BY JAMES WILKINSON
Accor’s Vice President for Australia, Simon McGrath, says the acquisition of the Mirvac portfolio will strengthen not just the company’s position in the region, but Accor’s offering of upper-upscale and luxury product.
“Accor’s development policy is to concentrate on building up networks in already mature markets and with Accor’s leadership position Australia and New Zealand, and with the very positive results achieved in recent years, the addition of the 48 Mirvac hotels will further strengthen and enhance Accor’s leadership position in the region,” he says.
“The Mirvac hotels will also help build our presence at the upper-end of the market. Many of their hotels have established excellent reputations in the top end of the market and these new additions will help us balance our established strength in the mid-market and economy sectors with an equally high profile in the upscale sectors.
“What Accor will bring to the Mirvac hotels is an international platform that provides far greater scope and opportunities for what is largely a domestic network. Their hotels and brands are fairly well known domestically, but they have less recognition in international markets, particularly the rapidly emerging markets of Asia, where Accor is a dominant force.
“We will be able to add significantly to their hotels in the areas of distribution, sales, marketing, loyalty, procurement, technical services and human resources.
“We have successfully integrated a number of hotel groups into the Accor family over the past two decades, and the injection of new blood has always benefited the group, so we look forward to welcoming the talent that comes from buying Mirvac’s hotel business.
“In fact, many of the executives and hotel employees who came with previous acquisitions are now in key positions throughout the Accor group,” he says.
Accor’s acquisition of the Mirvac hotels portfolio will take the company’s total room count to 32,500 rooms across 241 hotels and brand positioning of the properties is set to take place in the new year.