Accor launches All Connect in partnership with Microsoft. This is a new concept of physical and virtual meetings worldwide that will be available in April 2021.

The goal is to offer corporate customers and meeting planners the ability to combine physical meetings at the hotel with virtual interactions at multiple locations simultaneously. The launch of All Connect is in line with new ways of working and the trend towards remote events and meetings is expected to continue beyond the pandemic. To date, 55% of Accor hotels have meeting rooms offering hybrid meeting solutions and Accor aims to reach 100% by 2022 for all brands.

Accor's hybrid meeting offer will be a new source of revenue for the group, as corporate clients will focus on more sustainable business travel, emphasizing health and safety, while maintaining their business relationships.

Research conducted by Accor shows that 50% of the physical meetings planned by Meetings & Events clients in 2021 will move to virtual formats, and that 70% of respondents consider hybrid meetings to be an important service in the future.

Meetings will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform, where attendees will be able to connect and engage virtually. They will be small meetings (8 to 50 physical participants). Accor will offer customers its expertise and experience in meetings and events. They will be able to benefit from the strictest health and safety measures within the framework of the Allsafe protocol, developed jointly with Bureau Veritas.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused business travelers and meeting planners to review the way they work. Virtual and hybrid formats have become an essential part of daily business life. Accor’s new concept All Connect, created in collaboration with Microsoft Teams, will be an important tool for our guests, offering them the opportunity to organize safe, qualitative and seamless hybrid meetings as they continue to focus on health & safety and sustainability. All Connect is another example of Accor responding rapidly to the ongoing crisis following on from the launch of AllSafe and the rollout of Hotel Office & co-working concepts. We are delighted to launch this collaboration with Microsoft, knowing that Teams has become a new way to work for 115 million daily users who come together every day to meet, call, chat, and collaborate.

Patrick Mendes - Group Chief Commercial Officer in charge of Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Loyalty at Accor

The future of work is hybrid, and the services and experiences which organizations offer their customers will reflect this. We want every person and every organization to benefit from this new working environment in a way that ensures business continuity. That’s why we are proud to collaborate with Accor on All Connect, helping their customers stay connected wherever they are.
 

Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft global sales, marketing & operation