Hotels score big in rugby tests
Accor’s hotels across New South Wales saw record occupancy with Lions and Wallabies fans turning out in their droves to see the biggest rugby test on Australian soil since 2003.
Accor’s Sydney CBD hotels were at 94% occupancy on 6 July with rooms at record demand. Accor’s hotels in the Sydney metro and regional NSW areas were at 93% occupancy across the board – figures that have not been seen outside of New Years Eve since the Sydney Olympics. Accor’s hotels in Sydney Olympic Park (Pullman, Novotel, ibis) broke all records since opening and were completely full on the night of the game. Guests of the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park couldn’t believe their luck when they realised the Lions were finalising their preparations for the game at the hotel and the players happily posed for photographs with Lions fans and joined in the celebrations.
Accor’s regional general manager for Accor NSW, Scott Boyes, said Accor hotels at Sydney Olympic Park accommodate and feed more elite athletes than any other hotel in Australia and lead the way when it comes to setting the standard in hosting sporting teams, and the British Lions tour was no exception.
“Lions and Wallabies fans soaked up the event with colour, song and passion and it was great to be part of it. The atmosphere out at Olympic Park on Saturday was unlike anything we’ve ever seen and I’m proud of the way our hotels, ANZ Stadium, The Sydney Olympic Park Authority and other businesses in the precinct presented and delivered on Saturday night. There is no doubt the Sydney Olympic Park precinct has cemented its position as Australia’s biggest and best event precinct, with all stakeholders working together to deliver a quality experience for all visitors to the park. We had DJ’s, bagpipes, anthems, Live Sites, one of Australia’s longest bars, Lions, Wallabies and an atmosphere second to none.”
“At our peak between 6-7pm on Saturday night, Pullman, Novotel and ibis Sydney Olympic Park were serving 20,000 people resulting in over 60,000 cans of beers being consumed, 11,000 meals being prepared and over 1000 people checking-in – including the British Lions themselves. Chef made sure we had plenty of quality Australian beef and high protein foods to cater for their insatiable appetites! With close to 250 hotel staff working across our Olympic Park hotels, we were able to serve over 20,000 people across 4 outlets, 8 function rooms and one specially designed 75m marquee. Since Saturday we’ve had nothing but positive feedback from guests and visitors to the precinct and it is credit to all involved in putting this incredible event together.
It wasn’t only NSW which reaped the benefits of the British Lions Rugby tour. The test series was a roaring success in Melbourne and Brisbane, with Accor hotels in Brisbane reaching 98% occupancy over Friday and Saturday night (21-22 June). For the Melbourne British Lions vs Wallabies game on 29 June, Accor’s hotels in the CBD sat at 96.8% occupancy.
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