Given the number of brands under Accor, how do you ensure each one stands out?
I have 12 people working with me, but we don’t want to do everything in-house. We augment the team by selecting talented designers in different countries, and we work together with our team to deliver that. Creativity is key. I want to find people who have a vision.
What’s your definition of success?
When people don’t talk to me about the product but the experience. We believe that hotels need to be designed first for the people that live close to them. We don’t mind failing because we do believe there are services that do not exist today, and we want to develop something for the future of hospitality. We design hotels to be different.
How has luxury changed?
Luxury guests do not have the same expectations they did 10 years ago. Brands today always go in the direction of modernity, and that doesn’t mean modern in terms of design, but in terms of the organization of the space.
How are you working to leverage new brands under your umbrella like 25hours Hotels, 21c Museum Hotels, and the sbe portfolio?
They are already strong in terms of design, and we want to let them do what they’re doing. We don’t want to destroy that. What’s important to us is providing the best experience. We have learned a lot from [these brands], and that makes us stronger.
What can you share about new budget-focused brand Jo&Joe that you developed with London-based design firm Penson?
We wanted to figure out how to welcome Millennials to our hotels. They like hostels because they get to meet a lot of people, Airbnb for the privacy, and hotels for the [F&B concepts]. That’s where the idea for Jo&Joe came from. It’s what we call an open house—a house open to our guests, both the tripsters and the locals. Travelers want to meet locals and locals get to meet exciting people coming from everywhere. It’s F&B&E&E, meaning we provide food, beverage, entertainment, and events. We’re working on what could be the new trends of tomorrow.
