AccorHotels Group is consolidating its international presence and has reached the symbolic milestone of having a presence in 100 countries around the world.
Fifty years after opening the first Novotel in France, AccorHotels has established itself a main hotel operator in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
In 2017, the group’s portfolio included almost 4,300 hotels and 600,000 rooms. The pipeline for the next five years includes 870 hotels, 79% of which are in high-growth markets.
This record total pipeline, 25% of the existing network, will continue to grow, supported by three strategic priorities.
These policies include accelerating Accor’s organic expansion, an acquisition strategy to increase its portfolio of hotels and a plan to extend the brand portfolio, which currently includes 25 brands.
Luxury segment turns in strong growth
The luxury and upscale segment recorded strong growth in 2017, with figures doubling compared to 2016.
In this segment, 30 hotels opened and another 60 have been signed during the year, mainly in Asia-Pacific, where 59% of hotels opened, and Africa-Middle East, where 24% of hotels opened.
In addition to its iconic brands, the portfolio is expanding in the lifestyle segment, with fifteen SO/ hotels projected to open by 2022, and in resorts with Banyan Tree and Rixos.
The development of hotel residences and private properties under the luxury and upscale brands is also a major focus with more than 50 projects in development.
Gaurav Bhushan, chief development officer, said, “Our development strategy is simple: to remain the leader in the markets where we are dominant and to accelerate growth in emerging markets.
“We signed some flagship projects in 2017, including Raffles hotels, in London and Dubai in particular. The SO/ brand is also taking off in the luxury segment, while MGallery is the fastest-growing brand in this segment.
“The signing of the Mercure Dubai (1,115rooms), which is set to become the largest Mercure in the world, and the renovation of ibis Barcelona are also examples of our growth and innovation in the midscale and economy segment.”
2017 was a record year for AccorHotels in terms of expansion:
■ a record portfolio of 600,000 rooms in 4,300 hotels;
■ a record pipeline of 161,000 rooms in 870 hotels;
■ a record 370 hotels representing 58,000 rooms signed in 2017; and
■ record organic growth with 260 hotels representing more than 41,000 rooms and a total of 52,000 rooms added to the network including acquisitions.
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