All it took was seven 25hours establishments, concentrated in the German, Swiss and Austrian markets, to establish the hotel chain's reputation and attract the interest of the market giants. And it was AccorHotels that was the first of them to 'pull the trigger', with the official announcement of a 'strategic partnership' on 7 November. In concrete terms, the French hotel group to acquire 30% of the capital of 25hours Hotels "and can also exercise a call option on shares up to 100% of the company over the next few years"warns the press release.
The objective is clear and ambitious: quite simply, to conquer the world. "Loyal partners support for ten years our expansion in the German-speaking market"explains Christoph Hoffmann, Chairman and CEO of 25hours. "Today we also have the option of conquer the world by joining forces with an international partner. (...) It's not enough to come up with hotels that will appeal to travellers, based on an attractive concept. You also need local networks with knowledge andcountry expertise. Thanks to the experience, know-how and infrastructure of AccorHotels worldwide, all the continents are now within our reach"adds a visibly ambitious Christoph Hoffmann, who is staying on as CEO with his current team.
For the time being, the projects about to come out of the German hotelier's drawers remain focused on its preferred markets: new hotels will open in Zurich, Munich, Cologne and Düsseldorf over the next two years. However, a new destination is on the 25hours roadmap: Pariswhich is also due to open in the coming months. The towns of Melbourne, from Miami and London are also cited as opening up new horizons for this trendy hotel industry. "25hours hotels are sexy, cheeky, daring, innovative, cosmopolitan, unique, charismatic, a little crazy and locally connected."say the brand's managers on its website.
we've fallen in love with these unique boutique hotels
The positioning clearly caught the eye of AccorHotels management, as Sébastien Bazin, the group's Chairman and CEO, explains: " This alliance was born ofa real favourite for these unique design boutique-hotels, offering an excellent working environment for urban nomadsAn ideal place to meet and immerse yourself in the heart of cosmopolitan cities. Thanks to this partnership, AccorHotels is enriching its offering in one of the most dynamic segments of the sector and taking a new step forward for become a leader in lifestyle hotels ". The hotelier had already taken a significant step towards this goal two years ago, when it acquired a stake in another trendy brand: Mama Shelter.
