There are brands such as Pullman and Fairmont designed for major corporate events, and others such as MGallery that are better suited to smaller seminars, and some such as Sofitel for MICE". hand-sewn "The Accor group's range of brands opens up a whole new world of possibilities for event organisers. The Global Meeting Exchange event, organised this year at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse after having been held at the Fairmonts in San Francisco, Montreux and Montreal, gave the French group the opportunity to demonstrate to its main customers the potential of its meetings offering. Particularly in Europe and North Africa, where Accor has more than 3,000 hotels.of which more than 50 % have MICE space "underlines Patrick MendesCEO Europe and North Africa of the Premium, Mid-range and Economy (PME) division.
At a time when Accor has implemented a new organisation by separating its activities into two divisions, one dedicated to all its brands and the other to luxury and lifestyle, the Global Meeting Exchange event provided an opportunity to highlight the development of its flagship MICE brands. " In our new organisation, each brand will define its offer, some being much more focused on MICE and others more on individual customers.says Sophie HulgardSales Director of the hotel group. For example, we really want to develop Pullman as a key brand for large meetings. Big rooms, big ballrooms: that's the Pullman of the future. ". A vision that the Pullman Paris Montparnasse, reopened in early 2022 after years of transformationThis is a brand which is already embodied in its own way, but which will take on more substance in the future with the renovations and openings expected in the near future, in Lyon, Nairobi, Sydney and Singapore among others.
While Novotel and even Ibis hotels offer practical and functional meeting spaces, and Mövenpick and Swissôtel hotels are also ready to welcome business groups, Accor intends to make Pullman one of the spearheads of its MICE offer. "It's our largest premium brand, with 156 hotels around the world today. "This is a legendary name in the world of travel. A legendary name in the world of travel, created in 1867 around the famous sleeping cars, then reactivated by Accor in the mid-2000s with a clear focus on business tourism. And now it's getting a new lease of life.
" We have been in a transformation phase for a year now "explains Alex Schellenberger. With the pandemic pushing customers to the limit, its signature positioning - "Work Hard/Play Hard" - is evolving into "Blended Business". " Blended business is the idea that the modern business traveller is looking for pleasure., a more balanced lifestylea gentler mode of productivityeach at their own pace and in their own wayexplains the Managing Director of Marketing for the SME division. Work Hard/Play Hard: the notion of success used to be more individualistic. Today, success is defined more as a collective achievement, the realisation of things together. ".
All these factors underpin the development of meeting spaces. " People aren't necessarily looking for a plenary room these days. a modular experience with different spaces and configurations adapted to the needs of the moment "says Alex Schellenberger. With events that, if need be, can also spill over into the hotels' communal areas. " Some lifestyle hotels in our portfolio already do this very well and respond to the need for working spaces right from the lobby. For a much more authentic and immersive experience. " Because, at the same time, one of the other pillars of the brand is based on "social hubs", designer, lively social spaces with bars and restaurants where you can meet up and relax in contact with the local community.
Pullman and Fairmont, the experience of major meetings
So much for Pullman. But it's not quite as old as this brand - its history began "only" in 1907, Fairmont stands out as Accor's other key brand for hosting large-scale business meetings. " The Fairmonts are designed for this, with hotels of 300 keys and more if we take our hotel in Toronto and its 1100 rooms. "Yigit Sezgin, General Manager of the brand, which derives 30 % of its sales from its MICE offering. Some of these hotels have made history, such as the one in San Francisco that witnessed the signing of the UN Charter, among other milestones that have made the brand famous in the United States and Canada, where half of the 90 Fairmont establishments are located.
" We want to tell this story to the rest of the world "continues Yigit Sezgin. While Fairmont has 45 hotels in its pipeline, the development outside North America is one of the brand's priorities in order to acquire new quality flagship hotels, such as the one opened last year in Doha - in the company of a Raffles -. in the emblematic Katara Towers. With more to come in Windsor at United Kingdomin Prague, Hanoi, Bangkok - for one of the few MICE hotels in the Thai capital - and Dubai with the Fairmont Dubai Skyline. " A hotel with all the hallmarks of the Fairmont 2.0 "says the brand's Managing Director.
Because, as well as expanding the brand, it is also its brought up to date we're talking about today. " We're making sure we can continue the great history of this brand for the next 40 years.says Yigit Sezgin. Some might say that Fairmont has been on the back foot in recent years, that the brand was a little dusty. But we did a good job. We are currently preparing our new brand book, our new bible with a complete programme dedicated to our MICE offer. ".
A new contemporary design, a revamped F&B offering in partnership with Ennismore, lively lobbies... Fairmont's 2.0 evolution is summed up by its new brand slogan: "Fairmont 2.0". stay icon" . In this context, hotel renovations, which were delayed for a time by Covid, are now underway, with a third of the portfolio being transformed. " It's a massive commitmentstresses Yigit Sezgin. We will soon have Thirty of our hotels designed according to the Fairmont 2.0 model.The new facilities are currently under construction." . This should provide companies with new destinations for major events.
" If you want big conventions, you can organise very nice events at Pullman or Fairmont.says Maud Bailly, CEO of the Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems brands. But Accor has a wide choice of MICE brands. We can meet all expectations depending on the spirit that the organisers want to give to their events ". For the brand for which it is responsible, Sofitel, MICE accounts for 25 % of its business, with more than 850 meeting spaces in its portfolio of 123 hotels in the world's major cities.
The recently opened Sofitel Barcelona Skipper is just one of a number of establishments well-equipped to host large events, with a capacity of up to 800 people. However, the brand focuses mainly on meetings of around a hundred people, with a highly personalised approach. " Hand-sewn MICE" says the CEO of the brand, which will soon be celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, and in line with this idea of tailor-made events and French-style elegance, the brand is in the process of raising the level of its offering, in particular by 'cleaning up' its network of hotels that do not meet these higher standards. " I think we're on the right track "says Maud Bailly.
Tailor-made MICE at Sofitel, small meetings at MGallery
At the same time, with MGallery, another brand for which she is responsible, the ambition is to make it " the champion of small events" We're taking advantage of this trend to organise five or six small seminars rather than one big annual convention. " At MGallery, you can organise a seminar in unique locations such as a former police station or a bishop's palace, events with a story to tell behind them. Organisers aren't really interested in standard team-building hotels any more. They want emotion "says Maud Bailly.
Lively lobbies, design and an attractive restaurant offer: the lifestyle hotel industry has won over its customers by going off the beaten track of standardised brands. But what place in the MICE segment This has been the French group's main hobbyhorse for several years now, with the acquisition of all its brands - Mama Shelter, The Hoxton, 25Hours and others - grouped together under the subsidiary Ennismore ?
" It's a complex problem "says Bruno Marti, Executive Vice President of Marketing for the 25hours and TRIBE brands at Ennismore. We are both too small - Ennismore has around 100 hotels under 14 different brands, compared with over 150 for Pullman - and too big, because of the diversity of our brands. ". Hence the an offer that is probably less clear for organisers, with European brands such as Mama Shelter, Hoxton and 25 hours perfectly suited to medium-sized events and, at the other end of the spectrum, the future SLS Barcelona which will have an 800 square metre auditorium, a dozen meeting rooms, outdoor spaces on the roof and private suites.
Another positive and negative point is that most lifestyle hotels have designer meeting rooms that are often inspiring, but anything but multifunctional. " If we create a meeting room for 12 people, it could be the best meeting room in the worldBut it won't fit 14 people. We're good at some things, but we can't do everything ". Lifestyle hotels, a niche offering for events that are not part of the mainstream.
