Skift Q&A: The Big Vision for Augmented Hospitality

[caption id="attachment_212320" align="alignright" width="240"] Download your copy of Skift Megatrends 2018[/caption] Earlier this month we released our annual travel industry trends forecast, Skift Megatrends 2018. You can read about each of the trends on Skift, or download a copy of our magazine here.

Hotel brands are re-envisioning the way they're being thought of and utilized. Beyond providing accommodations for travelers, hotels are striving to become essential to the everyday lives of locals in the communities in which they reside. Need a safe place to deliver a package, drop off dry cleaning, or grab a coffee before work? Your local hotel’s got you covered.

AccorHotels has reshaped its core business around the idea of "Augmented Hospitality" — a refined vision for what a hotel stands for and the services it can provide to a community of customers made up of guests and locals alike.    

The Paris-based brand has undertaken a dramatic transformation over the past two years, acquiring new businesses and launching services to increase interactions with its customer base. Most notable is the launch of the AccorLocal mobile app, which, according to CEO Sebastien Bazin, has the aim of “becoming the daily life enhancer for our guests, during holidays, business travel, or even when you’re at home — anything you might need in your