The Skift Takeaway
SKIFT ASIA FORUM 2026
Staying Competitive as Asia’s Hotel Market Shifts
ANDREW LANGDON, Chief Development Officer, Accor
Moderated by Carolyn Kremens, Skift
THE ARGUMENT
Langdon framed the shift toward branded hotels in Asia as structural, not cyclical — less a temporary response to cost pressures or market timing than the result of market maturity and generational change. First-generation owners who built and operated independent hotels are passing assets to heirs who don’t want to run them, and instead turn to global brands for distribution, loyalty, and operational support. Accor has leaned into that transition with conversion brands, soft brands, and franchising across the region. The result is intensifying competition, particularly in mid-scale and economy, where roughly 70% of the company’s record deal volume last year landed.
THE EVIDENCE
- In Asia, 80% of hotel supply is mom-and-pop independents, compared with 20% in North America and Europe.
- Accor signed just under 11,000 keys in Asia last year, a record — 30% were premium, and 70% were mid-scale and economy.
- According to Langdon, a well-structured branded conversion should grow an owner’s top-line revenue by at least 20%.
- “Now is the time to do a deal, because fees are very competitive,” Langdon said, noting that terms are the most flexible he has seen in his career.
- American competitors historically strong in premium are now rolling out mid-scale and economy brands in Asia, competing directly in Accor’s heartland.
THE SO WHAT
If you own an unbranded hotel in Asia and have been waiting out the cycle, Langdon’s pitch is that the cycle isn’t the story — the generational handoff is — and today’s level of operator competition for your asset may not last. For brand executives, the question is no longer whether to chase conversions in Asia, but whether their mid-scale and economy pipelines can absorb the influx of American brands pushing down into the segment.
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