Accor, a global hospitality group with a diverse and fully integrated hospitality ecosystem, introduces Emblems Collection, a portfolio of boutique hotels and resorts. Emblems Collection is launching with a flagship hotel—Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection in China’s Guizhou province, slated to open in December 2022. The brand is expected to grow to 60 properties around the world by 2030.
“Emblems Collection adds a fresh and exciting new dimension to Accor’s luxury offerings. A key focus of our growth and development strategy is to add aggressively across our strongest lines and leading business accelerators, which includes luxury as well as collection brands, while ensuring all 40+ brands in our global network continue to grow, evolve and flourish,” said Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor. “The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travelers who appreciate high-end, boutique-style experiences, as well as by hoteliers who cherish the independent brands they’ve built while desiring the benefits that come with a global partner.”
With the creation of Emblems Collection, Accor is broadening its footprint in the collection brands space and will look to replicate the success it has achieved with MGallery Hotel Collection, a portfolio that now counts more than 100 boutique hotels worldwide. With a similar free-spirited approach, yet focused on the luxury segment, Emblems Collection will feature hotels that are emblematic of their designers, demographics, or destinations. Appealing to the stylish and the smart set, signature elements of the brand’s hotels will include surroundings, Instagram-able pools, and public spaces. Hotels and resorts joining the Emblems Collection will fall into three categories:
- Emblems Collection Heritage—hotels that are landmarks of a destination; the buildings that contribute to the character of a city, place, or nation; properties that celebrate the hallmarks of history and classic cultural traditions.
- Emblems Collection Retreat—resort properties along beaches, countrysides, or mountains, offering spa and wellness experiences with holistic care and enrichment through rituals, serenity, and wellbeing.
- Emblems Collection Signature – design-led hotels that embody an aesthetic universe, an ode to the style and signature of the designers or original residents who contributed to the hotel’s unique legacy.
The Emblems Collection brand is designed with the needs of independent and boutique hotel owners in mind. For those seeking to upgrade their property’s status and give their global profile a boost, the hotel brand standards of the collection are flexible, light, and easy to attain, with opportunities to sign franchise agreements—the only Accor luxury brand to offer this option. The new brand will encourage its hotels to retain their identities, which is important to hoteliers who have invested in creating a certain style for their hotel and/or market. Moreover, Emblems Collection provides direct ROI and the opportunity to maximize revenue with immediate access to the power of Accor’s sales, distribution, and loyalty platform.
“For owners and developers who have created unique luxury hotels, or are looking to develop a new upmarket offering, we offer a collection brand that can boost their property’s status and profile with limited investment in marketing and branding, along with an easy transition process,” said Agnes Roquefort, chief development officer, Accor. “With Emblems Collection, a hotelier can optimize their costs and operations right away by leveraging Accor’s powerful global distribution and supply networks, while expanding their audience reach from the moment they join. We look forward to working collaboratively with more hoteliers and development partners to bring more hotels around the world to this outstanding collection.”
Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection is the inaugural flagship of the new hotel portfolio, residing in the city’s Guiyang Art Centre. Originally built as a private residence, the property attracts visitors with its landscaping, grounds, and wellness ambience.
The city of Guiyang is known for its warm climate, being centrally located in the province of Guizhou, and enjoys a location along the north bank of the Nanming River. Often referred to as the ‘capital of summer resorts in China’, Guiyang is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, a tourism hotspot, and a popular destination for travelers both domestically and from afar.
“As one of the most important hospitality markets in the world, China is the perfect location for Accor to launch our newest luxury brand, and we are honored to work with our trusted partner, HLC Group on this landmark project. HLC is a respected business leader in Guizhou province and recognized as one of China’s top private enterprises; we are delighted to partner with them to bring our shared vision of the new Emblems Collection hotel in Guiyang to life,” said Gary Rosen, CEO, Greater China, Accor. “This grand and enigmatic property has long captured the attention of residents and visitors to Guiyang. Emblems Collection will bring a fresh, modern expression of luxury living to this iconic landmark, setting the high standards of hospitality and style that we expect for this brand as it expands to other markets worldwide.”
With 64 suites and two ballrooms, the hotel has a mix of atmosphere, style, and innovation. Whether enjoying the swimming pool, spa, and fitness area, or the social buzz of one of the hotel’s bars, lounges, and restaurants, the Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection is certain to become a popular hotel of the capital city of Guizhou province.
With a plan to grow the collection to 60 properties by 2030, Accor is actively seeking new properties to be part of the collection in targeted destinations across the globe. Paris and Prague are two key cities where heritage hotels might be candidates for Emblems Collection Heritage or Emblems Collection Signature. Other target cities for potential growth include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Marrakech, Cairo, Amman, Doha, Moscow, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney, Montréal, New York, Havana, Cartagena, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, among others. For the Emblems Collection Retreat, short-listed destinations include Tuscany, Mykonos, Bodrum, Algarve, Bali, Australia’s Gold Coast, and Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
