Accor Advances Industry-Leading Inclusion Initiatives Across Its Australian Hotel Network

SYDNEY – Accor is deepening its commitment to meaningful inclusion across Australia through the expansion of Welcome With Pride’s evidence-based training and accreditation program across its hotel network. The initiative responds to research showing many LGBTIQ+ travellers still change how they dress, act or speak while travelling to avoid discrimination.

More than half of LGBTIQ+ travellers feel unsafe being themselves while on holiday, with 60% hiding their sexuality or gender identity when travelling, according to research by Welcome With Pride in consultation with LGBTIQ+ communities across Australia. The findings highlight a widening gap between rainbow symbolism and genuine safety, with many travellers changing their behaviour in order to avoid discrimination, such as avoiding affection in public, checking in separately, or minimising conversations about partners, families, or identities.

The study determined that LGBTIQ+ travellers want clear, consistent and meaningful action: staff who are trained, systems that are inclusive, and environments where they do not have to second-guess whether it is safe to hold hands or share their pronouns.

To help address this, Welcome With Pride has created Australia’s first evidence-based inclusion training and accreditation program for tourism and hospitality. Co-designed with LGBTIQ+ communities, the program focuses on practical actions that foster safer and more inclusive experiences, including training staff to use inclusive language, avoid harmful assumptions, and foster environments where guests feel welcomed, respected and comfortable being themselves.

As Australia’s leading hotel operator, Accor is the largest national adopter of the program, with 32 hotels enrolled across the country and a target of 50 by the end of 2026. Teams at participating hotels report substantial cultural change, with 87% of staff feeling more confident, 89% feeling more aligned with Accor’s values of authenticity and belonging, and 92% proud to work for a company investing in inclusion.

The impact has been felt not only by guests, but also by Heartists – Accor’s global community of hospitality professionals. At Novotel Perth Murray Street, the training sparked a cultural shift within the hotel. One transgender team member described the program as transformative, sharing: “This training has made a difference to how I show up at work. It gave me reassurance on how I look, act and speak as a person to those around me and made me feel more comfortable in my own skin.”

The hotel’s Director of Talent & Culture, Jai McNaughton, explains: “We didn’t just want to look inclusive — we wanted to be inclusive. The difference has been extraordinary. One of our team members told me how much they felt seen during the training, and you cannot put a price on that. Our engagement score jumped by more than 11% after completing the program. The shift in culture, confidence, and empathy has been real.”

Accor continues its national rollout, with Pullman Sydney Hyde Park accredited in late 2025, and more recently Mercure Alice Springs Resort, ibis budget Brisbane Airport, ibis budget Sydney Olympic Park and more, progressing through accreditation. This work embeds inclusive practices into daily operations, from welcoming guest interactions to updated internal processes and language guidelines.

Charlie Douty, Founder and Director of Welcome With Pride says the research makes clear what Australia’s LGBTIQ+ travellers need and expect - and what the tourism sector must do next:

Now, more than ever, we need businesses to show us what they stand for. When LGBTIQ+ communities travel, we are constantly second guessing how gay, or how trans, we can be. Welcome With Pride exists so that we can choose businesses that support us. We exist so that we can express ourselves without fear, and without hesitation. We exist so that we feel that powerful feeling of belonging when we know we are understood, respected and celebrated for who we truly are.

Welcome With Pride is calling on the broader tourism and hospitality sector to adopt evidence-based approaches rather than symbolic gestures - and to join a national movement focused on creating spaces where everyone can travel with confidence.

I am incredibly proud of our teams and leaders across the Pacific who have embraced this training with such openness and conviction. Creating environments where every guest and every team member feels safe and respected is fundamental to who we are at Accor. The commitment shown by our hotels reflects a genuine determination to turn meaningful action into everyday practice. This is the type of leadership that strengthens our culture and elevates the experience we offer to all who walk through our doors.

Adrian Williams, Accor’s Chief Operating Officer in the Pacific region

In 2022, Accor introduced an industry-leading Gender Affirmation Policy across the Pacific region, providing support for team-members navigating gender affirmation in the workplace. The policy includes access to a gender affirmation support plan, the ability for team-members to choose the uniform they feel most comfortable in, and the use of chosen pronouns across internal systems, supported by dedicated training and peer-led inclusion initiatives.

The rollout of Welcome With Pride training and accreditation will continue across Accor’s network throughout 2026 and beyond, further strengthening the Group’s commitment to inclusion across its hotels nationwide.

About Welcome With Pride

Welcome With Pride is Australia’s first LGBTIQ+ inclusive tourism training and accreditation platform, helping travel and hospitality businesses create environments where all guests feel safe, respected and free to be themselves. Developed through research with more than 1,000 LGBTIQ+ travellers, Welcome With Pride provides industry-specific training, accreditation and practical resources designed to foster authentic inclusion and improve guest experiences across the tourism sector. The platform partners with leading hospitality and tourism organisations to drive meaningful change and help travellers confidently identify inclusive stays and experiences.

Media Contact

Sarah Lipkin

PR & Communications Manager, Pacific [email protected]