AccorHotels challenges students around the world with Take Off! 2018

Each year, AccorHotels gets thousands of students around the world thinking, with its Take Off! challenge.

Offering the adventure of a lifetime, the Take Off! challenge is a competition that involves students from global business and hotel management schools and universities.

For the last six years, AccorHotels has been aiming to change the historical paradigm of the hospitality industry. It’s no longer the customer who comes to the hotel but the hotel that comes to the customer. AccorHotels calls this ‘Pop-Up Hospitality’.

Now, this is the focus of the challenge: students must conceive the perfect pop-up hotel that will move wherever guests might need it.

The photo below shows one of AccorHotels’ concept – the Flying Nest – which recreates a hotel in a few hours on any event. The concept was created using containers.

Contest mechanics

Participants in groups of three have until 6 April to present their ideas of ‘nomadic hospitality’ by proposing an innovative mobile hotel concept using a photomontage.

Students who will be joining should ask themselves these example questions:

1. What experience would you like to give the customer?
2. What would your ideal hotel pop-up look like?
3. What would be your main customer target and your positioning (from eco to luxury)?
4. What are the factors that differentiate your concept from existing competitors in the market?
5. How would you operate, for example with distribution, logistics, and food and beverage?
6. Since this market is very seasonal, how could you use your concept in low season?

The final of the competition will be held in Paris at the end of June and will be attended by Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of AccorHotels Group.

The infographic below shows the different stages of the competition:

Benefits

The Take Off! competition has many benefits for participating students.

It will provide an in-depth experience in the industry: the students will meet and network with AccorHotels executives and students from around the world; they will gain recognition and learn strategies from within the AccorHotels teams; and they will have personalised support in seeking an internship with the company, and possibly landing their first job.

Finally, the winners of the Grand Final will receive a trip to one of AccorHotels’ most beautiful destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Students who are interested in taking the challenge can enter the competition through its official website: www.accorhotelstakeoff.com