Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin has strengthened the group’s luxury offerings since taking over as leader of the Paris-based hotel group in 2013.
At the end of 2015, only 6% of Accor’s luxury rooms worldwide were owned by Accor, and its only two luxury brands were Sofitel and MG Gallery. Currently, at least 10% of its more than 800,000 rooms are in the luxury segment, and the Group offers a wider range of brands.
At the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) expo in Cannes last month, Accor showcased its products in a giant tent set up on the beach. “I promise you Marriott will never get this tent,” Bazin joked at the opening dinner, referring to how Accor negotiated exclusive use of the tent with Cannes.
Perhaps, with more than 380 luxury hotels, Accor is not as big a player in this space as global leader Marriott, with 529 hotels, or Hilton, with more than 500 hotels.
Accor adds ultra-luxury
Bazin’s latest ambition is to debut Orient Express as a hotel, train and yacht brand this year. Orient Express will be Accor’s second brand after Raffles in the “ultra-luxury” segment (think rooms that typically sell for more than $1,000 a night).
“About 100 years ago, we just couldn’t understand why the travel industry had moved away from the greatest luxury travel experience of all time,” Bazin said. “Those days were special in terms of the beauty of uniforms, service, music, gourmet food, baccarat, and fragrances.”
Orient Express La Minerva opens in Rome this spring. This is the first asset in Orient Express’ planned portfolio of hotels, sleeper trains and sailing yachts. Overlooking Rome’s Pantheon, this 93-room property is a converted 17th-century palace.
In 2026, Accor will join LVMH to debut the first two Orient Express night trains, the first of which will cross Italy. The world’s largest sailing ship, the Orient Express Corinthian, will also make its debut. The brand has appointed chef Yannick Alléno, who has twice earned three Michelin stars for his restaurants, as executive chef of Orient Express.
raffles and fairmont
Bazin completed Accor’s acquisition of luxury hotel brands Raffles and Fairmont in 2016. Last year, he appointed Omar Akar as CEO of both brands.
Akar hopes Fairmont will be “closely tied to the social fabric of the destination” with accessible luxury and venues that can accommodate large groups. “If it’s a groundbreaking wedding or a peace conference, it’s most likely going to be held at the Fairmont,” he said.
Fairmont is a “massive brand” with “nearly 90 hotels open” and “more than 30 in the pipeline.”
This year, Fairmont will promote the expansion of services on the “Gold Floor,” a VIP-only floor where guests can receive more attentive service from staff, similar to a “hotel within a hotel.”
Because of their overlapping customer bases, the brand plans to deepen its partnerships with professional golf events this year. Golf is often a favorite pastime of guests, and 40% of resorts have a golf course.
Raffles has smaller facilities focused on intimate family and executive gatherings. Akar said recent successful openings in Boston, Jaipur and London, and a pipeline that includes Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Sentosa, Singapore, speaks to the strength of the brand with developers.
“Raffles represents a culture of service that attracts the city’s best talent,” Akar said. “We opened a 147-room Raffles in Boston in 2023 and it was a huge success. Most importantly, when you walk into the dining room or the Long Bar, you know everyone in the city of Boston is there. That’s what we aim for everywhere.”
Acar wants to expand Raffles selectively in key markets such as Miami and top ski towns in the United States.
Sofitel renewal
In 2023, Mr. Bazin appointed Maud Bailly as CEO of luxury hotel brands Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MG Gallery and Emblem.
Mr. Bailly was faced with the task of turning around Sofitel, the flagship brand with 124 hotels open. The 60-year-old brand has seen many owners since it was acquired by Accor in 1980.
Mr. Bazin reorganized Accor in 2023 to bring it closer to luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. Each of Accor’s luxury brands operates more independently as a ‘maison’ or house. Mr. Bazin had wanted someone like Mr. Eikal and Mr. Bailey to lead a team focused on managing just a handful of brands, which is the model LVMH has adopted.
Bailly has been traveling for the past two years gathering feedback from owners, guests and staff. She has sought to revitalize the Sofitel brand by working on renovations, service culture and brand positioning.
The various hotels under the Sofitel brand pursued different purposes, including nightlife hotspots, conference venues, and leisure resorts.
“Based on the feedback, we knew that our positioning should be as a best-in-class French luxury hospitality company,” Bailly said. “Every Sofitel should be deeply embedded in the local community, with a very strong commitment to a service culture that embodies generosity and is not rigid. “connections”, “thoughtful service”, and “discerning luxury”.
Sofitel has undergone extensive renovations at a quarter of its hotels, including hotels in New York, Philadelphia and Bangkok.
Mr. Bailey focused on improving staff culture. She encouraged general managers to develop leadership principles she called “humble excellence, distinction, and emotional intelligence.”
She and her colleagues developed an interactive training program for frontline staff called “I Love, I Live, I Lead” to help improve employee skills. We’ve also relaxed our previously strict protocols so that our staff feels empowered to provide customized and creative services based on their best intuition for the situation.
“You can train your staff to develop confidence and empower them to boldly express their authenticity,” Bailly says.
“We can forgive a product that is about to be renovated but is still not perfect, but we cannot forget a service that is not perfect,” Bailly says.
Mr Bailly described the emotional moment when a staff member who had worked at the hotel for 24 years told him: “I wanted to thank you again because I’m proud of you.”
Year-to-date performance of the Lodging Sector Stock Index
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