Is Accor the Next Starwood? What’s Next for Hotel Mergers
Photo Credit: In recent weeks, rumors have swirled that French hotel giant Accor may be in play. Skift
Skift Take
Accor as a takeover target? Stranger things have happened. (Anbang, anyone?) No matter what transpires in hospitality going forward, though, it's clear that consolidation is here to stay.
"So, have you heard that Marriott might buy Accor?"
That's what a trusted former colleague and hospitality industry expert told me last week, after hearing the same from multiple sources.
At first, it seemed highly improbable, perhaps even incredulous.
Like Bernstein Senior Analyst Richard Clarke, who covers European hotels and leisure, my initial reaction was: "I would genuinely eat my hat."
But as we dug a bit deeper, reaching out to a number of different sources, as well as contacting both Marriott and Accor as well as another suggested possible suitor — InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) — nothing was entirely clear or conclusive.
The majority of sources whom Skift spoke to had not yet heard any such reports, and those who had couldn't be entirely sure if the murmurs were actually true.
Whether or not Accor is in play, however, it's clear that the hotel industry as a whole is still very much in a consolidation phase.
Starting with IHG's $430 million purcha
