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Sydney, Australia’s 59-room Harbour Rocks Hotel, with Origins
Dating Back to the 1880s, Joins Accor’s MGallery Collection

October 9, 2012
- MGallery, Accor’s Collection of distinctive boutique hotels, has added one of Australia’s most historic hotels – the 4½ star Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney – to its rapidly growing network.

Sydney’s Harbour Rocks Hotel – whose origins date back to the 1880s – has joined Accor’s prestigious MGallery Collection following the completion of a total redesign and refurbishment.

The hotel is the fourth MGallery in Australia, joining The Grand Hotel and Hotel Como in Melbourne and the Fairmont Resort in the NSW Blue Mountains. A fifth, Melbourne’s Hotel Lindrum, will join the brand in December. The MGallery Collection is made up of a group of highly individual and distinctive hotels, each one remarkable for its identity. The hotels in the collection have a striking personality and a special story to tell which guests experience through the hotel’s unique features and characteristics.

The 59-room Harbour Rocks Hotel is located in the heart of Sydney’s historic Rocks district, close to the harbour-front and only a short walk to the city’s central business district. It makes the hotel an ideal base for both leisure and corporate travellers.

Built in 1887 and opened as a hotel in 1989, Harbour Rocks Hotel sits on the grounds of Sydney’s first hospital and has been stripped back to its foundations, exposing its original sandstone and brick walls and its former working cottages.  After an extensive renovation programme, the finished result is a striking fusion of raw elegance which blends old and new, featuring European touches throughout.

While satisfying the needs of modern day travellers, many aspects of the hotel reflect the building’s rich heritage, particularly the reverence for the hotel’s resident ghost, Eric.

As the legend goes, Eric was a patron of the premises in the late 1800s and was in love with Scarlett, the Madame of the house. After both declaring their love for one another, Eric had to leave on a three-month voyage overseas, but promised to marry Scarlett upon his return. However, by the time he arrived in Sydney, Scarlett had died of tuberculosis. A heartbroken Eric passed away not long after and to this day, it is said Eric's spirit lingers in the corridors of the hotel as he longs for his Scarlett. In homage to the tragic lovers the hotel's bar is named Eric's and the restaurant is named Scarlett.

One of MGallery signatures is to bring the hotel’s story to life. From the moment a guest walks into the hotel to the experience they have while in its surrounds, guests are immersed in the Harbour Rocks Hotel’s story,  For instance, Scarlett restaurant is where guests can experience a Harbour Rocks Pie, a play on a dish settlers enjoyed in the early days of the Sydney colony. On the breakfast menu, freshly made damper rolls are available, which again relate to the hotel’s historical past.

General Manager of Harbour Rocks Hotel, Michael Sheridan, said the hotel’s move to be part of the MGallery Collection was a natural fit for the hotel. “It has been an amazing experience to watch the transformation of Harbour Rocks Hotel over the last six months. For it now to be joining a world-class collection of hotels as part of MGallery is a wonderful achievement.

“The history of the hotel along with its elegant new look makes it a fitting addition to the MGallery Collection and I look forward to seeing guests experience the additional benefits provided as the hotel joins the collection.”

The “Memorable Moment”, a defining link in the hotel’s story, is a one-of-a-kind package, not readily available to the general public. The Memorable Moment package at Harbour Rocks Hotel will entail a private dinner for six in the Harbour View Suite which has views across to the Opera House with the Sydney Symphony String Quartet providing the background music. The package must be booked with the hotel at least two months in advance.

In becoming part of the Collection, Harbour Rocks Hotel joins a number of revered hotels, including the recently rebranded Como Melbourne, the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and the Grand Hotel in Melbourne. The MGallery Collection also includes the four-time “New Zealand Hotel of the Year” St Moritz in Queenstown and such distinctive properties as the Baltimore in Paris, St-Ermin’s in London, The Convent Hotel Amsterdam and Vie Hotel Bangkok.

About MGallery

MGallery is the high-end hotel Collection of the Accor group, first worldwide hotel operator, with over 4,200 hotels and 145,000 employees in 90 countries. Each hotel of the Collection stages with talent a unique personality and story, experienced by guests through its architecture, interior design and services.

Each hotel is inspired by one of the three typical atmospheres of the Collection. Some hotels present ”Heritage” origins, places filled with history; others reflect an aesthetic universe, a style, the “Signature” of a personality who contributed to their creation or decoration; others finally promise a relaxing time, “Serenity”, in a natural or urban retreat. All hotels of the Collection invite guests to experience “Memorable Moments”.

Launched in September 2008, the MGallery collection has rapidly expanded to cover five continents with 59 hotels in January 2013 and will grow to over 100 locations by late 2015. www.mgallery.com

About Accor
Accor, the world's leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is present in 92 countries with more than 4,400 hotels and 530,000 rooms. Accor's broad portfolio of hotel brands - Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all seasons/ibis Styles, Etap Hotel/Formule 1/ibis budget, hotelF1 and Motel 6 - provide an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With more than 180,000 employees* in Accor brand hotels worldwide, the Group offers to its clients and partners nearly 45 years of know-how and expertise.
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Contact:

Peter Hook
General Manager Communications
Accor Asia Pacific
T: +61-2 9280 9860
M: +61-407 462213
E: [email protected]


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