It was almost a foregone conclusion, as Accor has just demonstrated with the launch of the Handwritten Collection: the range of 'collections', which are particularly popular with hotel groups, is set to expand. What originally led to the emergence of these brands - the desire to offer their customers hotels with a unique character and the prospect of new royalties for hoteliers - taking advantage of the commercial power of one of the world leaders in these establishments - is still relevant fifteen years on. Added to this are more topical issues, notably environmental, with the conversion of existing hotels - and therefore without the carbon emissions associated with their construction, or the artificialisation of land - forming part of the CSR strategies of hotel groups.
Presented in mid-January, the Handwritten Collection is in line with this trend and complements the French group's portfolio in this area, which already includes the top-of-the-range MGallery brand, launched in 2008, and more recently the Emblems Collection in the luxury segment. For its part, the Handwritten Collection aims to bring together mid-range "plus" establishments run by passionate hotelierswhere the warmth of human contact is combined with the charm of the place. This new collection will offer " a range of addresses so different from one another that each hotel invites its guests to stay in a charming and sophisticated home away from home" describes Accor in the presentation of its new brand. This personalisation is underlined by the brand's logo, which is naturally handwritten.
A dozen of these addresses have already been found, with five hotels making their debut in the first quarter of 2023. These hotels will demonstrate the multiple horizons that this new brand will take, both in terms of destinations and experiences. In France, the first establishments in the Handwritten Collection will appear in both in the heart of Toulouse with the Hôtel Les Capitouls, housed in a former pink-brick town house, and in the Alps with the Splendid Hôtel Lac d'Annecy and the Saint-Gervais Hotel & Spa, in a historic residence in the centre of the resort.
One collection, multiple horizons
The Handwritten Collection will also its debut in Asia-Pacific with, from January, an urban resort in Greater Shanghai, near Sheshan Park. The result of the rebranding of a former Sofitel, this hotel, surrounded by more than 124,000 m2 of landscaped gardens offers 368 rooms and suites and a vast meeting space with some fifteen rooms, including a large ballroom. In Australia, the collection will be established in Perth with a chic, contemporary hotel, the Wonil, located just a few minutes from the business district, as well as in Sydney with the Hotel Morris, a historic establishment dating from the late 1920s housed in a Renaissance-style building and which is preparing to regain its prestige after a complete renovation.
As for the other hotels that will soon be adding "Handwritten Collection" to their names, they include the Square Lodge in La Roche-sur-Yon, the Relais San Martino in Lecce, in Puglia, Italy, and the Oru Hub Hotel in the centre of Tallinn, Estonia, with a floor entirely dedicated to coworking. A resort in Vietnam, the Sunrise Premium in Hoi An, is also expected, while the collection will arrive in Paris in spring 2024 with a hotel in Montmartre.
Bucharest and Madrid, among others, are expected to see this new brand appear in the coming months and years. Accor has announced that it already has more than 110 establishments under negotiation, with the aim of reaching 250 addresses by 2030. " We look forward to working with new owners and partners to add new international addresses to this exceptional collection." said Camil Yazbeck, Director of International Development for the French group's premium, mid-range and economy brands.
