Meet Cyril Kovarsky, Accorhotels General Manager of Global Sales

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SHOULD HELP US IMPROVE OUR PRICING OFFER

How are your relations with your key account customers developing?

Cyril Kovarsky - For large multinationals, but also for our major national customers, we offer the same treatment with contracted offers combined with additional benefits within the AccorHotels Club loyalty programme, such as status granted to frequent travellers. Our focus on digital should help us to improve our fare offer. However, even if we want to move towards dynamic pricing, it is quite difficult to apply the same discount rate everywhere and all the time in our hotels. In this context, negotiated contracts will continue to be the basis of our relations with major companies.

Are SMEs also a priority for your Group?

C. K. - Everyone is trying to win over this clientele. To this end, last year we launched a new offer in France, the AccorHotels Business Solutions programme (editor's note: a white-label offer developed by HCorpo). This guarantees both centralised reservations and discounts on overnight stays in more than 2,800 hotels, giving SMEs a consolidated view of their expenditure. In view of these advantages, this programme is not intended to remain Franco-French. One of the challenges for 2017 is to roll it out across Europe, and then internationally. At the same time, this programme could be extended to the catering section of our establishments.

What about individual travellers?

C. K. - There are always business travellers who need to find fares adapted to their professional activities, with access to discounts. That's why we've enhanced our Business Plus membership programme, aimed at self-employed professionals and SMEs, but more generally at all companies who want to benefit from discounts and advantages. The card offers discounts from 5 % to 20 at 2,800 hotels worldwide, as well as one-off offers with our partners Europcar and Air France, for example.