Can you revisit the genesis of Pullman XChange, this concept of events that accompanies the brand's transformation?
Benoît Racle – Their purpose is to be able to take the time to ask questions, to have real conversations that go beyond small talk and allow us to think. Each time, participants leave with questions and reflections. To create this Pullman XChange concept, we approached the co-founders of The House of Beautiful Business three years ago, with whom we share the same philosophy, this notion of beauty that is essential in their eyes. It is with them that we design the global events, such as those organised in Dubai last year and then in Paris in June. Even though they are always by our side, each hotel can establish its own local partnerships, as was recently done at Pullman Riga and Pullman St Pancras in London. We ask all our establishments to organise four such events per year.
Does the spirit of these Pullman XChange events extend to corporate events held at Pullman hotels?
B. R. – This is a crucial point. From the outset, we place the relationship on a much more emotional footing, focusing on what the participants should feel humanly at the end. When a client approaches a hotel, the first question we ask them is: Why? What is the objective of your meeting? Whereas usually, requests arrive in a purely technical form, such as for a room for fifty people in theatre style, for example. Simply approaching the relationship in this way changes everything: the client is surprised that we even ask the question.
So it's no longer simply a matter of responding to a tender.
B. R. – There. This is precisely why we created Pullman XChange. And we have extended this approach, focused on exchanges and encounters, to our meeting rooms, but also to our bars, and even in the recruitment of our staff, with a new service culture. Compared to our competitors, Pullman is already number one in terms of service and facilities: we know how to do meetings, there is no doubt about that. But our clients are increasingly expecting, in this premium segment, an experience that offers them something more significant. This is the area where we want to excel.
How are you responding to these new expectations?
B. R. – The business traveller demographic has changed, and it’s not just a question of age. 62% of business travellers now extend their trips by a day. The ‘bleisure’ trend has taken hold, and travellers need flexible environments. This is precisely what Pullman offers. This does not mean we lack standards; rather, the design, music and lighting in our hotels evolve throughout the day. Whether or not the guest realises it, the result is that they feel at ease and have the opportunity to experience something new. Premium guests will no longer settle for staying in standardised hotels – cookie-cutter establishments where guests are pigeonholed and where nothing ever happens. Those days are over. The advantage of Pullman, in my view, is that it’s the premium brand that offers me the most freedom: I can be more daring, experiment with different styles, and evoke emotions.
What differentiates Pullman from other premium brands within the Accor group, such as Mövenpick, for example?
B. R. – Precisely. That is the whole advantage of the Accor group: with nine brands in the premium segment, between Swissôtel, Pullman, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, and all the regional brands, we have solutions adapted to customers' different expectations. In this context, Mövenpick is the brand for reconnecting, with families, with friends. It's more about the long term. Whereas with Pullman, including its visual identity, we can afford to do things that are out of the ordinary. Beyond the fundamentals of premium hospitality, which we possess, we can now add elements of modernity. But without tipping into lifestyle, because Pullman remains a MICE brand, anchored in city centres and urban business hotels.
As part of the brand's evolution, it also involves the transformation of its hotels. How far along are you with the renovation programme?
B. R. – The momentum is accelerating. Out of 159 hotels, 27 are currently being renovated worldwide, in addition to those already completed. In Paris, the Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel This path, for example. The brand now has a very firm point of view on what it should be and not be. And the campaign we've just unveiled will help show that even more. Owners are now approaching us directly, sensing that something interesting is happening. In addition to the 159 hotels currently open, we have 67 openings in the pipeline. The 200-establishment mark is in sight.
As the Accor group made no secret of its desire to strengthen its premium hotel offering in the face of competition, this move therefore seems to be taking shape.
B. R. - One figure is particularly telling: in 2025, 41% of all the brands launched by Accor Group’s Premium, Midscale & Economy division will be in the premium segment. Across the group as a whole, this proportion stands at 24%. The shift is well under way, partly because we have driven it, but also because the demand is there. By 2030, a further one billion people will have access to upmarket accommodation.
In your opinion, is the premium segment gaining traction in the face of the continued expansion of luxury or lifestyle hospitality?
B. R. - As the luxury hotel industry continues to gain momentum, customers are increasingly recognising that the premium segment offers the best value for money in terms of price and experience. You only have to look at the roughly twenty premium brands launched globally in recent years: the market is clearly there. It's interesting, as it's a pendulum swing: everyone did lifestyle, everyone did luxury, and now we're rediscovering premium. And for Pullman, I have no worries: I know we are as good as, if not better than, the Americans. And I say this from experience, having spent 35 years with American groups. I am convinced: Pullman is the brand that is going to take off.
