Skift Take
Because the rewards are so big, luxury is always a noisy sector. Accor is smart to give the group its own CEO while it continues to acquire companies and focus on integration.
AccorHotels increased its luxury hotel portfolio exponentially this year, especially in North America and Asia, following its acquisition of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FHRI) in July.
Chris Cahill is CEO of the newly created AccorHotels Luxury Brands collection, who had previously stewarded FHRI's global expansion as COO up until 2012. He is now responsible for overseeing the development of six Accor flags: Sofitel, Fairmont, Raffles, Pullman, Swissôtel, and MGallery.
Cahill is also one of the architects of a new internal strategy designed to ensure the luxury and upper upscale brands keep their unique identities in an increasingly crowded hotel industry overflowing with high-end product.
"We're trying to avoid any type of brand creep or brand leak across Accor's inventory to keep them very distinct," he said. "So we've developed a three-tier structure to help maintain the integrity of each brand, and at the same time, enhance their quality in alignment with evolving consumer trends."
First, there are separate brand managers and brand teams for each hotel group. The teams consist of general managers, directors of sales and marketing, food and beverage managers, corporate tech services, and development executives who meet on a regular basis to revie
