As Hospitality ON's 30th anniversary year draws to a close, it's time for us to take stock of what has been an equally rich year for the hospitality industry. Follow us in this retrospective that speaks volumes about the sector's commitment, optimism and capacity to deliver.
The challenge of recruitment and attractiveness
Employees and talent: the battle of the hospitality sector. The lack of staff has direct and indirect negative impacts on the hotel business. Forcing some establishments to temporarily or totally close certain services, which leads to more or less significant losses of income for the establishments. This impact will unfortunately have longer term consequences once the recovery boom has faded. It is, in reality, turnover and cash flow that will not have been generated as entrepreneurs will not be able to benefit 100% from the effects of the recovery.
“I think helping guests break away from their daily lives is a fantastic job”. Interview Steven Daines, Chief Talent & Culture Officer, ACCOR. He is willing to keep adapting to current changes and believes in the power of working in hospitality.
“The new generation of employees is also the new generation of customers”. Interview and discussion with Stéphane Carrière, Director of Human Resources at Hôtel Martinez - Cannes, about how the hotel is evolving in order to recruit and retain employees.
IHG “Diversity, inclusion and community support are values that resonate with people who want to join a company”. Eric Viale, VP & Managing Director of IHG Hotels & Resorts - Southern Europe, CIS & Georgia shares IHG's corporate culture and vision to attract and retain talents.
“Our sector has never been so interesting, modern, digital and full of opportunities”. Interview with Olivier Cohn, Managing Director of BWH France, on the brand's evolution regarding HR issues and his enthusiasm for the sector and its richness of diversity.
Being responsible players
Accor : "The objective is to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do ". Accor : an ambitious CSR strategy for the European hospitality leader. It is not only our department but everybody’ responsibility to do something for the environment and on social issues. Interview with Brune Poirson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Accor. “In the last few years, we have seen a lot of changes and a lot of pressure, which is a good thing, to really embrace environmental and social issues. A lot of young people are concerned about it and the Covid crisis emphasized the need to respect our ecosystems. We have pressure from the regulator, from some of our partners, investors, from insurance companies, from our customers and hotels owners. It is about collaborating to do things much better than we used to do.”
First all-electric Premier Inn to be built by Whitbread. Whitbread has started the construction of the first ‘all-electric’ Premier Inn hotel in Swindon Town Centre, England. The five-storey 195-bedroom hotel is the first Premier Inn to be designed without a connection to a natural gas supply.
Ascott unveils Somerset brand refresh to reinforce its sustainable commitment. Refreshed Somerset brand features new experiences anchored in sustainable travel for multigenerational families, and it is promoted through an augmented reality campaign.
AccorInvest launches its first corporate volunteering programme. As the hospitality sector recovers from the consequences of the health crisis, the AccorInvest Group is demonstrating its solidarity by committing itself to noble causes through a corporate volunteering programme.
The tourism sector's show of solidarity with Ukrainians. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a military operation to invade Ukraine. Since then, dozens of solidarity actions have taken place around the world to help the Ukrainian people who are in a precarious situation.
The digital challenge
Satya Anand, president EMEA, Marriott International, Janvier 2022: “Travel has become much more purposeful than it was before. […] Digitalisation has made a tremendous progress for the lat two years et that is probably going to last. […] In the past we were not fast enough to adapt technologies to our systems. Covid has put that in the focus, we don’t have the choice, we have to evolve and adapt. To be able to do that, we have to use digital technology. […] We can’t step back; we have to make the changes and we have to make huge efforts to continue to move in this direction. Also making sure that we are doing the right thing for our community.”
Patrick Mendes (Accor) | "We want to improve our ability to capture the customer". Interview with Patrick Mendes, Group Sales and Marketing Director, in charge of Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Loyalty activities at Accor. A discussion with Vanguélis Panayotis, CEO MKG Consulting. “Everything we're doing here has an objective, must generate traffic, business and a profitable business for our owners, franchisees, and partners.
ALL, our loyalty program. We are trying to bring more business to our hotels and for that we need to accelerate the recruitment of all members we have today roughly 70 million members by increasing the number of activities we have with these members.
Sometimes they use us once a year, twice a year by adding lots of brands and lots of services. We are trying to develop the guest lifetime value or the guest value for our owners.”
Launch of a new European data lab to strengthen the competitiveness of tourism. The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the European Travel Commission (ETC) are working together to create a Data Lab that aims to strengthen the competitiveness of EU member countries.
PMS and POS - choosing the right tool. The Property Management System has become one of the central tools for managing a property. Its equivalent for restaurateurs, the POS, is also being developed to support the management of properties. The final absorption of GuestJoy by Site Minder nine months after its IPO, confirms the concentration of the sector.
The answer is not the number of brands you have on the market, but the relevance of your brands. Interview with Eric de Neef, Global Chief Commercial & Branding Officer, Radisson Hotel Group. He deciphers with Vanguélis Panayotis, CEO Hospitality ON, the future trends of our industry.
Can digital technology aid hospitality? Accommodation providers have this unique opportunity to be in direct contact with the customer in what is a very powerful sphere of intimacy. But before securing a booking, what is the cost of customer acquisition? How to build customer loyalty? How to better meet their expectations before, during and after their stay? Since the advent of the Internet of Things and web apps, many solutions and tools are now available to accommodation providers to help improve customer experience.
Technology more present than ever in the 2023 travel trends. It would seem that 2023 will be synonymous with travel in the metaverse, new generation travel agencies, digital nomadism and "hands-free" travel, according to Amadeus, which has identified five main areas in its Travel Trends 2023.
Innovations and experiments in the F&B sector
Carte Blanched, Ennismore’s new F&B concept studio. Unique to Ennismore, Carte Blanched creates new and develops existing F&B brands for hotel owners, overseeing everything from conception through to opening and beyond to deliver destinations for both local and international guests.
In 2022 F&B is all about leisure. Eat to feel good and have a good time. Many professionals have integrated these expectations and are developing spaces and products that allow them to offer an increasingly varied offer. Local sourcing, attentive design, homemade snacks, gastronomic supplies and entertainment... the possibilities are endless for attracting customers to properties, whether they are just passing through or live in the area. Here is an overview of the latest initiatives proposed by hospitality professionals.
F&B, a new business in the luxury sector. This first part of 2022 was marked by the development strategy of luxury brands to grow their business around new F&B offers.
Is F&B the new black for hospitality? The booking platform dedicated to the restaurant industry The Fork, indicates in its annual review 2021 the appeal of the French for the restaurant industry. As soon as the restaurants reopened on June 9, the properties recorded a boom in reservations 16% higher than those of 2019 at the same period.
Differentiating and staying successful
"We are very clear on the strategy, and we are very clear on our growth markets." Interview with Jonathan Mills, CEO of Choice Hotels for EMEA. Previous to that, he was in Asia-Pacific for 15 years. "I was very excited about the challenge and wanted to come back and assist the organisation and build the strategy."
“The focus on training is absolutely pivotal to supporting the customer experience. We have designed customer experiential training for all of the brands, and what we are then doing is ‘train-the-trainer’ programmes and going on property, where required, to train staff as well. That training is focused on the positioning and the hallmarks of the brands, the services that Choice offers to franchisees and the customer service linked to the hallmarks of the fresh brand. Training is the vein that goes through the hotel that really ensures we get that brand absolutely resonating in the service culture.”
Louvre Hotels Group announces plans to grow its extended-stay brand in Europe. The group are planning to add 30 Tulip Residences in order to expand its aparthotel brand.
ELLE moves into the hospitality sector. Over the decades, Lagardère News has capitalised on the strength of its media brand, which has become a global lifestyle brand, to diversify. ELLE now has 150 partners around the world, with a licensing model, an activity led by Anne BILLAZ (CEO of Lagardère Active Enterprises) and François CORUZZI (CEO ELLE International Licences), with 7 subsidiaries and around 50 employees worldwide.
Rotana launches a new brand: Edge by Rotana. The launching of the new collection brand signals the UAE-based operator’s desire to expand beyond the Middle East and go global.
Choice Hotels EMEA: Clarion brand gets a makeover. Choice Hotels EMEA continues to renew its brands with the refresh of Clarion Hotels, having started the renewal of the Comfort brand last month.
Quality brand is transformed by Choice Hotels. As announced by Jonathan Mills, CEO of Choice Hotels for EMEA, to Hospitality ON last June, Choice Hotels EMEA unveils Quality brand restyling. Guest and service are becoming the core values of the brand design developed by the franchisor for the EMEA market.
Primestar diversifies its portfolio and launches three new brands. Primestar Group announced on 2nd May 2022 the rolling-out of June SiX, June Stay and WorX. The launch will allow the group to address accommodation and working demands in German A-cities.
IHG Hotels & Resorts works on its brand awareness and image through a global communication campaign. Guest How You Guest will be available for the US and UK markets from August 3rd and then rolled out globally. The group has chosen to take the lead on its communication through a campaign of a scale not seen for 10 years and which focuses, for the first time, on the IHG One Rewards loyalty programme.
The design of the Orient Express' cabins. The renovation of the mythical train continues for a market launch in 2023. The train that will cross Europe unveils its suites to bring three levels of comfort to the passengers of the future Orient Express.
The Ascott Limited unveils Citadines brand refresh. Ascott’s aparthotel brand has introduced new signature programmes and also celebrated the opening of its flagship property in Singapore. Citadine is Ascott’s fastest growing brand and has 80 properties under development across 56 cities to add to its existing portfolio of over 180 establishments.
Marriott International introduces Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott International has announced its expansion into apartment-style accommodations. The offering has been developed to respond to growing consumer demands as the popularity of blending work and leisure burgeons and younger travellers display an increasing desire for wider accommodation options.
Mandarin Oriental adds a new offer to its ecosystem. Private villas and mansions have been selected by the group to be operated under the Mandarin Oriental brand.
New flaship in the City of Light. SO/PARIS,will soon open its doors in the mixed-use Morland Mixité Capitale complex developed by Emerige, winner of the Réinventer Paris competition.
Storyliving by Disney : the new concept of the American entertainment leader. Fans of the Disney universe will soon be able to enjoy a brand new, immersive experience, as The Walt Disney Company unveils an ambitious new project.
New extended-stay economy brand for Wyndham. Economy segment has been the most resilient during the Covid 19 pandemic crisis. It is therefore no surprise that the American group plans to develop a new brand on that segment.
Kerzner International unveils it new brand: Rare Finds collection. Under this new brand, Kerzner has assumed management of Bab Al Shams, Dubai’s desert resort, owned by Meydan. The resort will close for an extensive reimagination between May 2022 and early 2023, reopening as part of Rare Finds collection.
Travelodge announces a “budget-luxe” revamp strategy. After loosing some properties in 2020 due to voluntary insolvency proceedings, Travelodge unveils revamp plans for its UK portfolio.
Choice Hotels EMEA refreshes its brand portfolio. In order to keep pace with the changing needs and expectations of its customers, Choice Hotels EMEA has decided to inject a breath of fresh air into several of its brands.
Wyndham launches its new economy extended-stay brand. Wyndham signs first 50 hotels for the development of its upcoming economy extended-stay hotel brand.
Finding the right partner
90% of Meliá's new hotels will be managed or franchised. Meliá Hotels International, which almost quadrupled its revenue in the first quarter of 2021, is revising its projections upwards and has set out a roadmap for 2024, with a focus on expanding its global portfolio.
Wojo signs a master franchise to develop its services in sub-Saharan Africa. Capitalising on its network, the joint venture between Accor and Bouygues Immobilier has signed an exclusive partnership with Kasada to develop its co-working facilities in the group's properties.
IHG signs agreement with Solutions4Hotels GmbH to develop 10 new hotels in Germany. IHG Hotels & Resorts announces the signing of a Multi-Development-Agreement (MDA) with Solutions4Hotels GmbH, a commitment to develop 10 hotels of the Holiday Inn brand with approximately 800 rooms in Germany.
IHG partners with Msafiri Limited to expand its portfolio across African markets. IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed franchise agreements with Msafiri Limited to rebrand three properties across Tanzania and Kenya under the brands Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza.
Accor and Katara Hospitality strengthen their partnership. Accor expands its partnership with Katara Hospitality, a Qatar based company, with the upcoming opening of the new Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier in the Northern region of Morocco.
The Hoxton to open 7 hotels in Europe by 2024. The Hoxton has announced plans to open 7 new European hotels by early 2024. The new openings are slated for London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Edinburgh, Vienna and Dublin.
Accor acquires Paris Society. The hospital group Accor, which in 2017 already owned 38% of the shares of Paris Society, has just obtained 100% of them after a purchase valued at 330 million euros. The consolidation of a collaboration that should assist the group in the creation and management of exceptional places in its development but which should not change anything to the current management.
Hyatt to acquire Dream Hotel Group. Hyatt continues its asset-light growth strategy with the signing of an agreement with Dream Hotel Group to acquire the lifestyle hotel brand and management platform including the Dream Hotels, The Chatwal Hotels and Unscripted Hotels brands.
Wojo and Mama Works are now on the same team. The two brands in the Accor galaxy are joining forces and Wojo is becoming the operator of the Mama Works concept. The two Mama Works addresses in Lyon and Bordeaux are now part of the Wojo portfolio. The partnership covers the European territory including the United Kingdom.
"An office on clay": the new concept of Wojo and Accor Live Limitless. From 16 to 20 May 2022, it will be possible to swap one's usual office for a slightly more original one: an ephemeral coworking space in the heart of Roland-Garros. A unique experience offered by an Accor subsidiary and the group's loyalty programme.
Adagio signs exclusive partnership with London Stadium. With the announcement of this partnership, Adagio confirms its ambition to develop its offer internationally, starting with England.
Rankings 2022
2022 World Hotel Group Rankings: behind the apparent calm, there are fundamental movements. The effect of the crisis that began in 2020 following the Covid 19 pandemic has not yet been felt in the global hierarchy: the global top 10 is more or less similar to 2021, but with notable developments that foreshadow potential changes in the order established since 2015.
[Ranking] Hotel group's supply in Europe 2022. Challengers put pressure on the leaders. The American hotel groups are not hiding their ambitions for the world’s leading destination market and their figures for growth in the number of rooms prove it. Marriott grabs the podium, Hilton opens 26 properties and Hyatt enters the top 20 in 17th place, benefiting from the addition of AMResorts, which made openings in 2021. Jin Jiang is now the only Chinese group in the top 20. The budget hotel specialists are in an expansion phase, with French B&B Hotels moving up one place in the ranking.
Financial ranking 2022: The old hotel world strikes back against the digital travel empire. Although the financial panorama of the hotel market’s biggest players is not yet at its best in the first half of 2022, they have recovered on the stock market to the point that they once again weigh more than the tech players. After the Chinese actors in 2020, it is the Western players, particularly the Americans, who have rebounded strongly in 2021. However, the financial hierarchy of hotel groups has changed through the COVID-19 period, confirming the rise in power of Chinese operators and more recently of some players who have made strategic moves. The financial results have also improved, albeit in a heterogeneous manner depending, in particular, on the geographical exposure of the players. Let's take a look.
The industry is getting back into the swing of things
Radisson Hotel Group unveils its ambitious strategic transformation plan. Radisson Hotel Group has great ambitions regarding this year. Indeed it plans to sign 330 hotels in EMEA and APAC in 2022, representing 15,000 new rooms.
Sébastien Bazin: “The miracle of Accor, […] is that capacity to accept, nurture, train, give a hand to under-privileged people in the world.” Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the Accor Group, sat down for a conversation with Vanguélis Panayotis, CEO of Hospitality ON, about the evolving world of hospitality and the prospects for Europe's n°1 hotel group.
Growing and developing your presence
Room007 acquires competitor Bluesock Hostels. The acquisition is part of Room007 Hotels & Hostels' plan to absorb as many of its competitors in the hostel market as possible over the next 12 months.
Best Western continues its expansion in the Middle East. The expansion is part of BWH Hotels Group’s larger effort to thoughtfully grow its footprint in key destinations across the globe, as travel continues its resurgence in the region and worldwide.
Ascott Residence Trust aims to acquire new assets to strengthen presence in key markets. Ascott Residence Trust proposes to acquire $318.3 million of assets in Australia, France, Japan, USA and Vietnam through the acquisition of 9 properties.
OYO expands its footprint in Northern Europe. OYO adds european vacations rentals to its portfolio with the acquisition of Bornholmske Feriehuse, a vacation home management company based on the Danish Island of Bornholm.
Choice Hotels International completes acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas. The move will see the addition of nine brands and 67,000 keys across the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean to Choice Hotels’ portfolio.
Fattal Hotel Group acquires 7Minds boutique hotel chain. The Fattal Hotel Group has continued the expansion of its local and international operations with the acquisition (72.5%) of the 7Minds boutique hotel chain, owned by Oren Pascal and Ben Braverman.
Ascott unveils its integrated strategy to boost asset-light growth in the lodging business. The Ascott Limited presented its business outlook and lodging investment management strategy during CapitaLand Investment (CLI) Investor Day 2022, which took place over 13th-14th October in Singapore.
Mama Shelter plans to open six new hotels by 2024. As part of its global expansion, Mama Shelter will open its doors in Rennes, Dijon and Nice in France, as well as Dubai, Medellín and Zurich.
The Hoxton takes to the slopes. The Hoxton, in partnership with Treeline Chalets, will open a luxury chalet in the French ski resort of Morzine. The property will open its doors before the end of the season, for March/April 2023.
Hilton unveils its list of openings for 2023. Hilton has released the list of 19 hotels it plans to open next year, expanding its global portfolio, particularly in the EMEA region.
Four Seasons announces growth plans. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has announced its expansion plans for 2022 and beyond and has a total of over 50 new projects under planning or development stages.
Club Med plans numerous expansion projects between now and 2024. Club Med plans to undertake global expansion plans: renovations, openings, new developments and multiple environmental projects.
Marriott celebrates its 1,000th hotel in EMEA with the opening of The Westin London City. While celebrating this milestone in its development, Marriott unveils its ambition to add over 200 properties across EMEA in 2022 and 2023.
JO&JOE brand to conquere the Chinese market. Ennismore in collaboration with Accor announced an unprecedented long-term master franchise agreement with Country Garden’s core alliance enterprise, Funyard Hotels and Resorts to open more than 1,000 JO&JOE hotels in China.
Ascott aims to develop 150 lyf coliving properties by 2030. CapitaLand Investment Limited’s (CLI) wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited has set a target to sign 150 properties with over 30,000 units under its lyf coliving brand by 2030.
Events designed to bring you together and move forward together
Hospitality Operator Forum, a moment to discuss two key issues for the sector: inflation, its consequences and ways of preserving profitability; and changes in practices on the part of customers and employees.
Hospitality Asset Forum : Many players in the sector had found relevant and effective operating and investment models that have been challenged over the past 24 months. Weak signals that many in the industry could see, have become apparent to everyone. The hospitality world has gone through one of its most impactful crises. A crisis that had an impact because it was unexpected and unprecedented, but the players in the sector faced up to it. Together they fought to maintain a quality welcome in line with customers' expectations. We had to change our software very quickly and make many updates since then.
Hospitality Awards and Young Talent Awards where true hospitality lovers were awarded yesterday for their passion, commitment, and ability to deliver at the Hospitality Awards Competition. This year for the first time, students worked on challenging issues submitted to them by hoteliers. 5 teams won the first Young Talent Awards.
Will today's city be tomorrow's? Will prime places remain in urban areas? How to invest in the current inflationary context? What are the concrete solutions? What answers can sustainable development provide? How can the tertiary sector decree be taken into account? Who are the new entrants to the sector and can they destabilise it?
See you in 2023 for more exclusive content, analysis and information on the hospitality sector. Hospitality ON is here for you, so don't hesitate to contact us on our social networks or by writing to us at webeditors[a]hospitality-on.com.
