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Southern Pacific Hotels is Australia and the South Pacific's largest and most established hotel group. From humble beginnings in outback New South Wales, the company has now spread its wings northwards, adding hotels throughout Asia to its prestigious portfolio of properties.
Thirty-five years ago, a small nondescript motel opened in the New Soutb Wales' highway town of Gundagai amid fanfare and some drama. A torrential downpour pushed the nearby Murrumbidgee River within two meters of the motel's door, delaying the official opening and almost washing away the precursor of what is today the Pacific/Asia region's largest and most dynamic hotel group.
At a time when out-of-town motels were the norm, Percy Ford and his partner Alan Greenway probably had little idea that their concept of a downtown development, albeit in sleepy Gundagai, would spearhead a revolution in Australia's fledgling accommodation industry. From that one motel has evolved the Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (SPHC), a company that has lost none of its founders' vision. Having assembled a recession-proof 'mix' of hotels, SPHC continues to break new ground, pioneering the concept of "transportable" hotels and venturing into difficult new markets such as India and Vietnam.
The growth has been rapid. In 1989, SPHC had just over 6,000 rooms and was 67th on the world ladder, in 1992 it had doubled its inventory of rooms and had risen to 40th on the world rankings. Development plans suggest their progress could add up to 10 hotels a year, with much of the development in the Asian sphere, highlighting the 'international' nature of the company.
All this at a time of severe economic downturn and in a manner which had earned the respect of competitors and colleagues alike. Last year, in an independent survey of nearly 2000 senior executives, directors and financial analysts, the Australian Tourism Real Estate Monitor named SPHC the "most innovative" and "most admired" tourist corporation in the country, and company chief executive Tony Young the "most admired" tourism leader. In total, the group garnered 10 of the 12 categories assessed in what is considered to be the most comprehensive survey of its type in Australia.
Such success is a long way from the quaint riverside town of Gundagai and the less than sophisticated travelling habits...