The landing of the Tribe brand at Milan Malpensa airport, the debut of Mercure in Albania, in Tirana, the Ibis brand which continues to spread its establishments in France, the United Kingdom and even Romania: the Accor group continues to develop its portfolio of premium, mid-range and economy brands across Europe. In addition to these recently opened hotels, many others are in the pipeline and will be coming on stream in the near future. strengthen its position as European leader with nearly 3,000 premium, mid-range and economy (PM&E) hotels in more than 40 countries across the continent.
" Europe is the historic home of Accor and continues to offer exciting opportunities for the hospitality sector." said Patrick Mendes, Managing Director for Europe and North Africa of the PM&E division created last year by Accor at the same time as another division dedicated to luxury and lifestyle. While this PM&E division has launched in a programme to standardise the quality of its network Accor is also continuing to strengthen its portfolio of hotels. Accor has announced a development pipeline of over 350 new hotels in Europe and North Africa for the premium, mid-range and economy segments.
This growth, which is geared towards our core markets, is also being driven by the following factors strengthening the presence of top-of-the-range brands in Europe Pullman, Mövenpick and Swissôtel, as well as the group's expansion in leisure destinations, particularly in the Mediterranean basin. A key region for Accor which will see the opening in June of Mercure hotels in Rome, 300 metres from the famous Cinecittà studios, and in Larnaca, while the Handwritten Collection will welcome the Grand Hotel della Posta boutique hotel in Sondrio, near Lake Como.
The desire to increase the prominence of its top-of-the-range brands will be seen above all in another area rich in new developments, Eastern Europe and the "New East made up of the countries of the Caucasus. In the first half of this year, Mövenpick will be making its debut in Poland, setting up shop in a historic hotel in the country's third-largest city, Wroclaw, in addition to a resort at the foot of the mountains, in Karpacz. Another destination on the shelves of the Swiss-born brand acquired by Accor in 2018: Baku, Azerbaijan, with the Mövenpick Winter Park.
" We remain committed to our expansion strategy, with a clear roadmap to not only consolidate our presence, but also to explore new markets. more high-potential destinations" said Philippe Bijaoui, in charge of development in Europe and North Africa for the Premium, Midscale and Economy segments. In this context, a Pullman hotel is expected in the coming months in Montenegro, with a mountain resort at Kolasin, the main ski resort.
Before that and in a more business-like styleIn March, this top-of-the-range brand will set up in Budapest with a hotel in the centre of Pest, a stone's throw from the Opera House and close to the Hungexpo exhibition centre. The future Swissôtel in Romania's capital, Bucharest this time, will also be taking advantage of this favourable location for business travellers, not in Budapest. Housed in one of the city's tallest towers, the establishment will benefit from its proximity to Romexpo, Romania's largest exhibition and events centre, as will a number of company headquarters.
Ahead of this forthcoming development, Swissôtel has just discovered both Montenegro and Georgia with a contemporary 130-room hotel in the heart of Tbilisi. Designed by the Sundukovy Sisters design and architecture studio, this upmarket establishment also offers business travellers four meeting rooms, in addition to a range of culinary experiences and the Pürovel Spa & Sport fitness centre. Georgia is also ripe for new developments with a new ibis Styles planned for this summer in Batumi, on the shores of the Black Sea, but above all from spring onwards with a Novotel with a business accent in the old town of Tbilisi, with its 176 rooms, its lively rooftop, but even more so its conference centre which can accommodate up to 600 people.
Other establishments are expected in 2024 in this part of Europe, notably in May with a Swissôtel in Brasov in Romania, focusing not only on skiing in the Transylvania region, but also on outdoor seminars with several meeting and conference rooms. Still in Eastern Europe, the Tribe brand will be making its debut in the Baltic States in April, in Latvia, with a hotel located in the Art Nouveau district of Riga city centre.
New developments in both East and West
However, this chain, which focuses on contemporary hotels at competitive prices, will also continue to expand in Manchester, a stone's throw from the airport terminals. This prime location for business travel is shared by the future ibis Styles planned for Gatwick airport this year and the arrival of the budget brand greet at Brussels Zaventem in the spring. apparthotel Adagio Access.
Accor looks to the East, its already invigorating presence in Western Europe is also continuing to strengthen. In addition to these new airport hotels, this March the Novotel brand will open a hotel just outside Hamburg's main railway station in Germany, with 227 rooms and suites and six meeting rooms. At the same time, the ibis Styles brand will be taking its first steps in Iceland, in Reykjavik, in May.
What about France? The cradle of the group has obviously not been forgotten and will see some thirty openings in the first half of 2024. The greet brand, which focuses on eco-responsibility, recently continued its expansion with a 70-room hotel at Brest airport. But as the Olympic Games draw nearer, one of the key developments for the French group over the coming months will certainly be the arrival in Paris of Handwritten Collectionthe latest addition to its brands. And not just anywhere, in the very chic 16th arrondissement, between the Champs-Elysées and the Palais Galliera, through the boutique hotel Maison Hamelin. Other Handwrittten Collection hotels are due to open at the end of the first half of this year, one in La Roche-sur-Yon and the other in Lyon, in the Croix-Rousse district.
