of the hotel industry Luck building a brand continue.
This time, it continues in a newer subset of hotels known for properties that don’t necessarily fit the mold of a “normal” hotel brand.
Accor on Thursday launched the Handwritten Collection, the latest in the collection brand segment of the Paris-based hotel giant. Accor had the luxury Emblems Collection and the more upscale MGallery Collection. The handwritten collection will fall into the mid-range segment of the market.
There are already 12 confirmed deals for Handwritten Collection hotels, and the first 7 are expected to open in the next few months across Europe, Asia and Australia. There are about 100 potential deals for hotels in the future, including in the United States, and Accor aims to have 250 Handwritten Collection hotels by 2030.
“From a customer perspective, there was really an unmet need, so we decided, ‘Let’s step into that space and make sure Handwriting is a mid-range collection,’” Alexander Schellenberger – Director Accor’s marketing for high-end, mid-range and high-end brands – said in an interview. Interview with TPG before the launch of the Handwritten Collection. “We haven’t even announced it yet, and we already have 12 hotels. I won’t put any more pressure on the development team, but I think they’re doing well.”
Launching the Handwritten Collection is part of Accor’s larger effort to attract independent hoteliers to join its network. The idea behind each of these brands is to target travelers who crave a more unique experience while staying at a hotel than the more standardized product found at traditional hotel brands.
The concept has emerged in recent years as the growth of leisure tourism as well as tourism that combines leisure and business has spurred interest in lifestyle and independent hotels. Accor is particularly at the forefront of this: It splits some of its brands, such as Delano and SO/, into a lifestyle hotel partnership under the Ennismore umbrella with brands such as The Hoxton and Gleneagles.
While there will be newly built hotels included in Accor’s new collection brand, 80% of the Handwritten Collection’s current growth trajectory comes from existing hotels affiliated with the new brand. Accor.
“We wanted to make it as simple as possible for independent hotels to sign in without having to invest in a large product,” says Schellenberger.
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What is the collection brand?
A collection brand, or what the broader hospitality industry calls a soft brand, is associated with a hotel parent company and that company’s loyalty and booking network. However, it retains the distinct design, food and service experience of an independent hotel or boutique hotel. This is unlike the hardcore brands of Accor Fairmont or Sofitel, which come with strict standards for room layout and bathroom amenities.
Accor still sets different standards of quality for each hotel. Handwritten collection and each hotel will be more intimate with a typical size of 50 to 100 rooms. However, the guiding principle for this collection was to give it a “more authentic, glamorous feel,” says Schellenberger.
A hotel that fits this mold would be a smaller business in a local residential area with staff who can direct guests to restaurants and normal operations. Another hotel may offer freshly baked dishes upon check-in.
“We try to keep it as flexible as possible, but there are certain standards of quality that need to be adhered to,” he added. “We wanted to at least create some form of consistent quality for guests to experience, but for the rest, it was a soft brand.”
Pricing will depend on the hotel and destination, but a typical Handwritten Collection hotel price will fall somewhere between Novotel and Mercure, Schellenberger said. For context, rooms at the Novotel hotel in Paris’ Les Halles neighborhood in late February start at $359 a night for Accor Live Limitless members ($378 for non-members). members); Prices at a nearby Mercure start at $152 for ALL members ($160 for non-members).
The first hotel of the Handwritten Collection
Accor has highlighted several attributes that will drive the growth of the Ink Collection in the coming year:
- Hotel Shanghai Sheshan Oriental, Shanghai Handwritten Collection. The Handwritten Collection’s first property is now open. The former Sofitel near Sheshan National Park features a large garden and an outdoor swimming pool on the beach. There is a dedicated team that arranges activities such as tea breaks and selected dining experiences for guests.
- Le Saint Gervais Hotel & Spa, Handwritten Collection in Saint Gervais, France. Originally built as an art-focused holiday home, Le Saint Gervais Hotel & Spa (now open) enhances the guest experience beyond the arts with services such as a library corner, Turkish coffee and coffee. Ky and herbal tea in the hotel’s spa.
- Wonil Hotel Perth, Handwritten Collection in Perth, Australia. Opening next month on the banks of the Swan River near Kings Park and minutes from Perth’s central business district, Wonil Hotel features modern design and plenty of outdoor space to socialize.
- Hotel Morris, Handwritten Collection in Sydney, Australia. Opening next month in an Italian Renaissance building, this 82-room hotel is steeped in history in a chic setting that blends European and Australian styles.
- Le Splendid Hotel Lac d’Annecy, Handwritten Collection in Annecy, France. Scheduled to open in April, the Splendid Hotel features a flourishing art deco style with decor by designer Thierry D’Istria that embraces a mix of classics, works sculptures and artwork at this hotel near France’s Lake Annecy.
- Les Capitouls Toulouse Hotel Center, Handwritten Collection in Toulouse, France. This hotel that opened in May in Toulouse’s historic city center was originally built as a private castle. Hotel Les Capitouls Toulouse Center features a combination of classic design (including the building’s use of brick arches) and modern hospitality.
- Oru Hub Hotel, Handwriting Collection in Tallinn, Estonia. The Oru Hub hotel — scheduled to open in May after two years of extensive renovations — is located in Tallinn’s historic old town and a short drive from the Estonian coast. The hotel has yoga facilities and a tea room as well as a new experience program for guests that combines entertainment, work and food.
- Paris Montmartre Sacré Coeur, Handwritten Collection in Paris. Scheduled to open in spring 2024 (and possibly with a different name, Accor notes), the Paris Montmartre Sacré Coeur is a short walk from the Sacré-Coeur cathedral and offers cozy rooms with a fun design. clever.
Other hotels planned for the Handwritten Collection include the Square Lodge Hotel La Roche-sur-Yon in La Roche-sur-Yon, France, and the Sunrise Premium Resort in Hoi An, Vietnam. Unnamed properties are also planned for Bucharest, Romania and Madrid.
Increased competition
While Accor expands its portfolio of soft brands, its competitors are making similar moves. IHG added the Vignette Collection in 2021 to bring more independent luxury and lifestyle hotels to its ecosystem.
Marriott’s extensive network of soft brands includes the Luxury Collection as well as the Signature Collection, Design Hotels, and Tribute Catalog. Hilton’s low-cost brands include luxury LXR Hotels & Resorts as well as Curio and Tapestry Collections.
Hyatt continues to drive growth in independently minded collection brands (Hyatt’s Non-binding Collection, Hyatt Destination, and Hyatt’s JdV) through a variety of initiatives such as the recently announced partnership with German hotel company Lindner Hotels AG. That deal will bring 30 hotels into the Hyatt brand portfolio — largely under the umbrella of JdV — and give World of Hyatt customers more choice across Europe, where Accor has a strong presence. largest hotel presence among large corporations.
With all the competition, including the Hyatt being pushed into Accor’s backyard, does anyone at Accor’s corporate headquarters in Paris lose sleep? Not necessarily.
In fact, they see more opportunities to infiltrate by attracting more customers; The different collection brands nicely complement the company’s 40+ brands, thus targeting customers at all price points.
“At this point, we have the ability to put together something that fits everyone’s budget, from Ibis Budget or Greet to ultra-luxury, like the Orient Express and Raffles,” says Schellenberger.
But if the soft-brand trajectory is now expanding beyond luxury and high-end hotels into more affordable properties in the mid-range, that means a collection of popular hotels. communication is also being deployed?
“I would probably never say no, but at this point we don’t necessarily see that,” Schellenberger said. “But I can understand why soft brands are so incredibly successful because it allows people to maintain their identity.”
