The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
UPCOMING EVENT - LAND LEASE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT 10 DAYS TO GO
10 DAYS TO GO - LAND LEASE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
REGISTER NOWREGISTER
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
2
print
Print
HotelEditorial DeskMon 11 Mar 19

Accor Replaces Hotel Manager After Racially Segregating Guests

b7064e69-69e0-4da6-94cc-a53bd99b58b5

International hotels giant AccorHotels has appointed interim management to oversee its Ibis Styles hotel in Alice Springs in the wake of allegations that staff had been segregating Aboriginal guests into designated and inferior rooms.

The revelations, which were first reported by the ABC’s Background Briefing program, alleged that hotel staff had been directed to place guests from remote Aboriginal communities into lower quality rooms.

Undercover recordings and a whistleblower account revealed that Aboriginal guests were being charged the same pricing as other guests for rooms with dirty sheets, clothing belonging to former guests, exposed wires, as well as food and broken glass on the floor.

The instructions to racially profile guests were given in an email sent to Ibis Styles Alice Springs staff last June.

“These rooms are to be referred to as community rooms and we will try to limit them to just that, those coming from the communities. Reception ladies, please use a touch of initiative and allocate accordingly on arrival.”

--said an internal email obtained by the ABC.

Related: US Hospitality Giant Buys Darwin's SkyCity Casino

The outside of rooms at the Ibis Styles in Alice Springs.
Image: ABC


Non-negotiable values

Accor, which is the largest operator of hotels in Australia and the fourth-largest operator in the world, owns more than 3,500 hotels globally, including the budget Ibis Styles brand.

According to a statement released by the French multinational company, Accor has since initiated an investigation into the allegations and has taken “prompt and decisive action on this incident at the highest level”.

“At this time, interim management has been appointed to the hotel while we investigate,” a spokesperson from Accor said.

“We are extremely saddened and disappointed by this as it completely goes against our values and track record as a company with over 17 years of engagement with our Indigenous community, through our leading Indigenous programs.”

“An internal investigator has been appointed and we will appoint an external investigator to advise on this review.”

Accor has planned for anti-discrimination training over the coming days with every team member at the hotel participating in an attempt to reiterate the “non-negotiable values of the business” while the investigation is undertaken.

HotelAustraliaSector
AUTHOR
Editorial Desk
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Exclusive

Starchitect Ivan Harbour on the Power of Small Spaces

Taryn Paris
6 Min
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
View All >
Office

Top 5 Office A-REITS in 2025

Shravanth Reddy
Gold Coast Light Rail Scrapping hero
Infrastructure

Light Rail Axing Won’t Slow Southern Gold Coast Surge

Phil Bartsch
Sponsored

Getting Accommodation Right, from Games to Legacy

From athlete beds to long-term homes: WT outlines why smart planning now is key to Brisbane’s Olympic legacy…
LATEST
Office

Top 5 Office A-REITS in 2025

Shravanth Reddy
3 Min
Gold Coast Light Rail Scrapping hero
Infrastructure

Light Rail Axing Won’t Slow Southern Gold Coast Surge

Phil Bartsch
5 Min
Infrastructure

Getting Accommodation Right, from Games to Legacy

7 Min
138 Barkers Road HERO
Placemaking

SPG Founder Seeks Density Boost for Hawthorn Super Lot

Leon Della Bosca
3 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/accor-launches-alice-springs-investigation