Accor has appointed Joleen Hurst to the position of General Manager at The Porter House Hotel Sydney– MGallery, set to open its luxury doors to the public this Spring.
Sarah Derry, CEO of Accor Pacific, said, “Joleen is a highly regarded senior leader at Accor. We know she will bring the experience, knowledge and commitment required to bring this extraordinary project to life.”
Located on Castlereagh Street, the multi-million luxury hotel occupies the first 10 floors of a 36-storey mixed-use tower within the re-imagined Porter House precinct. Some 131 residential apartments (with their own private entry via Bathurst Street) sit above the new signature MGallery hotel, while a multi-level dining and bar destination has been created within the restored 1870s heritage-listed building itself.
Ms Hurst says, “I am so excited to be part of this journey and introduce guests to an exciting – and elegant – new era for the iconic Porter House.
“The redeveloped Porter House plays with the concept of intriguing contrasts and by placing two extraordinary buildings together, we have created something remarkably original. I can’t wait to take local, interstate and international guests on this fascinating journey of discovery with me.”
Ms Hurst has extensive leadership and industry experience, having spent the past 20 years with Accor in a variety of general manager positions.
During her long tenure with Accor, she has presided over the luxurious Sebel Quay West Suites and Apartments at Sydney’s Circular Quay, Novotel Sydney International Airport, Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley, Mercure Sydney Parramatta, Mercure and Ibis Brisbane, Novotel Launceston and Accor Hotels Darling Harbour.
Other highlights of her impressive career to date include being appointed one of Australia’s first female General Managers at the age of 25 and being a proud past-recipient of the NSW Premier’s Award for ‘Most Outstanding Contribution to Tourism’. Internationally qualified, she has been a keynote speaker on the Art of Human Connection and is an independent director of Healthshare NSW.
Ms Hurst is also a foundation member of Accor Diversity, which was formed in 2012 to cement the group’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as priority initiatives.
MGallery is a collection of exclusive, design-led boutique hotels, each with its own original design and unique stories to tell. Once open, Porter House Hotel – MGallery will become the 11th MGallery branded address in Australia and New Zealand and join a network of 112 MGallery hotels in 36 different countries globally.
