It is undoubtedly the Accor Group's brand with the highest strongest "business" customer mix hotelF1. Even more so than Novotel, Pullman or Ibis. In fact, 80% of its sales come from business bookings. Its low-cost accommodation attracts a large number of construction and civil engineering workers and visiting sales representatives, with an average overnight stay of 1.2 days. A " rich in history "Florence Liger-Tourres, VP Marketing for Accor's Economy Brands in Southern Europe, says she feels particularly strongly about this.
From its beginnings in 1985, the brand, formerly known as Formule 1, was born out of a desire to offer its customers the best possible service. ultra low cost The aim is to offer accommodation at 99 francs. Hence the need to adapt the design of the hotels to this modest price, in particular by removing the bathroom from the room. It's a solution that has made the brand so popular, in both the good and bad senses of the word: super-attractive rates but also a slightly 'cheap' image. Hence the initial modernisation of the brand in the early 2010s, particularly to appeal to young travellers, with a new name - hotelF1 - and a new visual identity.
A new phase of transformation began at the end of the last decade with the brand renovation project On the Road. Evoking the idea of the "French motel", this evolution is coming to an end. With the departure of the so-called 'social' clientele, a new design and a refurbished portfolio, 80 % of the brand's 135 hotels have been renovated or are in the process of being renovated.
A major innovation for hotelF1
As part of this project, hotelF1 is offering a major innovation: premium rooms, called Cabrio, with integrated bathroom. " They make up between 10% and 15% of the range offered by establishments." says Florence Liger-Tourres. At the same time, establishments can play with other room concepts, each highlighted by a coloured wall - duck blue for the Cabrio, for example, or pink for the twin Side Car - and another wall covered with a tapestry on the theme of travel.
For example, hotels have both en-suite rooms and rooms with bunk beds, as well as double rooms with washbasin facilities but no bathroom. "We give travellers a choiceexplains the brand's VP Marketing. Workers often tend to take triples in order to split the cost of the room three ways" .
Practical headboard with telephone net, USB socket, table, chairs, quality bed " to match Accor's offer" Florence Liger-Tourres points out that the rooms offer all the comforts you need to a night's rest while travelling. What's more, where the size of the lobbies allows, the communal areas have become more modular than before, with a table for sharing a pizza and a beer, all of which can be extended outdoors in fine weather, with terraces fitted out with appropriate furniture.
Hotels can partner with pizza trucks, but also offer Easymeal drinks and ready meals dispensers. In addition to another partnership on the catering side with Choose & Eat, interactive kiosks for food delivery from local restaurants.
Despite all these changes, hotelF1 remains committed to its tight pricing policyThe breakfast buffet costs €4.90 and includes hot drinks, cereals, fruit juices, breads, brioche buns and dairy products. " compared with 8 euros at Ibis budget and 11 euros at Ibis" notes Florence Liger-Tourres. However, this development is going to take a different form with the conversion of all hotels to " a star" . An unprecedented ranking for the brand.
" With the move to one star, we are now considering how to incorporate the brand into our corporate tenders.says hotelF1's VP Marketing, whereas until now their business has been based essentially on local canvassing" .
