AccorHotels has confirmed that it has extended its partnership with the National Rugby league (NRL), with the signing of a new four-year agreement.
The hotel brand will continue to be the official accommodation partner of the NRL, supporting NRL Clubs and Holden State of Origin teams with their accommodation requirements across Australia and New Zealand.
Additionally, the NRL’s Indigenous ‘School To Work’ program, offering high school students the opportunity to work across the Group’s various hotels, will continue to be supported by Accor across the next four years.
Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Pacific, Simon McGrath, said: “We have thoroughly enjoyed our partnership with the NRL over the last four years and we are thrilled to be signing on as the Official Accommodation partner of the NRL until 2021.
“There is no doubt that this partnership brings together two iconic brands and through the executive leadership of Todd Greenberg and Andrew Abdo it gives us the confidence to further our commitment to the NRL for another four years. The Executive team has done an excellent job of securing major corporate partners and raising the profile of the game over the last 12 months, and we are proud to once again be a major sponsor.
“Outside of the game, the NRL is doing a tremendous amount of work to support Indigenous students through their School to Work program. It is an incredibly inspiring program and it aligns with what we are doing to grow Indigenous employment in Australia and we are proud to be working alongside the NRL in this space.
“With the 2018 season now underway, we wish all of the teams a strong start to the season and we look forward to hosting players and officials throughout the year.”
NRL Head of Commercial, Andrew Abdo thanked AccorHotels, added: “It doesn’t matter which hotel our NRL staff, players or officials stay in, the AccorHotels employees always ensure that we’re well looked after and they have set the standard for football team accommodation in Australia.
“Outside of a great place to stay, AccorHotels has invested in enabling our School To Work program, taking on a number of Indigenous students finishing up high school and wanting to gain employment experience across the hospitality and hotel sectors.
“It’s a great outcome to have the NRL and AccorHotels in partnership for another four years and I encourage our fans to enjoy any number of AccorHotels’ accommodation options across Australia, New Zealand or further abroad, either when following their teams on the road or simply heading on holiday.”