Despite a challenging first half of the year for the global hospitality industry, Accor’s strength in Northern Europe has been confirmed with the announcement of 14 new hotel signings. These include four in the UK and Ireland, six in Belgium and four in the Netherlands. The new signings will collectively add well over 2,000 rooms to Accor’s portfolio in the region.
The four signings in the UK and Ireland include the first Fairmont in Ireland, one Tribe, one Mercure and an ibis Budget. In the luxury division, the historic Carton House is the newly signed Fairmont Hotel situated just outside Dublin. It has 170 rooms and reopens in Q4 as a Fairmont Managed hotel. Accor has also signed Tribe Manchester Airport, a 412-room franchised new build hotel. This is the second Tribe hotel to be signed in Northern Europe this year and marks the expansion of an existing relationship with the owners of ibis Budget Luton and the ibis Budget projects at Manchester and Heathrow Airport. Tribe Manchester Airport is set to open in 2022.
The new Mercure signing in Bournemouth has quickly seen the rebranding and refurbishment of the 109-room Queens Hotel in the British coastal town. The hotel was acquired by first time hotel franchisee NQ2 Group and reopened as Mercure Bournemouth Queens Hotel & Spa on 30 July. A new build ibis Budget hotel in Glasgow has also been signed and is set to open in 2022, it will be managed by Accor and owned by the same partner as the Tribe hotel next door to the property.
The first half of the year also saw ten new signings in Benelux, with six important signings in Belgium. In the first quarter, Belgium welcomed a new brand to Northern Europe with the signing of an 83-room Novotel Living, an extended stay brand, at Brussels Airport. This hotel will be a combination destination, with a 120-room ibis Styles due to open in 2021 with franchise partner Industrie Hotelier. The same partner also signed two other Accor hotels in Belgium, the 117-room Mercure Hans-Sur-Lesse scheduled to open later this year and an 81-room ibis Styles in Bredene due to open next year. A 100-room ibis hotel in Geel has also been signed and is set to open in 2022 with franchisee partner Centriq Hotel Management. The second quarter also saw a new signing in Brussels with the Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort, a 98-room franchised hotel set to open in 2022. It will become part of a combination with the existing ibis Budget Gent Centrum Dampoort.
In the second quarter, Benelux saw four new signings in the Netherlands. The 192-room Tribe Amsterdam North and 110-room Mercure Amsterdam North are both set to open in 2021. The 137-room Mercure Rotterdam Airport and the 136-room ibis Styles Rotterdam Airport are also due to open next year.
Phillip Lassman, Vice President of Development, Accor Northern Europe explained: “The first half of the year has posed a unique set of challenges for Accor and the hospitality industry as a whole. However, the strength of our proposition remains and through the dedication of the Accor team and hard work of our partners we have delivered an outstanding set of development results, with 14 new signings collectively adding over 2,000 rooms to our network in the past six months.
“In the UKI we were happy to add additional Tribe, ibis Budget, Mercure and Fairmont properties to our portfolio. We are particularly excited about Tribe Manchester Airport, as it confirms the continued rise in popularity of midscale lifestyle brands. As we enter the second half of the year with Covid-19 related restrictions being eased, we are already seeing new openings and a strong pipeline.”
Thomas Dubaere, COO, Accor Northern Europe, said: “During unprecedented circumstances the business has continued to demonstrate its strength and its leadership in Europe. Our brands, from luxury to economy, lifestyle to aparthotel, offer prospective owners unrivalled choice selection, resulting in the signings of multiple development opportunities across the Northern Europe region this year. Our customers increasingly want more than just a hotel; our augmented hospitality approach allows us to create brands and properties that offer stays and experiences that are multipurpose for travellers as well as locals. And with our ALLSAFE standards we can offer our guests a safe and carefree stay, now and in the future. The strength of our brand portfolio and the vision and agility of the business make Accor a partner of choice for owners. We are confident the second half the year will see our continued growth and we look forward to welcoming more owners and properties to our network.”
