Lifestyle, luxury and a host of new destinations: 2022 is shaping up to be as productive a year as ever for the Accor group, despite a business still affected by the consequences of the pandemic. " With more than 300 hotels and resorts ready to open our many loyal customers around the world are sure to find inspiration for their next trip. "says Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the French group.
Le luxury positioning which began with the buyback of Fairmont Raffles in 2016, will be strengthened with several major openings. The most prestigious of these is undoubtedly the Raffles London at The OWO which revisits a monument steeped in history, the Old War Office, as a hotel with 120 rooms and suites and 11 exceptional restaurants and bars. Expected to open at the end of the year, the hotel is set to cause a sensation in a British capital that has no shortage of world-renowned hotels. The end of 2022 will see another major event for the brand playing on the aura of the Singaporean palace with its North American debutBoston, with a 147-room hotel and 146 residences in the Back Bay district.
In the meantime, the Raffles brand will also appear in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, in the Katara TowersThe new Fairmont hotel will also be housed in the emblematic towers in the shape of a traditional scimitar. Also in the Middle East, the RixosRixos Doha Qetaifan, Rixos Jewel of the Creek in Dubai and Rixos Obhur Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Finally, Accor's new luxury brand, theEmblems Collectionwill also be making its debut in 2022 with the opening in China of the Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, a private residence surrounded by lush gardens transformed into a 64-room hotel.
With luxury, lifestyle is Accor's other major growth areaThis is particularly true since the creation of a joint venture with Ennismore to accelerate growth in one of the fastest-growing segments. In this context, Paris in the spotlight in 2022 with the opening at the end of the year of the first Delano HouseA few steps from the very chic Faubourg Saint-Honoré, or another trendy summer address, SO/Paris, on the banks of the Seine in the 4th arrondissement.
A Mama Shelter just opened in Lisbon and another planned for Dubai at the end of 2022, a very arty 21c Museum Hotel in Saint Louis in the United States and a luxurious SLS in Puerto Madero in Argentina, or a much more affordable Jo&Joe in Medellin, Colombia: a wide variety of projects are currently underway in the lifestyle hotel sector and cover all regions of the world. After making its debut last year in Asia-Pacific at SeoulMondrian will continue to expand in the region in Hong Kong, while low-cost lifestyle brand Tribe will begin its expansion in China. Phnom Penh its expansion in Asia, with further hotels expected in Singapore, Manila, Phuket and Bali.
However, growth in the Accor group's offering will also be driven by its long-established brandswell known to business travellers. As well as a Tribe, Phnom Penh will also be home to a new Novotel, with 253 rooms, three restaurants and several meeting rooms. More business-oriented openings expected at Novotel in the Moscow ComCity business complex in Russia, in Mexico City with a hotel opposite the World Trade Center, and in Liverpool with the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village, which aims to become one of the highlights of the British metropolis. In Tallinn, Estonia, it's the long-stay version of the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village. Novotel Living which is expected at the end of the year.
The openings announced by Accor for the current year focus on business destinations, such as the Sofitel Shanghai North BundPullman hotels located on Orchard Road in Singapore and in the Axis Towers in Tbilisi, Georgia, the latter boasting the largest conference room in the city centre. The MGallery chain is also preparing to add to its collection an impressive list of business cities in 2022 with Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tel Aviv. In Europe, Mercure will be setting up in the north of Amsterdam, in a fast-growing district, while the French group will be making its debut in Denmark with the ibis Styles Orestad, located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, which shares its space with offices and the premises of small businesses.
Accor has not forgotten its home market, however, with the following examples openings announced for 2022 in Francethe opening of an ibis Styles in Dreux and the continued development of the the economical and ecological brand greetexpected in La Rochelle and Vincennes, on the outskirts of Paris. Still on the outskirts of the capitalAt the end of 2022, the MGallery Issy-les-Moulineaux Domaine de la Reine Margot will open, a former royal estate once frequented by Queen Marguerite de Valois, then a retreat for the priests of Saint-Sulpice before being transformed into a top-of-the-range hotel under the leadership of architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. " Accor has a very strong development pipeline and we are delighted to be able to bring so many projects to life in 2022. "concludes Agnès Roquefort, Accor's Director of Development.
