Hotels not sheepish about Chinese New Year

Chinese travellers in Australia won’t miss out on the chance to celebrate ‘Year of the Sheep’ when the Lunar New Year celebrations kick off in over 50 Accor hotels across the country from Thursday 19 February during the two week festival.

From red lanterns adorning lobbies and floral displays to welcome cocktails, special buffets and menus, red envelopes, fortune cookies, traditional costumes and dragon dances, guests staying for Chinese New Year will feel right at home during the festive period at Accor hotels ranging from ibis to Sofitel.

Guests staying at Pullman Sydney Hyde Park will be treated to traditional Sticky Cakes on the breakfast buffet and Chinese themed canapés such as dumplings and Xio Long Bao (pork buns) in the hotel lobby from 5-6.30pm.

Across town at Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour there will be live cooking stations to showcase the Asian Wok Kitchen in the new restaurant The Ternary – and have special red chopsticks and napkins. Chinese style cocktails and beer will also be available during the festival. Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach has also specially ordered in Chinese beer for inbound groups to enjoy at the bar, and served by staff in traditional Chinese costume.

Chinese New Year festivities continue further north at Mercure Gold Coast Resort with housekeepers at the hotel busy making sheep-shaped animal towels for guest rooms, and the lobby a buzz with dragon dancing on first day of Chinese New Year. Drums, dragon and lion dancing will entertain guests at hotels including Sofitel Brisbane Central, Pullman Reef Casino Cairns, Mercure Cairns Harbourside, The Swanston Hotel Grand Mercure, Mercure Welcome Melbourne and ibis Perth.

The Chinese New Year celebrations are an extension of Accor Hotels Optimum Service Standards program which enable hotels to better cater for the growing inbound market from China. Over 50 Accor hotels in Australia and New Zealand are accredited to the program.

Chief Operating Officer Accor Pacific Simon McGrath said: “Pleasingly the trend of strong inbound growth from Greater China continues with visitor arrivals up 14.3 per cent for year ending September 2014 which is good news for tourism operators. Accor hotels reported a healthy above market 37.8 per cent growth in room nights from Greater China in 2014 January-December compared to the same period previous year.

“Not surprisingly, hotels accredited with Optimum Service Standards are maintaining their competitive edge in the market, and aiding to fuel this inbound growth for Accor is our rapidly expanding hotel network in China whereby the increasing presence across all brand segments is being consolidated by our powerful loyalty program offering in the region.

“Accor has introduced specific training and service standards that ensure our staff are attuned to the sensitivities and preferences of our Chinese guests. The Optimum Service Standards program has shown Chinese travellers that we are ready to welcome them with some familiar comforts and as a result, we continue to experience a positive impact in terms of wholesale and direct online bookings from Greater China.”

The Optimum Service Standards at Accor hotels include training for Accor’s staff in cultural differences, Mandarin speaking staff, translated welcome kits, Chinese dishes included on menus and mini-bar products, Chinese location maps, newspapers and television channels. China UnionPay is also being introduced and accepted at hotels to enable guests to conveniently settle their room account with their domestic debit banking card.

For more information about Accor’s Chinese Optimum Service Standards and special offers visit www.accorhotels.com/chinaoss

ENDS