Distinct collection hotels are on the rise as both travellers and owners seek character over ‘cookie cutter’ approach. Here, Accor Pacific Chief Development Officer, Lindsay Leeser, and Vice President Development, Brett Forer, discuss the importance of growing this arm of the business.
A key part of Accor’s growth and development strategy is to expand our strongest categories, which includes collection brands. With one of the highest growth rates in the industry today, collection brand hotels are proliferating around the world at a rate of 25% a year.
Driving this expansion is rising demand from independent hoteliers seeking to leverage the benefits of an international and leading hotel group, like Accor, while responding to a growing guest desire for authenticity and local experiences.
Just last year, we responded to this demand by diversifying our portfolio of collection brands, which already includes MGallery in the upper upscale space and Emblems Collection in the luxury category, with the launch of Handwritten Collection. Through the creation of Handwritten Collection, we broadened our portfolio of boutique hotel offerings and brought together small to mid-size hotels that authentically reflect the character and warmth of the people who love and look after them.
Since launching Handwritten Collection just over one year ago, we’ve opened two Handwritten Collection hotels in Australia – Hotel Morris Sydney and Wonil Hotel Perth. We’re very pleased with the incredibly positive response we’ve received from owners and partners in our first year. The brand has huge potential for growth, and we are in active discussions for several new Handwritten Collection hotels in Australia and New Zealand.
Our first brand in the collection category, MGallery, is another popular brand across the Pacific region, and is known for its storied boutique hotels, each with a unique history, personality and sense of place. Some of our newest MGallery hotels in Australia and New Zealand include The Porter House Hotel Sydney, Manly Pacific Sydney, Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, and Fable Terrace Downs Resort in New Zealand.
Our collection brands are ideal for owners who want to allow the original character of their hotel to shine. They offer flexible standards designed to answer the needs of independent boutique hotel owners and enhance the guest experience with a few light brand attributes, while benefiting from the power of Accor’s sales, distribution and loyalty platforms.