AccorThe largest hotel group in New Zealand, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachael Nicholson as Director, Commercial – New Zealand and Fiji. Rachael Nicholson, based in Auckland joins the Group’s commercial leadership team.
Rachael is a highly accomplished tourism executive with over 20 years’ international experience in the hotel, airline and cruise industries. She has a strong track record in sales, commercial leadership, strategic transformation and customer experience.
Rachael’s most recent position was as Group General Director of Operations for Heritage Hotel Management. She led the post COVID recovery efforts of a ten-property portfolio. Her leadership focused primarily on restoring operation performance, driving revenues growth, enhancing customer satisfaction, as well as accelerating digital transition.
Rachael was with Air New Zealand for 18 years in various senior positions. Rachael played a major role in the airline’s pandemic response, international relaunch and introduction of ultra long-haul flights to Chicago and New York. She also developed global sales strategies and managed critical international partnerships.
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Rachael is a B.Sc. Rachael holds both a B.Sc. He has also contributed to academic publications such as the Journal of Travel Research The following are some examples of how to get started: Journal of Vacation Marketing. She is an advocate of the tourism industry and has been a mentor for many years with the Travel Industry Mentor Experience Program (TIME), which supports emerging talent in the industry.
Rachael joins the Accor Pacific commercial team under the leadership of Anne Gill, Vice President Commercial Market Strategy & Performance – Pacific. “Rachael brings to the table a rare mix of commercial acumen and industry experience, as well as strategic insight.” Anne. Her appointment reflects Accor’s ambition to invest in exceptional leadership, and reflects its ambitious growth plans for New Zealand and Fiji. It also reflects Accor’s continued focus on delivering a strong commercial outcome for our owners.
Rachael’s new role was reflected in her words: “The company’s scale, ambition, and commitment to excellence – from delivering outstanding guest experiences to its support for people, and its clear focus on performance – is genuinely impressive. I have been impressed with the level of commitment, the quality of leadership and the talent of the entire business. “I’m excited to work with the tourism industry to grow the sector and help promote this amazing country of ours.”
The announcement comes after Accor’s 2025 Pacific Leaders Conference, held on the Gold Coast. More than 350 senior hospitality leaders gathered to discuss the future of the industry.
