Accor has just passed a symbolic milestone with the opening of its 3,000th property in Europe. With a total of 340,000 rooms across 39 countries, Accor is the leading hotel operator in this region. The addition of a 26th brand, Mondrian, testifies to the Group’s ambition in the premium and lifestyle segment.
A new and iconic brand arrives in Europe
Accor announces the arrival of the brand Mondrian with two properties in France. First, with the Cannes Grand Hotel on the Croisette and its reopening forecasted in 2021. The hotel will be comprised of 75 guestrooms distributed on 11 floors, a restaurant and a bar overlooking on a 4,000 m² private garden, adjustable meeting rooms and a private beach in front of the hotel. The private beach opening in 2020 will unveiled the Lifestyle positioning of this new and unique brand in the French Riviera.
Another property will arrive in Bordeaux. The hotel, built around a 19th century building, will be comprised of 97 guestrooms each ranging between 25 and 50m² and spread over three floors. A restaurant with a 460m² bar lounge, a spa, a meeting space and an open-air terrace spanning 225m² will complete the venue, with the opening planned for the second half of 2021. This ambitious and elegant project will be launched during a groundbreaking ceremony in spring 2020 in the presence of all stakeholders who contributed to this achievement.
Mondrian is a way of travel. With its revolutionary design and progressive layout, it is a “must” destination for travelers and locals alike. Mondrian is always at the heart of the most captivating cultural scenes in the world, serving innovation and creativity for everyone. These hotels offer guests a stylish haven in collaboration with the biggest names in the industry and ground-breaking F&B and nightlife concepts.
From an economy hotel group to a leader in the luxury segment
Accor is benefiting from highly favorable operating trends in Europe – a popular destination for tourists from all over the world, the old continent represents almost 50% of the global portfolio. The Group will launch an additional 350,000 rooms worldwide by 2020.
Acceleration in the Luxury & Premium segments.
For several years, the Group has been carrying out a radical transformation by specifically choosing to expand its presence in Europe and by accelerating the development of its upscale brands, a sector in which it has been nurturing a powerful ambition since the acquisition in 2016 of the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands.
While the Group already owned four Luxury & Premium brands in 2016, it now has approximately 20 of the most prestigious, 11 of which are located in Europe. Three of those – Sofitel, Rixos and Fairmont – are ranked in the top 10 luxury brands on the continent and have allowed the Group, for the first time, to establish itself as the leader in this segment in Europe.
In just three years, Accor’s luxury and premium brands have entered nine new destinations, meaning that they are now established in 28 of the 39 countries in which the Group operates in Europe.
In 2016, the portfolio comprised approximately 100 hotels and 18,000 guestrooms. This figure has doubled today with almost 200 hotels and 38,000 rooms in 2019, and its aim is to treble the original figure with 300 hotels and 50,000 rooms by 2023.
Accor is continuing to accelerate its development in luxury and premium brands in Europe. Its signings quadrupled between 2016 and 2019 and the Group aims to increase that figure sevenfold by 2023.
Leader in mid-range and economy brands
Historically, Accor has developed its presence in Europe thanks to iconic brands such as ibis – the most well-known hotel brand in France and the number two in the world, and Mercure – the top brand in Europe in the “mid-range” segment.
Unveiled a few weeks ago, greet is the latest brand launched by the Group. It embodies what today’s citizen-consumers want from a brand – authenticity, honesty and being local. With this new brand, Accor is continuing to develop its brand portfolio and remains mindful of its partners’ needs, in order to provide its customers with memorable experiences that are constantly evolving. Driven by a locally engaged community, the brand aims to open 300 hotels in Europe by 2030.
Following the opening of its second property in Gentilly, near Paris, a few months ago, JO&JOE plans to accelerate its rollout with the opening of a third property in Paris’s 20th arrondissement, followed by other locations: London, Budapest, Glasgow, Paris Nation and Rome.
Accor Academy: accompanying and supporting development
With more than 320 hotels and 42,000 guestrooms in the pipeline over the next five years, Accor has significant room for growth. These numerous opportunities specifically rely on solutions developed internally, and all driven by employees who help to further the Group’s expansion.
The Academy – the new training hub for Europe
Launched in 2017, this project is part of the transformation plan initiated by Sébastien Bazin and aims to help Regional Operational Departments train employees, ensuring that guests staying in the Group’s hotels are provided with the most memorable experiences.
The Accor Academy in Europe serves 2,000 employees from regional head offices and more than 3,000 Accor hotels located in the 39 countries in the Europe region by offering a range of training opportunities designed on a European scale and standardized across the whole region.
The training programs are provided in the different European countries via the existing network of 11 local branches, remotely or at the new hub in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
With more than 250 training modules, some in 24 languages, and more than 1,000 in-house trainers, Accor Academy is positioning itself as the international gold standard for training in the hotel trade. Its scope covers 92 countries, via five regional academies located in Asia-Pacific, Africa & Middle East, North & Central America & the Caribbean, South America, and Europe. In 2018, the Accor Academy provided more than 4 million hours’ training worldwide.
2023: Accor aims to become leader in 25 European countries
The Group is continuing to expand its operations throughout Europe. A few weeks ago, it announced the 2021 opening of its very first Novotel in Albania, a major addition to the Group’s offering in Southeast Europe.
In just three years, the Group’s luxury brands have gained footholds in nine new European countries – Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Monaco, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Franck Gervais, CEO Europe, said, “Accor is bolstering its leadership of the European hospitality market by placing meaning and the customer experience at the heart of its approach. Accor has achieved its goal of advancing its luxury range in Europe and has succeeded in offering a portfolio of brands as wide as it is varied. We are now capable of meeting all our customers’ needs. Our hotels are living spaces where our guests come to stay, eat, enjoy a gig, work and play. We strive every day to offer a range of services that match their needs in increasingly diverse destinations.”
