Accor continues Pullman expansion in Australia with Sydney acquisition
Quay Grand Suites Sydney has confirmed it will rebrand as the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, signalling an expansion of the five-star Pullman brand in Australia.
Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour joins two other Pullmans in Sydney – Pullman Sydney Olympic Park and Pullman Sydney Hyde Park (currently completing a massive upgrading programme following its re-branding from Sydney Marriott in May 2012).
It also joins Pullman Reef Casino in Cairns and the recently rebadged Pullman Resort Bunker Bay in Western Australia’s Margaret River region.
The Sebel Cairns, The Sebel King George Square Brisbane and The Sebel Albert Park Melbourne are all primed to take on Pullman branding within the next six months, which puts Pullman on track to becoming Australia’s largest five-star network, with the brand expected to grow to up to 15 hotels by the end of 2013.
While the Pullman name may be relatively new to Australians, the Pullman name has a very rich international pedigree, having changed the face of long-distance travel in 19th century America and, later, in Britain.
The Pullman name refers to the opulent train carriages that were designed by George Pullman in the mid-1800s which transformed travel and dining across America and became a by-word for luxury and quality.
French hotel giant Accor acquired the Pullman name in 1991, and at the time a number of hotels – including the famed Metropole Hotel in Hanoi – operated as Pullman hotels.
Accor re-launched the brand in 2007 and the brand has now established a network of over 60 hotels.