Accor Bets on Luxury to Close Gap with Marriott and Hilton

Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin has been boosting the hotel group's luxury offerings since 2013 when he became the leader of the Paris-based hotel group.

At the end of 2015, only 6% of Accor's rooms worldwide were luxury, and it had only two luxury brands: Sofitel and MGallery. Today, at least 10% of its over 800,000 rooms are in the luxury segment, and the group offers a broader range of brands.

At the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) expo in Cannes last month, Accor showed off its offerings in an enormous tent on the beach. "I promise you that Marriott will never get this tent," Bazin joked at an opening dinner, referring to how Accor negotiated with Cannes for its exclusive use.

Perhaps, but Accor, with over 380 luxury hotels, isn't as big of a player in the space as the global leader Marriott, with 534, or Hilton, with more than 500.

A suite with a terrace at Orient Express La Minerva, an ultra-luxury hotel opening in Rome in spring 2025. Source: Accor. Accor Adds Ultra-Luxury

Bazin's latest ambition is to debut Orient Express this year as a brand of hotels, trains, and yachts. Orient Express will be Accor's second brand after Raffles in the 'ultra-luxury' segment (think rooms that typically sell for over $1,000 a night).

"I never understood why the tra