BANGKOK, 21 January 2021: Accor begins 2021 with a full schedule of new hotel openings in Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea and around the world.
Despite unprecedented challenges during 2020, Accor maintained a steady pace of development and continued to sign new projects, leading to a robust pipeline of new hotel openings throughout 2021.
“As we are all too familiar, 2020 had a profound impact on our day-to-day lives and the hospitality industry as a whole. Even so, the early stages of a global rebound will be material and significant,” said Accor global chief development officer Agnes Roquefort.
“Despite the delays and temporary closures we experienced due to the pandemic, we continued to experience sustained momentum across our development pipeline and are optimistic that the worldwide rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will lead to a renewed trust in travel.”
Across Southeast Asia, notable openings include V Villas Phuket – MGallery, a 24-pool villa resort on Thailand’s Phuket island. In Manila, the new Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery is set to open while visitors while in Singapore first MGallery will arrive with the opening of Orchard Hills Residences Singapore – MGallery, situated near to the Gardens by the Bay and Suntec Convention Centre.
South Korea will welcome two luxury hotels in 2021. The 326-room Fairmont Ambassador Seoul will open in February and the new 563 room Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences, in late 2021.
Accor’s lifestyle hotel openings are expected to triple by 2023. The category accounts for roughly 5% of the group’s annual revenue while representing 25% of the company’s development pipeline by value.
The recently announced joint venture with Ennismore, expected to close in Q2 2021, will contribute to a platform with new properties opening including Mondrian Shoreditch London; JO&JOE Vienna Westbahnhof; SO/ Sotogrande Resort & Spa; SLS Dubai and 25hours Dubai.
Accor’s luxury segment will also make headlines in 2021 with the Banyan Tree Doha in Qatar and new Raffles openings in Udaipur and Jeddah. Fairmont will see the much-anticipated opening of the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, along with Fairmont Windsor in England; Carton House, a Fairmont managed hotel in Dublin; Fairmont Ramla Riyadh; Fairmont Ambassador Seoul; and, Fairmont Tagazhout Bay in Morocco. Sofitel will bring French sophistication to several new destinations, including Seoul, Hangzhou, and Adelaide.
Conversion opportunities also presented themselves in 2020 and will continue to be a growth driver in 2021. Leading brands for conversion opportunities include The House of Originals (Luxury), MGallery (Upper Premium), Mövenpick (Premium), Grand Mercure (Premium), Mercure (Midscale), ibis Styles (Economy) and greet (Budget).
These seven brands account for 43% of Accor’s opening pipeline over the next five years. For example, MGallery will welcome several new hotels in key gateway locations this year, including Orchard Hills Residences Singapore – MGallery, The Silveri Hong Kong – MGallery, and The Porter House Hotel – MGallery in Sydney, Australia.
