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NRL players can rest easy—literally—with hotel stays sorted through 2027. The NRL has just extended its partnership with Accor Hotels, ensuring players will be tucking into continental breakfasts and those tiny shampoo bottles until at least 2027. The deal gives the league continued access to swanky stays across Sofitel, Novotel, and Ibis properties—which means everyone from star fullbacks to assistant coaches is now officially booked and bougie.

It’s more than just pillow-top mattresses and upgraded minibars—this partnership helps cut major logistical headaches for teams, offering streamlined accommodation for travel, games, and preseason bootcamps (and maybe a cheeky staycation after a brutal loss). Accor, for its part, gets prime sports sponsorship clout and a footy fan clientele with a healthy appetite for both loyalty points and victory beers.

This move also signals the NRL’s growing corporate polish—less punch-ons at pub trivia, more neatly pressed partnerships. Sport in 2025 is as much about branding as it is about bruising tackles, and hotel comfort is now part of the game plan. The update? The deal was inked with all the PR flair of a red carpet event, and players can now snooze their way across Australia in five-star comfort.

Accor wins, the NRL wins, and if you’ve ever wanted to sleep where your team sleeps—congrats, that Ibis is now iconic. Sources: The Australian (30 April 2025)