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25 February 1999: Accor, the world�s largest hotel operator,
is to develop its first Ibis hotel in New Zealand, when it converts the
National Mutual building in Wellington into a 193 room 3-star hotel. Accor
also announced today that it is to develop an Ibis and Novotel hotel complex
in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie, a major medical, commercial and exhibition
precinct of the city.
The Hotel Ibis Wellington site is in Featherstone Street, in the heart of Wellington�s central business district, close to Custom House Quay and most major business and Government offices. Construction of the hotel is scheduled to commence in February, with a forecast opening date of January 2000. The Ibis will be the second Accor hotel in Wellington. In 1997, Accor took over The Terrace Regency Hotel and after a complete refurbishment, relaunched the hotel as the Novotel Wellington. The Ibis will be Accor�s seventh hotel in New Zealand, joining Novotels in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Queenstown, and Hamilton (scheduled to open in May). Hotel Ibis Wellington will be part of a global network of over 450 Ibis hotels in 25 countries. Ibis is already a major force in the Australian hotel industry, with a presence in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. New Ibis hotels are under construction at Sydney Airport and at Homebush Bay, the site of the 2000 Olympic Games. The brand is Accor�s major 3-star brand, renowned internationally for its consistent standards and genuine value-for-money rates. Aimed principally at business travellers, Ibis hotels also cater for the leisure market, both domestic and international. In addition to its 193 rooms, Hotel Ibis Wellington will have a brasserie restaurant, bar, three meeting rooms, gymnasium and parking. Accor�s Managing Director Australia/New Zealand, Michael Issenberg, said that with Wellington�s economy continuing to grow strongly, and the city�s enhanced profile as a destination for leisure travellers, he was confident that the new hotel would prove successful addition to the city�s hotel sector. �Wellington�s profile has developed very impressively in recent years, with the waterfront development, new restaurants, a vibrant arts and entertainment scene, and new attractions such as the Museum of New Zealand coming on line,� said Mr Issenberg. �We will actively promote the city and our hotels throughout Accor�s global sales, marketing and reservations network, and with the Ibis� exceptional location and good value rates, we believe that the hotel will contribute significantly to the city�s tourism infrastructure, particularly as the greatest growth potential for tourism is in the mid-range of the market.� Accor is the world�s largest hotel and tourism group, with over 2,800 hotels under brands such as Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis and Formule 1 brands, as well as extensive interests in tourism services. |
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