Accor Expands Portfolio in Australia via Major Deal with Salter Brothers

(01 Apr 2022, 12:17 +07)  In one of Australia’s largest hotel management portfolio deals for over a decade, Salter Brothers has confirmed that its portfolio of hotels, acquired as part of the recent Travelodge acquisition, will be joining the global hotel giant Accor at the start of the 2023 financial year.

The management agreement, which includes a link to ESG outcomes, will see its hotels (2000+ rooms) rebranded to ibis Styles, Mercure and Novotel hotels when they join the 340+ Accor network of hotels, apartments and resorts across Australia.

Paul Salter, Managing Director of Salter Brothers, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Accor for the operation of this acquired portfolio, which will include rebranding the hotels to leading ibis Styles, Mercure and Novotel brands, and welcome Accor’s commitment to an Australian first innovative ESG-linked management agreement.

“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. This may include targets such as green energy procurement, waste and energy, water reduction and diversity.

Paul Salter with Sarah Derry

“This agreement will not only lead to a high quality experience for our customers, who will benefit from Accor’s commitment to operating excellence and focus on the guest, but also our partners, investors and the industry as a whole as it drives value and fuels sustainable outcomes. The domestic travel market is showing very promising signs of recovery, and we believe that with our major refurbishment program in the properties and Accor as our partner under this innovative approach to management, we can take full advantage of this opportunity.”

The deal gives Salter Brothers access to Accor’s powerful distribution engine and lifestyle loyalty program, ALL – Accor Live Limitless, along with significant extended benefits created by Accor’s major strategic partnerships with Accor Stadium and Qantas.

“We are delighted to be adding these great hotels to our growing portfolio; it brings new opportunities for our people, partners and guests. Expanding our footprint with these incredible properties will bring more choice for our customers and realise significant commercial benefits for Salter Brothers. Tourism is critical to the economic growth of our region and future job creation,” said Accor Pacific Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Derry.

The deal is Accor’s largest integration since its $1.2 billion acquisition of Mantra Group in 2018, which brought the Art Series, Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree brands under Accor.

Nine of the properties will become Mercure hotels, growing Mercure from 44 properties in Australia to 53.

Ms Derry commented, “The Salter Brothers integration is the latest chapter in Accor’s strong growth story in the Pacific region. These hotels are located in amazing central city locations and the best metropolitan areas and we are working with Salter Brothers to reinvigorate the portfolio, setting them up for success with the next generation of travellers and signalling our confidence in the return of corporate travel.”

From luxury to economy, Accor has more than 340 hotels, resorts and apartments to choose from in Australia, including international brands such as Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Peppers, The Sebel, Mantra, Novotel, Mercure, Tribe, BreakFree, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis Budget.

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