Accor Supports Christchurch Appeal with $NZ2 Donation for Every NZ Hotel Room Sold up till 31 March

In addition, Accor announced today that the Accor Foundation would provide an immediate donation of $NZ20,000 to the Red Cross for support of their emergency water, shelter and medical programmes in Christchurch.

Vice President for Accor Hotels New Zealand, Paul Richardson said that while Accor's four hotels in Christchurch had all suffered as a result of the earthquake, it was nothing compared to the losses suffered by so many residents of Canterbury.

"Fortunately none of our staff were killed or injured, but so many other Christchurch families have been affected severely by the earthquake and we recognise there is a need for immediate support and then on-going longer term support," said Mr Richardson.

"Everyone wants to help the recovery effort, so our proposal is something that should be attractive to all travellers in New Zealand. Effectively, the more they stay, the more Accor will pay and contribute until the end of March. We encourage travellers 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."

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 Seasonsand Ibis.

Currently, three of Accor's hotels in Christchurch are closed, while one hotel - All Seasons Christchurch in Papanui Rd - has very limited accommodation open, but exclusively for emergency workers.

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.

Mr 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 who require the most support at a particular time," he said.