The hotel chain Accor has announced the appointment of Neil Scanlan as general manager of franchise hotels. Scanlan will focus on expanding the network of 70 hotels across Australia and New Zealand.

Scanlan has held several senior appointments in his 15 years with Accor, including country manager of New Zealand, and for the past five years has been regional general manager Queensland.

Simon McGrath, chief operating officer Accor Australia, said “Accor is now the leader in hotel franchising in Australia and we believe there is even greater capacity to grow the network. Much of current and future franchise network is located in Queensland and with NeilÍs extensive experience of the State, he is ideally placed to build on the excellent results achieved by his predecessor, Dino Mezzatesta.”

McGrath said that Dino Mezzatesta had been appointed to the role of general manager hotel integration, which will be responsible for integrating Mirvac Hotels & Resorts following AccorÍs acquisition of the group at the end of last year.

In his new capacity Mezzatesta will work closely with the Mirvac leadership team and the Accor executive team ensure a smooth move of the Mirvac group and employees into the Accor network.