Accor appointed as Freecity’s Living Sector Partner
Hospitality giant makes first move into Australian rental living
Freecity, Australia’s leader in Volumetric Modular Construction (VMC), today announced it has appointed Accor as its Living Sector Management Partner.
Accor will manage Freecity’s growing portfolio of Build-to-Rent (BTR) Co-Living and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) assets through a white label agreement, marking the first time Accor has extended its management expertise beyond hotels and serviced apartments into purpose-built rental housing.
Accor will manage leasing, marketing, building operations, resident services, community programming and amenity operations across Freecity’s portfolio, ensuring every resident benefits from the service standards of a world-class hospitality brand. As part of the partnership, all bookings and reservations across Freecity’s living portfolio will be made through Freecity’s new consumer-facing website and brand, creating a single destination for prospective residents.
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Freecity is pioneering VMC in Australia to deliver quality housing faster than conventional construction, and Accor’s operational expertise will be central to building the resident experience.
Lawrence Zheng, Co-Founder and Joint CEO of Freecity, said: “Accor’s decision to make its first step into this space with Freecity reflects the confidence they have placed in our pipeline, our construction capability and our vision for what rental living in Australia can be. Accor is one of the world’s great hospitality businesses, and what they bring to this partnership, across service-oriented management, supply chain, food and beverage and resident rewards programmes, will fundamentally change how people experience rental living.
“With home ownership increasingly out of reach, more Australians are renting for longer, and the supply of professionally-managed rental communities falls short of what the market needs. Innovating Future Living is Freecity’s guiding strategy to solve this serious housing need, and there is no better partner to bring that to life than a business that has built its global reputation on the resident experience.”
Adrian Williams, Chief Operating Officer of Accor in the Pacific region, said: “As the leading operator of serviced apartments in the Pacific region with more than 125 extended stay properties, expanding into the living sector is a natural and highly strategic evolution for Accor. We have extensive, proven experience managing people’s assets and delivering exceptional guest experiences daily. By partnering with Freecity, we are excited to bring our deep hospitality expertise, operational scale, and premium service standards directly to modern rental communities.
“At the core of this partnership is our guiding purpose: Pioneering the Art of Responsible Hospitality, Connecting Cultures, with Heartfelt Care. In the Build-to-Rent and student accommodation sectors, this means creating vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable communities where residents feel a true sense of belonging. Together with Freecity, we are redefining the Australian rental market by elevating everyday living into an experience driven by care, connection, and operational excellence.”
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Jerry Huang, Founder of Freecity, said: “We believe the next generation of housing should combine the efficiency of advanced manufacturing with the service and experience of great hospitality. This partnership with Accor is an important step towards that vision – creating places that are built differently and lived in differently.”
Freecity currently has three PBSA projects under construction in Sydney at Macquarie Park, Forest Lodge and Rockdale, totalling 763 units. On completion, the Macquarie Park development will be the tallest VMC building in Australia at 20 levels. Freecity is also designing what is expected to be the largest VMC building in the world, a 60-plus level BTR tower in Parramatta.
Freecity recently received development approval for a development in Rouse Hill, with three residential towers set to deliver 548 new rental homes, comprising 332 BTR apartments and 216 co-living studios, positioned directly opposite the Rouse Hill Metro station and adjacent to the Rouse Hill Town Centre.
The company is also finalising the development application for a 2.2 hectare mixed-used precinct adjacent to the new Metro Station in Sydney Olympic Park’s emerging Town Centre. The proposed development will incorporate retail, a community centre, a hotel and a mix of new residential accommodation across both Build-to-Sell and Build-to-Rent homes.
VMC sits at the core of Freecity’s delivery model. The construction method delivers greater productivity and precision, significantly less site disturbance with fewer trucks, less noise and less waste, and a stronger safety record than conventional construction. Freecity can design in line with circular economy principles, with its modular components intended for reuse at end of life.
Together with Accor’s management capability, Freecity’s construction and design approach positions them to deliver transit-oriented communities built and operated to a standard the Australian rental market has not seen before.
