Accor Greater China is proud to unveil its 700th hotel, with the opening of Sofitel Shanghai North Bund – a spectacular 25-story landmark and the newest flagship of the prestigious Sofitel Hotels & Resorts brand. The milestone opening is especially significant, given that 2024 is the 60th anniversary of Sofitel – Accor’s ambassador of modern French zest and art-de-vivre around the world – as well as the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Sofitel destinations across Greater China, including the new Sofitel Shanghai North Bund, are lighting up with French-Chinese celebrations and festivities throughout the year.
“Accor continues to shape and drive the Chinese hospitality industry forward, using creativity, commitment and collaboration to inspire ambitious thinking and realize new opportunities. The grand opening of Sofitel Shanghai North Bund is especially momentous for us, with so many reasons to celebrate,” said Gary Rosen, CEO, Accor Greater China.
“First, we are incredibly proud of this stunning hotel that is a testament to our strong partnership with Radiance Group. Second, achieving our 700th hotel this year is a significant milestone, a sign that the challenges of the pandemic and its travel restrictions are well and truly behind us. Last, and certainly not least, it is meaningful that this hotel belongs to our French luxury brand, Sofitel, as we celebrate its 60th anniversary as well as the 60th anniversary of the French-Chinese diplomatic relationship. We are feeling so much gratitude in this astounding year, with even more exciting news to come.”
Shaping the industry with new energy
Over the past two years, Accor Greater China has opened more than one hotel per week on average. Key openings have included Raffles at Galaxy Macau; the introduction of the Group’s first lifestyle brand in Greater China with Mondrian Hong Kong, part of the Ennismore collective in which Accor owns a majority share; the first Mövenpick by Accor in Qingdao; and reaching the 50th hotel milestones in Greater China for both Pullman and Novotel. The Silveri Hong Kong – MGallery Collection has created a serene retreat on Lantau Island, while AKI Hong Kong – MGallery Collection complements the neighborhood buzz of Wan Chai with a stylish energy. Grand Mercure Chengdu East offers the brand’s first hotel in the world to introduce an extended stay offering, known as Grand Mercure Living; while the beloved Swissôtel Beijing Hong Kong and Macau Center has made its grand return, reopening after three years of extensive renovations. From Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, one of the world’s most famous hotels, to the spectacular new Raffles at Galaxy Macau, Accor Greater China continues to steward these iconic brands into a new era, with aspirational travel experiences that continue to capture the imagination of each generation of travelers, year after year.
In 2024, Accor Greater China is continuing its ambitious pace of expansion with a total of 103 number of hotels expected to open by the end of the year, offering approximately 14,700 new rooms. Meanwhile, Accor Greater China’s pipeline of development projects also shows no sign of slowing. Accor signed nearly 150 new projects in 2023 alone and is on track to exceed that in 2024. In addition to Sofitel Shanghai North Bund, key openings in the 2024 include: Fairmont Xiamen; a total of five MGallery Hotel Collection destinations, Pullman in Taizhou and Chongqing, Grand Mercure in Wuhan and Changzhou, as well as Novotel in Nanjing and Wuxi, to name a few.
Looking forward to 2025, Accor will introduce two new Accor brands to Greater China. Adagio will open its first property, with a new serviced residence destination in the thriving market of Chengdu; while TRIBE NATION Guiyang South, will bring a fresh, new urban lifestyle hospitality experience to modern and Gen Z Chinese travelers.
Expanding our brands with collaboration
For close to 40 years, Accor has built a rock-solid network of trusted relationships and strong partnerships with the major players in China’s hospitality sector. Master Franchise agreements with these partners have been a key to Accor’s exponential growth in the region. Volume-driven partners receive exclusive rights to develop hotels under Accor’s premium, midscale, or economy brands, while sharing their connections and local influence to rapidly develop those hotels. Accor brings its international expertise and reputation of its brands to the table, while further expanding its own connections and opportunities with every new development.
Successful partnerships include Accor’s alliance with Huazhu, which has led to the opening of hundreds of economy and midscale hotels across China under the Novotel, ibis and Mercure brands. The master franchising agreement with Sunmei Hotels Group is driving the development of Mövenpick by Accor smart hotels across China – the first destination opened in Qingdao in 2023, and 2024 will bring four more openings in Nanjing, Xuzhou, Chengdu, and Suzhou. A partnership between Accor, Ennismore, and Funyard Hotels & Resorts is bringing the unconventional, uplifting, and eco-friendly JO&JOE lifestyle brand to China’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods, several of which will debut in the coming months.
Commitment to Chinese travelers
Within the next ten years, China’s travel and tourism market will become the largest in the world. Accor is ready, having built a strong reputation of trust and a solid network of diverse brands and hotels across China by recognizing the unique needs of Chinese travelers and continuously adapting and evolving to meet those needs. Accor’s guest loyalty program – ALL – Accor Live Limitless – promotes and attracts inbound business from domestic to worldwide. ALL connects its members to bespoke experiences, inviting them to rediscover their favorite destinations and explore new horizons. Accor’s in-house Digital Factory China team drives leading-edge, proprietary solutions specifically for Chinese consumers, such as the Accor ALL China app that aligns with WeChat, and exclusive programs in partnership with Trip.com and Alibaba’s Fliggy.
Accor’s collaborative efforts extend also to its actions in creating a more sustainable hospitality industry as well. In its quest to help shape the future of China as a more sustainable and healthier place to live, work, and explore, Accor recognizes that impactful change can only happen by working together. Accor has partnered with Jin Jiang Hotels to create and define an ESG measurement framework tailored specifically to the hotel sector, along with several other measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions in China.
Accor has also partnered with Trip.com to launch an app tool that allows travelers to select the option of ‘low carbon stay’ while reserving a stay at an Accor hotel. Accor is also the first international hotel group in China to sign a network-wide agreement with China Hospitality Association (CHA) to attain Green Hotel Certification for all its hotels across the country.
