The Mercure family of brands - the brand itself and its upmarket Grand Mercure variant - is set to double its offering in Japan. As part of a partnership with Japan Hotel Reit Advisors (JHRA), Accor is to take over the management of 23 hotels under the Daiwa Resort banner located in some of the country's most emblematic locations, including the island of Hokkaido and Okinawa. After renovation, the handover will take place throughout 2024, after which the hotels will be operated under the Grand Mercure and Mercure brands. " These changes will enable us to offer new experiences and unforgettable travel memories." commented Koji Mayanagi, CEO of Daiwa Resort.
This new partnership will strengthen the already strong position of the Mercure pennant in the region. While Grand Mercure has around forty hotels in Asia-Pacific with just over 10,000 rooms, Mercure alone has over 260 establishments and almost 45,000 rooms. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of the brand in Northern Europe, and even in Southern Europe.
China is obviously deriving a large part of its development from the region, in particular thanks to the strategic partnership established in 2016 with H World GroupAccor was once a shareholder of 10% before selling its last shares at the beginning of 2023. " The cumulative value of disposals since 2019 has reached $1.2 billion, compared with an initial investment of less than $200 million." Accor underlined this last January.
However, this does not mean the end of a partnership that is set to continue. " H World Group and Accor will continue to working together to meet this demand and capitalise on the boom in the upmarket business and leisure tourism market in Chinasaid Jin Hui, CEO of H World Group. The vigorous development of tourism in China, the emergence of a powerful middle class and new generations of travellers are driving record consumer demand for high-quality hospitality options." .
The result of this master franchise agreement, nearly 150 Mercure hotels and 20 Grand Mercure hotels are now in operation, while a further 50 Mercures are under development. Recent openings include two hotels in Hanghzou, the Mercure and Grand Mercure Hangzhou Zijingang, located in the Shenhua district, close to the Asian Games Park and the city's business districts.
