GLOBAL LEADERS: SÉBASTIEN BAZIN, ACCOR

GLOBAL LEADERS: Sébastien Bazin

Chairman and CEO, Accor

The future of hospitality depends on the sustainability of the industry.

I have always said it, we work in a blessed industry. No-one could have imagined how quickly the travel and leisure industry has bounced back after the pandemic. 2022 was an astonishing year and I am pleased to say our teams are now back doing what they know and love best: taking care of our guests. All around the world our teams are focused on delivering the very best in hospitality and 2023 is lining up to be a fantastic year for tourism. We have seen already a clear evolution in the guest’s desire for more life-enriching and accessible travel experiences as well as the blending of leisure and business travel.

Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO Accor

Some guests are now increasingly seeking to combine hotel stays and leisure opportunities with business activities and benefit from remote working capabilities to extend stays and spend more time enjoying destinations with their families. Some business travellers have even changed the pattern of business trips, booking less frequently but tending to stay longer. There is also a noticeable increase in group bookings as families and friends are coming together to connect and create shared memories.

Biodiversity and food waste are both a challenge and opportunity.

The key to realising our ambitions for 2023 and beyond will be leveraging the unique strength of our brand portfolio. Containing more than 40 brands, this portfolio is amongst the world’s most diverse and attractive and will continue to improve in 2023 through a pipeline of highly anticipated global openings. We have a number of exciting properties scheduled to open next year, from budget-friendly hotels to ultra-luxurious hideaways, including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, Pullman and Novotel as well as Ennismore brands such as Tribe, So/, 21c Museum Hotel, Hoxton and Mondrian.

Le Saint Gervais Hotel & Spa is part of Accor’s newly launched Handwritten Collection

Experiences are playing an ever-growing role in the hospitality industry as people are looking to visit adventurous destinations with opportunities to explore regional areas and interact with local cultures. Accor has been deeply committed to sustainability through promoting a universal net positive hospitality approach in which we aim to contribute to our planet and communities by always giving back more than we take in. We were the first hospitality group to announce an ambitious science-based emissions reduction target: -46% absolute emissions by 2030. We continue to examine our supply chain in detail and aim to go further in reducing plastic usage outside the guest experience.

For example, in packaging and transportation. Biodiversity and food waste are both a challenge and opportunity, and with our partners we are exploring how we can reduce our environmental impact in this space. The future of hospitality is right around the corner and its prosperity rests firmly on the sustainability of the industry. As such going into 2023, Accor will continually seek ways to adapt to and support emerging sustainability trends such as: local leisure opportunities, domestic tourism, slow travel, workspitality and F&B.

SNAPSHOT: ACCOR

Year the company was founded: 1967

Year first hotel opened: 1967 Globally; 1982 APAC; 1991 ANZSP

Number of brands in the organisation: 40+

Current number of hotels and rooms (Globally): More than 5,300 hotels; 810,000+ rooms

Current number of hotels and rooms (Asia-Pacific): More than 1,400 hotels; 258,000+ rooms

Current number of hotels and rooms (ANZP): 400 hotels; 64,000+ rooms

Head office locations: Paris, Singapore, Sydney