Accor has just added a new brand to its already extensive portfolio: the Emblems Collection. Through this brand, the French group intends to strengthen the offering of its luxury segment by playing in a buoyant niche, independent hotel collections. The formula is now well-established in the hotel world, and promises owners flexible affiliation conditions, particularly in the form of franchises, enabling them to benefit from the commercial power of a large group while retaining the unique character of their boutique hotel. " Emblems Collection adds a new and exciting dimension to the Accor group's upscale offering" said Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the French hotel group.
With the Emblems Collection, Accor aims to reproducing the success of the MGallery Hotel Collection which now boasts around a hundred top-of-the-range boutique hotels. Positioned a notch above the rest, the brand is following in the footsteps of rivals such asUnbound Collection by Hyatt, LXR Hotels by Hilton, the Luxury Collection of Marriott, the Radisson Collection of the eponymous group or the Vignette Collection recently launched by IHG.
For Accor, the Emblems Collection will focus on three areas of development hotels that are emblematic of their destination grouped together in the Emblems Collection Heritage category, design and creative hotels in the Emblems Collection Signature category and resorts with a unique character in the Emblems Collection Retreat category.
The brand's first hotel, the Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, will open at the end of 2022 in the Chinese province of Guizhou, setting the tone for unique addresses. This opulent private residence surrounded by lush gardens is being transformed into a hotel with 64 exclusive suites, complete with chic restaurants and majestic function rooms. " Emblems Collection will unveil its innovative and contemporary vision of the art of high-end living in this iconic building, defining the high standards of welcome and elegance that we intend to deploy for this brand, which is set to expand to other markets around the world." said Gary Rosen, Accor's Managing Director for Greater China.
The development of the Emblems Collection, which is set to include some out-of-the-ordinary hotels, will not be carried out at breakneck speed, as the group aims to bring together 60 addresses by 2030. Paris is obviously one of the key destinations for the brand, both for the Emblems Collection Heritage and the Emblems Collection Signature. But this collection is aimed more broadly at all the major business cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, London and Moscow in Europe; Marrakech, Cairo and Doha in Africa and the Middle East; Bangkok, Seoul and Sydney in Asia-Pacific; and Montreal, New York and Buenos Aires in the Americas. As for resorts, Tuscany, Mykonos and the Algarve in Europe, Bali and the Gold Coast in the Asia-Pacific region and the Riviera Maya in Mexico are on the list of prospective destinations.
