PARIS – Accor announced that the group is kicking off the year with a full schedule of new hotel openings around the world. Despite the challenges the travel industry faces in 2020, Accor maintained a steady pace of development and continued to sign new projects, leading to a roster of new hotel openings throughout 2021.
“As we are all too familiar, 2020 had a profound impact on our day-to-day lives and the hospitality industry as a whole; even so, the early stages of a global rebound will be material and significant,” said Agnes Roquefort, global chief development officer. “Despite the delays and temporary closures we experienced due to the pandemic, we continued to experience sustained momentum across our development pipeline and are optimistic that the worldwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines will lead to renewed trust in travel and a much greater sense of personal safety for the entire global population.”
Accor expects its number of lifestyle hotel openings to triple by 2023. The segment currently accounts for roughly five percent of the group’s annual revenue, while representing 25 percent of the company’s development pipeline by value. The recently announced joint venture with Ennismore, expected to close in Q2 2021, will contribute to a diverse platform with new properties opening their doors, including Mondrian Shoreditch London, JO&JOE Vienna Westbahnhof, SO/ Sotogrande Resort & Spa, SLS Dubai, and 25hours Dubai.
Accor’s luxury segment will expand with the addition of Banyan Tree Doha in Qatar and Raffles properties in Udaipur and Jeddah. The Fairmont brand will see the opening of the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, along with Fairmont Windsor in England; Carton House, a Fairmont managed hotel in Dublin; Fairmont Ramla Riyadh; Fairmont Ambassador Seoul; and, Fairmont Tagazhout Bay in Morocco. Sofitel will arrive in several new destinations including Seoul, Hangzhou, and Adelaide.
Conversion will continue to be a growth driver in 2021 and beyond. Across the group’s brand portfolio, conversion opportunities include The House of Originals (luxury), MGallery (upper oremium), Mövenpick (premium), Grand Mercure (premium), Mercure (midscale), ibis Styles (economy), and greet (budget). These seven brands account for 43 percent of Accor’s opening pipeline over the next five years. MGallery will welcome several new hotels in key gateway locations this year, including Orchard Hills Residences Singapore – MGallery, The Silveri Hong Kong – MGallery, and The Porter House Hotel – MGallery in Sydney, Australia.
