Skift Take
He's never shy, so you won't want to miss what Bazin has to say about the hospitality and travel industry at Skift Forum Europe in Berlin, especially since he's not afraid to speak his mind.
In the nearly five years that Sebastien Bazin has been the president and CEO of Europe's largest hotel company, AccorHotels, he's developed a reputation for saying what's on his mind, as well as making bolder moves than many of his hotel peers.
In 2016, when AccorHotels bought luxury private accommodations platform Onefinestay, he told Skift, "It's foolish and irresponsible to fight against the sharing economy."
Onefinestay was just one of many acquisitions AccorHotels has since completed in the past few years. And the company continues to buy up or invest in more businesses that operate in complementary spaces to traditional hospitality. Most recently, the company announced a 50-percent stake in Mantis Group, an African hotel chain, and the purchase of ResDiary, a restaurant reservations platform.
At the upcoming Skift Forum Europe in Berlin on April 26, Bazin will talk about why AccorHotels has bought what it's bought, as well as share his views on where hospitality should be headed.
What follows is an edited version of a recent Skift interview with Bazin.
Skift: You've managed to give AccorHotels a reputation for being one of the most innovative —
