The opening of the 500e hotel for its premium brands, the inauguration of two luxury hotels in major European cities, the strengthening of its offer in Dubai and renovations galore: Accor has been busy in recent days. In particular, the French group has just opened a luxury liner in Barcelona's marina under the lifestyle brand SLS, inherited from its takeover of the American group SBE in 2018.
Six bars and restaurants, three swimming pools, 471 rooms and suites designed by the Rockwell group: the establishment has all the makings of a glamorous resort on the shores of the Mediterranean. But with its event space spread over two floors and accessible via a dedicated entrance, it is also designed for VIP meetings close to the CCIB convention centre and the @22 tech district. With two decadently luxurious foyers, eight event rooms and, above all, a 770 m² Grand Ballroom with a capacity of 600 people and a lift for cars, the SLS Barcelona lends itself equally well to conventions, product launches and gala dinners.
Less sunshine, no doubt, but a venue just as conducive to great and beautiful events: the Fairmont Golden Prague revisits an emblematic 70s Brutalist building on the banks of the Vltava, at the entrance to the Czech capital's flagship thoroughfare, Parizska Boulevard. The city's first international hotel when it opened in 1974 under the InterContinental brand, the establishment has undergone a lengthy renovation phase to return to business with a new contemporary and sophisticated décor.
Preserving the original arts and crafts, blown glass chandeliers and ornate ash wood columns restored for the occasion, now housing one of the most extensive art collections in the country, the Fairmont Golden Prague has six dining venues, a swimming pool merging indoor and outdoor spaces and 320 rooms and suites, as well as a club area. All of this is complemented, for business meetings, by three rooftop meeting roomsAll offer private terraces and personalised catering, and for large-scale events there is a 600 m² ballroom with no pillars.
Other luxury hotels will be added to the French group's portfolio in the more distant future, such as the recently signed Sofitel Legend Wuxi and a Raffles in Los Cabos, as well as new top-of-the-range all-inclusive offers with the conquest of the Americas by the Rixos brand, expected soon in Mexico. But thehe French group can also count on its premium brands The Mövenpick Budapest Centre has just opened.
Housed in the historic Art Nouveau walls of the former Palace Hotel, opened in 1911, this 227-room hotel with 7 meeting rooms is part of the brand's expansion in Central Europe, with recent openings in Wroclaw and Karpacz in Poland and others to come later this year in Kotor in Montenegro, the Bay of Kvarner in Croatia, Bari and Mondello in Italy and Sivota in Greece. Or as many beginnings in all these countriesThe first hotel in Belgium has also opened near Brussels airport.
Expansion and renovation for the SME division
Mövenpick, Pullman, Swissôtel, Grand Mercure: all these top-of-the-range brands now make up a portfolio that has just exceeded 500 hotels worldwide, with 250 more to come. Pullman is preparing to make its debut in Montenegro, South Korea, China and Bulgaria. Swissôtel is expected in Qatar, Romania, Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic. New Grand Mercures will be opening in Asia. "It's incredibly exciting for us to see our portfolio of premium hotels thriving, with an impressive 150% increase in signings since 2019" said Camil Yazbeck, Managing Director in charge of development for the Premium, Midscale & Economy (PME) division.
The division's other segments have also seen new developments, with ibis and ibis budget hotels just opened in Berlin, just a few minutes from BER airport's terminal 1. strengthening the affordable hotel offer in Dubai. Expanding an existing cluster that already included ibis Styles and Mercure hotels and an Adagio aparthotel, three new establishments have joined them, a Mercure and an Ibis Styles as well as a Novotel. Adjacent or in the same vicinity, these establishments are contributing to the redevelopment of one of the oldest parts of the city, the Deira district. Between them, they offer almost 1,000 rooms and a total of 16 meeting rooms and a ballroom, with the new Novotel alone providing 623 m² of event space.
At the same time, Accor is continuing the rejuvenation programme for its premium, midscale and economy properties in Europe, launched in 2023. Over 70 hotels have already been renovated and 60 more are in the pipeline. Among the key renovation projects recently completed are several Mercures, such as those in Wien City, Bologna Centro and Napoli Centro Angioino, the Novotel Warsaw Centrum, which is sporting a new design by the Sundukovy Sisters to mark its 50th anniversary, and the Novotel Warsaw Centrum, which has been redesigned by the Sundukovy Sisters to mark its 50th anniversary.e anniversary or the Pullman Riga Old Town, currently being renovated. In France, the ibis Bayeux Port-en-Bessin and the Mercure Angoulême are also being brought up to date.
