Accor is shifting its upscale and luxury development and marketing focus to the fast-growing Asia Pacific region.
The European hotel group is planning to open approximately one upscale or luxury hotel per month in Asia Pacific over the next five years, as it witnesses a strong rise in demand for its high-end properties from Asian consumers. Asian guests now contribute almost half of the company’s global luxury sales.
“Over the past decade Asia Pacific’s economic development has been remarkable and as travellers become more affluent, their desire to travel and explore the world grows, making this region the fastest growing luxury market in the world,” said Michael Issenberg, chairman & CEO Accor Asia Pacific.
“We currently have more than 170 luxury [and] upscale hotels with over 37,000 rooms in the region, plus over 70 luxury and upscale hotels under development. This means that Accor will open, on average, a new luxury and upscale hotel in Asia Pacific every month for the next five years.
“With Sofitel celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Accor has a long history in luxury and upscale hotels and our credentials in this segment continue to grow with our expanding pipeline in this sector, including more than 30 Pullman hotels in China alone,” he added.
To cater for this growth, Accor has now moved its global upscale and luxury marketing team to Singapore.
“With its central location, excellent infrastructure and business-friendly climate, Singapore is an ideal hub from which to manage Accor’s growth in the region, and brings the company’s leadership closer to more of Accor’s core luxury and upscale markets,” the company said in a statement.
The move to Singapore follows the recent restructuring of Accor’s business model along geographical lines, with its brands now divided into three segments: luxury and upscale, midscale and economy. The luxury and upscale segment includes the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure and Sebel brands.
“Asian travellers are very demanding and the standard of hotels in this region is very high. We believe that Asia right now is a hub of creativity, innovation and transformation and that this environment provides the perfect breeding ground for us to take our luxury and upscale brands to the next level,” said Rick Harvey Lam, senior vice president of global marketing for Accor’s luxury and upscale brands.
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