GOSTELOW REPORT—”What would make my professional life easier? Honestly, I am very fortunate to work with great people and brands, so any improvements would be purely incremental,” says Chris Cahill, Deputy CEO of Accor. Others might be overwhelmed by his workload but he simply smiles, in the knowing way that is typically his.
He joined Accor in July 2016 to oversee the strategic direction and global operations of eight pper-upscale and luxury brands, namely Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend, So, Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman and Swissôtel. Now, less than three years later, his portfolio has ballooned. Today, Accor is the largest hotel group outside the USA, with 4,500 hotels (in total Cahill looks after, perhaps nanny-style, 650 properties).
Some of the newcomer brands, say Mövenpick and Orient-Express, are standalone. Others, where a logical fit is seen, are being integrated: 21 Museum Hotels recently joined the MGallery Hotel Collection.
“Each of my brands has a unique personality,” explained Cahill. “Raffles is for well-traveled connoisseurs who appreciate highly personalized service as well as legendary hotels. Fairmont is luxurious but in a very understated way, and it’s loved and respected worldwide by sophisticated travelers, including business travelers and families. Sofitel attracts modern voyageurs with its French style of luxury. So appeals to stylish socializers and youthful jetsetters, and Sofitel Legend offers a more traditional sense of luxury with gestures of romance and history.”
This is a leader who can remember each of his “children” individually and in detail. He can continue, without pause. “MGallery is for passionate explorers who appreciate boutique hotels in quaint neighborhoods. Pullman appeals to a new generation of avid business travelers who like to blur lines between work and play. Swissôtel guests prefer calm and restorative experiences that replenish energy for adventures ahead. Last but not least, Grand Mercure celebrates local culture,” he continued.
The overall equation must also include regional roots, as exemplified by Fairmont in North America, Sofitel in Europe and Raffles in Southeast Asia. How important is such heritage to a global brand for whom business success must be paramount?
“We make a concerted effort to distinguish between the unique personalities and histories of each brand, actively supporting, for example, Raffles’ discreet and gracious charm and Sofitel’s art-de-vivre spirit.”
Cahill is based at Accor headquarters in Paris but seems to be on the road at least 250 days a year. Rare in the hotel industry, he personally hosts many of Accor’s media events, included the famed and highly sought-after 6 a.m. breakfast on the first day of Virtuoso’s Travelweek in Las Vegas every August. Also, like his boss Sébastien Bazin, Cahill is a fixture at most of the key hotel development and investment conferences. He has a dozen directly reporting to him, plus many in the indirect responsibility line, and efficiency of communication is a feature that both Fairmont and Sofitel already had as part of their brands.
“Now, with our portfolio undergoing rapid expansion, the first exercise to be done is to look at the DNA and roots of each brand, to establish a clear and distinct brand positioning platform for each one, and to develop methodology which allows comparison. Once brand character, traits and personality have been defined, the real work starts by translating these platforms so that brand promises will be brought to life. We check by clearly defined brand health metrics, both internally and how they stack up against competition,” he explained.
The Accor family in fact believes in healthy competition among its brands. “That’s actually important for fostering innovation and creativity. Our brand teams work across the Accor matrix, leveraging the in-depth knowledge of subject experts through consultation platforms which allow the multiple stakeholders to be consulted in a timely manner. Each brand can tap into the same pool of specialists whilst theoretically getting equal time and support from multi-brand support functions,” he said. It is honestly difficult to think of anything that would make his professional life easier – other than, perhaps, a private plane.