in the past year, Accor has introduced Academie Accor and the Indigenous Employment Programme to further improve the skills base of the industry.

"While economic conditions are once again difficult for the tourism and hospitality sector in Australia, we are confident that the progress we made in the past decade can be continued, and even accelerated. The importance of building a comprehensive network has been crucial to Accor's growth, while being able to provide a 'galaxy' of services in the tourism sector gives the company a special place in the industry. We have joint-ventures in catering, car rental, travel agencies and we are now launching Accor Corporate Services, one of Accor's most successful businesses overseas."

Mr Baffsky said that consolidation in the Australian hotel sector would continue, with global groups exercising more influence, and that technology would have an ever-growing impact, particularly in terms of reservations.

"Tourism is Australia's most exciting industry, and I am proud that Accor has been able to play such a major role in it over the past decade. We now have the benefits of a highly skilled industry, world-class product and the legacy of the Olympics to build on the success of the past," said Mr Baffsky.

Accor is the worldwide leader in travel, tourism and corporate services, employing 145,000 employees in 140 countries, with two major international activities:

* hotels: 3,600 hotels (400,000 rooms) in 90 countries (including over 100 hotels and resorts in Australia and New Zealand under the brands Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1) as well as travel agencies, restaurants and casinos;

* services to corporate clients and public institutions: each day, 12 million people in 31 countries use a broad range of services (Food Vouchers, People's Care, Expenses Management, Social Services, Incentive / Events) engineered and managed by Accor.