Accor shakes up its management of luxury brands
Accor is one of the biggest hotel companies in the world, with more than 4,200 operational hotels worldwide under its many brands. But despite this grand tally of properties, the name Accor would not necessarily be associated with the ever-malleable term "luxury". The idea of luxury is constantly changing as consumer trends dictate industry shifts, and although Accor might have a high standing within the hospitality community for their employment and sustainability standards, the French group's brands are often thought of as merely old reliables. Well, this perception surely changed when Accor acquired FRHI, whose luxury hotels Fairmont,Raffles and Swissotel are now part of their portfolio. This acquisition increases Accor's high-end holdings, and the group has also benefited from the return of former COO Chris Cahill, who is something of an expert in the luxury sector. And he has been shaking things up from within the company in terms of management.
Cahill has been focusing on reorganising the management structure of these brands so that like-brands are grouped together and that each brand pursues its own specific pattern of programming. Cahill believes that, rather than following the practices of other large hotel groups who have management of all tiers come together to report, Accor should be linking together regional management of its luxury brands so that they aren't burdened by the driving factors of the lower-end hotel brands, which of course are different for each. He is also borrowing from theLVMH playbook by allowing directors of each brand to implement their own particular growth and development strategies, as opposed to employing a trans-brand policy across the board. Cahill is also slowing down the integration of these new brands with the group's existing portfolios, especially in terms of re-branding and loyalty systems, which he says are different for each brand and what is good for one might not necessarily be good for the other.
The following projects by Accor Hotels are under construction:
Swissotel Sofia
Fashionable new hotel will include 200 hotel rooms as well as 81 serviced residences, and will be part of Grand Kanyon Sofia, a stunning mixed-use development that is generating significant interest as an important new hub for business and leisure travellers [Read More…]
Fairmont Bahrain
The hotel is in the early stages of development in the Al Jazayer area, which is a mixed-use project comprising of a public beach, retail and restaurant outlets, hospitality components, and entertainment facilities [Read More…]
Sofitel Tirana Palace
This hotel has been built in the spirit of hotel that looks out over the world. The architecture is a mix of neo-Greco-Roman with a brilliant Albanian touch [Read More…]
More information on luxury hotels can be found onTOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider in the exchange of cutting-edge information of hotel construction in the international hospitality industry.
Lennart Kooy
associate partner TOPHOTELMEDIA
TOPHOTELPROJECTS
