Accor expects franchises to lead its Pacific hotel portfolio

Accor expects franchising to account for more than half of its Pacific hotel portfolio for the first time, with more than 150 franchised hotels already operating in Australia. The outlook, outlined by Pacific chief operating officer Adrian Williams at a Sydney media lunch, signals a growing role for franchise ownership within the group’s regional network.

Australian franchises underpin the outlook

Speaking at the lunch reported by Travel Weekly on 29 September 2026, Williams said Accor now had more than 150 franchised hotels in Australia. He also said the group expected franchising to represent more than 50 per cent of its Pacific portfolio for the first time.

Those figures describe two different geographical measures: the existing franchised hotel count covers Australia, while the anticipated majority relates to the wider Pacific portfolio. The report did not give a date for reaching that threshold or a country-by-country breakdown of the expected change.

Accor currently operates more than 420 hotels across the Pacific. Williams described the company as the market’s largest franchise platform, alongside its position as a brand group and management company. That market-ranking claim was made by Accor rather than presented as an independently verified comparison.

For Australia’s franchise community, the central development is the expected change in the composition of an established hotel network. Williams’ comments put franchising at the centre of Accor’s regional growth story, rather than treating it as a smaller component of the portfolio.

Greet adds a conversion-focused option

Williams highlighted Greet as a conversion-friendly brand and said it had opened in Alice Springs in August. He also indicated that further signings were coming, although he did not identify the properties or provide details.

The Alice Springs opening gives a concrete Australian example alongside the broader portfolio forecast. However, the report did not disclose the hotel’s ownership arrangements, investment requirements or commercial terms. Its inclusion in the discussion should not be read as confirmation of a particular franchise agreement.

For prospective hotel franchisees, the distinction between a brand’s suitability for conversions and the terms of an individual opportunity matters. An existing property owner considering a brand change would need to examine the specific agreement and property requirements, rather than relying on the group’s overall growth figures.

The information available establishes Greet’s arrival in Alice Springs and its place in Accor’s conversion-focused offering. It does not establish the scale or timing of any subsequent Australian rollout.

More openings across the Pacific

Accor expects about 20 further openings across the Pacific by the end of 2026. Williams identified recent openings in Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as Peppers Clear Mountain and Novotel St Kilda.

That opening forecast covers Accor’s wider Pacific business. The research does not identify how many of the planned hotels will be franchised, so the figure should not be treated as a forecast of 20 additional franchise openings.

The Sydney briefing also followed Accor’s signing of a 143-room Novotel for Reve Group’s Nova Rêve precinct at Castle Hill. That hotel is scheduled to open in early 2029, placing it on a longer development timetable than the properties expected to open before the end of this year.

The Castle Hill signing adds a named Australian project to the growth picture, but its operating arrangement was not specified in the report. It therefore illustrates the broader development pipeline rather than a confirmed addition to the franchised hotel count.

Event demand informs the growth discussion

Williams also pointed to event travel as a driver of hotel demand, citing rugby in Perth and the AFL and NRL grand finals in Melbourne and Sydney. His comments connected the portfolio discussion with the reasons guests are travelling, rather than focusing solely on new hotel supply.

The briefing did not provide occupancy, room-rate or franchisee profitability figures. Consequently, the expansion outlook is evidence of Accor’s plans and expectations, not proof of the financial performance of any individual property.

Practical takeaway: Hotel owners exploring an Accor franchise should distinguish Australian figures from Pacific-wide forecasts, confirm the operating model of any proposed property and assess its specific costs and local demand before making a commitment.