CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND—The Accor hotel group and its hotel owners announced that they will donate $1.50 for every room sold at its 29 hotels and resorts across New Zealand through March 31 in order to raise urgent funds in aid of the Christchurch earthquake relief effort. Accor will donate $1.50 per room per night for 35 days between the February 25 and the March 31.
Vice President for Accor Hotels New Zealand, Paul Richardson says, “It’s important to note that this is not a guest levy but a direct donation being contributed by each hotel, and we hope to raise in excess of $154,000.
“Put simply, the more you stay, the more Accor will pay and contribute over the next 35 days,” Richardson says. “We encourage travelers and our tourism industry partners to help us help the people of Christchurch as they face what will be a highly emotional and challenging recovery period in the coming weeks.”
Three Christchurch Hotels Closed
Accor has 29 hotels across the North and South Islands in New Zealand, with a range of brands including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis. Currently, three of Accor’s hotels in Christchurch are closed, while one hotel—All Seasons Christchurch in Papanui Rd.—has very limited availability.
Decisions on the other three hotels will only be made after a full examination and assessment by engineers and the emergency authorities. All guests and staff who were in the hotel at the time of the earthquake were evacuated safely.
Richardson says donations from the first week will be made to the Red Cross in New Zealand.
“Due to the dynamic and changing nature of the tragedy, funds raised in subsequent weeks will be allocated to other organizations to ensure that our fundraising efforts are utilized in the most effective way via those organizations that require the most support at a particular time,” he said.
Go to Accor Hotels New Zealand.
