As travel returns to normalcy across the world, the Asia Pacific region has been recording an impressive influx of foreign travelers as well as increasing domestic demand for leisure and business travel. Looking to tap into this potential, the Paris-based hotel group is working to expand its footprint in Asia Pacific and has inked a milestone agreement with Ebisu Resort LLC to double its portfolio in Japan.
Accor has announced a new strategic partnership with JHRA in Japan to rebrand and renovate the Daiwa Resorts portfolio to Grand Mercure and Mercure hotels. This will double Accor’s presence in the country and add 23 hotels totaling more than 6,000 rooms.
The conversion of the properties will take place throughout 2024, following which all the hotels will operate under their new brands.
Accor will work with Japan Hotel Reit Advisors, Daiwa Resort’s asset manager, to revitalize the properties.
“The recovery of Asia is fueling our ambitions as we seek to offer travelers a deeper and more diverse range of hospitality experiences across the region. Over the past decade, Accor has shifted from being asset-heavy to becoming an agile, asset-light company growing our hotel portfolio by 50% and tripling our brands,” said Jean-Jacques Morin, Group Deputy CEO and CEO Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Accor. “Now, with a resurgence of demand to serve as the wind beneath our wings, we will guide these brands to new heights, with more density, presence, and scale than ever before.”
Accor is set to open multiple new flagship properties across the Asia Pacific in the coming years. Some of them are:
- Pullman Singapore Hill Street — Featuring smart technology, this hotel will open this October.
- Ibis Styles Bangkok Twin Towers — Set to be the largest ibis Styles hotel in the works, this will open in 2024.
- Novotel Nara — Expected to open in 2024, this will bring the midscale brand to the historic region of Japan, situated 45 minutes south of Kyoto.
- Fairmont Hanoi — Expected to open in 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Fairmont Tokyo — Slated to open in 2025, the hotel will offer 219 rooms and views of Tokyo Bay.
Accor will continue to focus on new developments in Thailand and Indonesia, which have historically been areas of strength for the group.
The group has identified Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan as markets of significance for growth opportunities in the future.
Accor will continue to explore large-scale conversion opportunities to add value to existing properties and boost its brand portfolio.