TWO Accor hotels in Australia have become the first in the country to roll out the group’s market-specific service initiatives targeting Indian guests.

Accor Australia introduced similar standards targeting Chinese visitors in April (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 1).

Staff at the Mercure Sydney and Menzies Sydney hotels have been trained to respect Indian cultural and religious differences, while a whole host of extras are available, including Indian dishes on F&B menus; welcome kits in Hindi; Indian adaptor plugs; Indian television channels and newspapers; and Indian snacks and drinks in the minibar.

Australia experienced 11 per cent growth in Indian visitors last year, with a total of 128,000 Indian arrivals who spent A$614 million (US$643 million) during their stay.

Meanwhile, Accor Australia representatives will be visiting India on trade missions to encourage more Indians to visit the destination. Accor sales staff will be travelling to Mumbai and Hyderabad, in conjunction with the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau and Tourism Australia, respectively, to promote Australia as a leisure and business destination.