Accor has launched a new luxury brand called Emblem Collections, which will include boutique hotels and luxurious resorts around the world.
The brand will debut in China’s Guizhou province in December 2022, and its portfolio is expected to grow to 60 properties worldwide by 2030.
As suggested by the name, the brand will feature hotels that are emblematic of their designers, demographics or destinations, with signature features including “luxurious surroundings, Instagram-worthy pools and vibrant public spaces”.
The brand will have three categories for hotels and resorts:
- Emblems Collection Heritage – hotels that are landmarks of a destination, with buildings that contribute to the character of a location, and celebrate history and classic cultural traditions
- Emblems Collection Retreat – resort properties in beaches, countrysides or mountain destinations, with a focus on spa and wellness experiences
- Emblems Collection Signature – design-led hotels that pay homage to the style and signature of the designers or original residents
The brand aims to “replicate the success” of its M Gallery brand, which now counts over 100 boutique hotels worldwide.
The first hotel to join the portfolio is Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection, located in the fast-growing city of Guiyang within a building originally built as a private residence. The hotel will feature 64 suites. two ballrooms, a swimming pool, spa and fitness area, and various bars, lounges and restaurants.
Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor, commented:
“Emblems Collection adds a fresh and exciting new dimension to Accor’s luxury offerings. A key focus of our growth and development strategy is to add aggressively across our strongest lines and leading business accelerators, which includes luxury as well as collection brands, while ensuring all 40+ brands in our global network continue to grow, evolve and flourish.
“The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travelers who appreciate high-end, boutique-style experiences, as well as by hoteliers who cherish the independent brands they’ve built while desiring the benefits that come with a global partner.”
Agnes Roquefort, Chief Development Officer at Accor, added:
“For owners and developers who have created unique luxury hotels, or are looking to develop a new upmarket offering, we offer a collection brand that can boost their property’s status and profile with limited investment in marketing and branding, along with an easy transition process.
“With Emblems Collection, a hotelier can optimize their costs and operations right away by leveraging Accor’s powerful global distribution and supply networks, while expanding their audience reach from the moment they join. We look forward to working collaboratively with more hoteliers and development partners to bring more hotels around the world to this outstanding collection.”
Accor says that it is “actively seeking new properties” to join the collection, with a particular focus on luxury heritage hotels in Prague and Paris that could fit into the Heritage or Signature categories.
It adds that other target cities include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Marrakech, Cairo, Amman, Doha, Moscow, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney, Montréal, New York, Havana, Cartagena, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Santiago.
Shortlisted destinations for the Retreat category include Tuscany, Mykonos, Bodrum, Algarve, Bali, Australia’s Gold Coast and Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
