Accor is advancing through 2022 with a continued focus on expanding its presence across Greater China, offering more hotels to travelers and loyalty members than ever before, from brands such as Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure and ibis. Accor’s new project signings in China reached an all-time high last year—leading to more than 520 hotels now in operation and an additional 350 under development. Accor is also on track to drive even greater momentum and growth success this year.
“Surpassing 500 hotels in Greater China truly is a milestone of which we are extremely proud,” said Gary Rosen, CEO, Accor Greater China. “This achievement is a result of the powerful connection that Accor’s brands and our dynamic team members have forged over the past 35 years with owners and guests throughout this region. We are really excited about our strong momentum in 2022 and beyond. On average, every five days a new Accor-branded hotel is opened in the region to meet the ever-growing demand for high-quality hospitality experiences. Accor provides one of the most diverse brand portfolios in the world, positioning us well to continue introducing more brands, more hotels and more experiences for leisure and corporate travelers across Greater China.”
China’s emergence as an economic leader has redrawn the lines of global tourism, with the country set to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy within the next decade. According to research from Euromonitor International, China is on track to become the world’s No. 1 global tourism destination by 2030, while continuing to be a world leader in fueling outbound tourism to other countries. Meanwhile, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has hailed China as the world’s No. 1 domestic tourism market. The WTTC cites China’s 62% absolute growth in domestic tourism since 2008, pushing it up the list from the fourth position to the top spot today. This dovetails neatly with the China Tourism Academy’s forecast for 2022, which anticipates a return to nearly 70% of pre-COVID levels of domestic travel this year.
“China is one of the fastest-growing and most competitive economies in the world for hotel development and Accor is proud to lead this important market,” said Agnès Roquefort, chief development officer, Accor. “Accor’s brand portfolio is a key differentiator for the group and will be a driving force in our success. Close to 40% of our hotels in China are at the luxury and premium level, while we retain a stronghold in the midscale and economy segments. This puts us in an enviable position and combined with our deep local knowledge and the expertise of our regional development and commercial teams, we have a flexible and highly compelling value proposition to offer owners and developers.”
Some of the most popular, high-profile openings of 2021 included Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay (pictured above), Sofitel Hangzhou Yingguan Hotel, Pullman Jiaxing Pinghu Excellence Hotel, Ocean Spring Resort Chengdu—MGallery, Novotel Zhengzhou Airport Hotel and Grand Mercure Pingxiang Kaiguang Hotel.
Looking ahead to the remainder of this year, new flagship hotels will open including Raffles at Galaxy Macau, Fairmont Xiamen and Sofitel Shanghai North Bund. This year will also see the return of the Swissôtel Beijing, following three years of extensive renovations and restyling.
Accor’s newest luxury brand, Emblems Collection, will open its first hotel in the world in December, Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection, in Guizhou province. The new brand has a goal to create a unique global portfolio exceeding 60 boutique hotels and luxurious resorts by 2030, which will certainly include additional properties in China.
MGallery Hotel Collection has two hotels opening in Hong Kong this year. The Silveri Hong Kong—MGallery is located on Lantau Island, while AKI Hong Kong—MGallery is situated in Wan Chai neighborhood. Upcoming MGallery destinations include Shenzhen’s Dalang District; Wuxi Dangkou Ancient Town; as well as Guangzhou.
One of China’s top-performing premium brands, Pullman, has multiple new properties slated to open this year, including Pullman Nanchang Xinlv, Pullman Shenzhen North Station, Pullman Chongqing Beibei and Pullman Wuhan Airport New City. These are in addition to Pullman Dali, Pullman Haikou and Pullman Suzhou Taicang, which have been open since January. Greater China has more Pullman Hotels & Resorts than any other country in the world, with nearly 50 hotels in operation, a record number of new project signings, and no signs of slowing.
Novotel Guangzhou Airport and Novotel Chengdu Tianfu Living are both set to open this year. Other upcoming destinations for the brand include Novotel Wuxi Wanshan Lake, Novotel Xi’an Aden and Novotel Qingdao Downtown.
Mercure currently has more than 110 hotels in Greater China, and nearly 100 more in development.
“Accor was founded on the premise of building innovative brands and boldly expanding them throughout the world,” added Rosen. “As we progress through 2022, all of us at Accor look forward to sharing even more exciting news about our growing portfolio in Greater China and around the world, as we embrace each opportunity with the strength, confidence and adventurous spirit that the Year of the Tiger inspires.”