Accor launches luxury Emblems Collection

Accor has launched Emblems Collection, its new brand for boutique hotels and luxury resorts, with plans to grow the brand to 60 properties by 2030 with London a target city.

The first Emblems Collection hotel will be the 64-suite Guiyang Art Centre hotel, Emblems Collection (pictured) in China's Guizhou province, slated to open in December 2022.

"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-plus brands in our global network continue to grow, evolve and flourish," said Sébastien Bazin, chairman and chief executive of Accor.

"The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travellers 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."

Emblems Collection will feature hotels that are "'emblematic' of their designers, demographics or destinations", with "Instagram-worthy pools and vibrant public spaces".

Hotels and resorts joining the Emblems Collection will fall into three categories:

• Emblems Collection Heritage: hotels that contribute to the character of a city, place or nation, celebrating history and cultural traditions.
• Emblems Collection Retreat: resort properties offering spa and wellness experiences.
• Emblems Collection Signature: design-led hotels.

The Emblems Collection brand has been designed with independent and boutique hotel owners in mind and it will be the only Accor luxury brand with the opportunity to franchise.

"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," said Agnes Roquefort, chief development officer at Accor.

"With Emblems Collection, a hotelier can optimise 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 has more than 5,200 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries.