Accor Looks to Expand Luxury/Upscale Product

Exciting news for the luxury hotel segment today: At the ITB Berlin trade fair, Accor announced its plans to have 400 hotels in its Luxury/Upscale market by 2015. Currently, the operator has a network of 300 hotels, with 65,000 rooms worldwide in this segment.

Currently, 42 percent of the Group’s luxury/upscale hotels are located in Asia Pacific and 35 percent are in key European cities. Development will be conducted in asset light with a prominence of management contracts, the Group’s preferred model on the luxury/upscale segment. Focus will be on emerging markets, including Latin America, Middle East and Asia Pacific which counts, on its own, over 60 percent of the current pipeline (key countries include China, Vietnam and Indonesia). The segment’s gross revenue has raised by 15 percent in 2012.

Launch of Grand Mercure Maha Cipta

Accor also unveiled a second adaptation of the Grand Mercure brand in the world, with the Maha Cipta brand in Indonesia.

“After the successful launch of the tailor-made brand Grand Mercure MeiJue in China, we are launching Grand Mercure Maha Cipta on a market where we are already the leading player,” remarked Mr. Grégoire Champetier, Accor Global Chief Marketing Officer. “We have tailored Grand Mercure for local travelers looking for regional inspirations...To meet these expectations, we intend to continue the development of the Grand Mercure brand in other key regions.”