Two hotel giants are strengthening their partnership by bringing their loyalty programmes closer. On one side, Accor, the seventh largest hotel group globally according to the latest ranking published by MKG, a leader in hotels in almost all global regions, with the exception of China and the United States. On the other, H World Group, the fourth largest group globally with over a million rooms, largely in China through its HanTing, JI, and Orange Hotel brands. This is despite the former Huazhu group having gained an international dimension by rebranding as H World in 2022, following the acquisition of German hotelier Deutsche Hospitality in 2019 and its flagship brands such as Steigenberger, InterCity, and Zleep.
Together, Accor and H World Group have a combined total of nearly two million rooms and 430 million members across their loyalty programmes: 310 million for H Rewards and 120 million for ALL Accor. Together, they are set to open a new chapter in their strategic alliance, which began in 2014 with a master franchise agreement for the development in China of the Ibis, Ibis Styles, Novotel, Mercure and Grand Mercure in China, and Accor’s acquisition of a 10% stake in the Chinese group’s capital, which was gradually divested first in 2019, then in 2021 and finally in early 2023, for a cumulative value of 1.2 billion dollars, compared with an investment of less than 200 million dollars.
" TJust as our Master Franchise agreement with H World Group was a first in 2014, this new agreement represents another major step. It is about removing geographical barriers, improving distribution and enriching our loyalty ecosystem for a total of 430 million members. "We are delighted that this collaboration, which began in 2014, is now taking a new step forward," said Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor. The idea of combining their loyalty programmes had already been discussed when the agreement was signed in 2014. Initially limited to hotels common to both groups in China, it is now materialising on a larger scale. Members of both programmes will indeed be able to access a wider selection of Accor and H World hotels via their respective platforms in Europe, the Middle East and China.
So, while H World International hotels in Europe and the Middle East will gradually become available to ALL Accor members throughout the year via Accor's platforms, H Rewards members will gain access to more hotels from the French group's premium and luxury brands in China through H World's platforms. Although the two programmes will continue to operate independently, with each platform retaining its own identity, members of both programmes will begin to benefit from status recognition, in addition to member rates, in-hotel benefits, and points accrual at participating hotels.
" This partnership is a natural evolution of over a decade of trust between H World and Accor, commented Ji Qi, President of H World GroupBy uniting our complementary strengths in membership, direct distribution, and hotel operations, we can create more value for travellers, hotel owners, and partners, while making travel more connected and rewarding for customers around the world. According to Accor and H World, this collaboration is expected to deepen over time, with both groups continuing to expand the number of participating hotels and member benefits as the partnership develops.
