Accor, Australia’s largest hotel operator, has joined the newly formed Australian Restaurant and Café Association (ARCA) as a founding hotel partner.
ARCA was established to provide a voice and action on behalf of an industry that numbers some 54,000 venues, employs over 450,000 people, and contributes up to A$64 billion (US$43.5 billion) to the Australian economy.
Renowned industry figures, including Neil Perry and Chris Lucas, set up the association, which has Wes Lambert as CEO.
The new industry association is already advocating to influence all levels of government in areas including taxation, skilled worker shortages, wages, rents, dining restrictions, and inflation.
It follows figures released recently by Australian credit reporting firm, CreditorWatch, which predicted that one in every 11 Australian hospitality businesses could fail in the next 12 months as the cost of living crisis worsens.
Accor Pacific director of F&B, Ben Creek, said it was important to partner with ARCA to provide a united voice on the issue.
“We look forward to working with other ARCA members to collaborate and advance the hospitality community as a whole… We invest considerably in training and development, which benefits the wider hospitality industry. Committing such high levels of investment relies on the profitability of our venues, but the current regulatory framework is not providing the support we need.
“The industry as a whole is looking for a fairer deal. We employ and train so many Australians, but there will always be times when we need skilled labour, and currently that is problematic, especially in attracting skilled personnel to regional areas.”
Accor operates more than 223 cafes and restaurants and 167 bars in its network of 350+ hotels, resorts and apartments across the country.
