Sydney Olympic Park. A sign of the times

The hotel sector is a among restaurants, airlines, retailers, tourism operators and others offering bargains to attract trade. For example, the room rate at Accor’s five-star Pullman property, at Sydney Olympic Park, usually at $250 per night, will drop to $79, during a promotion from April 1 to July 31 Rooms at the Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis hotels around Australia, must booked on February 24, 25, and 26. “We anticipate the first half of the year is going to be weak, particularly from the corporate and conference sector,” said Peter Hook, a spokesman for Accor, Australia’s largest hotelier, the Weekend Australian Financial Review.