Accor is celebrating its strength in the economy and budget sector with the opening of its 1000th ibis hotel, bringing its total ibis family count up to 1700. Two years after starting to review and and modernize the ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget brands, the Group is getting results from the ibis family project. Going forward, ibis is unveiling new rooms and ibis kitchens, its renewed restaurant concept.
In 2011, the Group started with the overhaul of its three economy brands within one single ibis family. The result has been s a more coherent portfolio and a better identified and stronger positioning of each of the resulting brands: the 1000 ibis, 233 ibis Styles and 506 ibis budget.
Sébastien Bazin, Accor Chairman and CEO states: "Through its ibis family of 1,700 hotels, Accor is the leading international player on the four continents, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa Middle East. Accor's new strategy redefined around its two core competencies – HotelServices and HotelInvest – will enable ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget to strengthen both their innovation capacities and their leadership: in Europe, through an acceleration of investments in owned properties; and by capturing new opportunities through management and franchise in emerging countries".
Sustained development boosted by the modernization of the brands
Over two years, Accor has opened a total of over 200 ibis family hotels, hence an average of one opening every 3 days. Boosted by the project of revitalization, the ibis family is experiencing a sustained development. In 2013, 52% of the Group's openings were made under the ibis family umbrella versus 39% in 2012.
Moreover, within 4 years, Accor's economic brands will have strengthened their leadership position worldwide, with the ibis family representing close to half of the Group's global pipeline, over 62,000 rooms in the pipeline of which 38% in Asia Pacific, 30% in Latin America and 27% in Europe.
Strong growth of key indicators: guests' satisfaction, brand awareness, perception & performance
The revitalization project has increased the awareness of the 3 ibis brands. Revamping of the public areas – over 300 worldwide – and deployment of the "Sweet bed" by ibis – over 100,000 beds – have strengthened both guests' perception of the modernity of the brand and guests' satisfaction levels. Guests' satisfaction with bed comfort experience grew +5 points over the past 2 years to reach 90 percent of clients satisfied or very satisfied with bed comfort.
The roll-out of the ibis family project combined with the management of distribution channels fully effective during the second half of the year enabled a strong acceleration of revenue for economy segment with a particular growth on the fourth-quarter: revenue up 4.1% on Q4 (+2.4% like-for-like during 2013) and RevPar (revenue per available room) up 4.2% on Q4 (+1.9% over 2013).
Most key countries contributed to the segment's performance with a particularly strong RevPar growth over the fourth quarter in the United Kingdom (+14.1%), Germany (+5.2%), Southern Europe (Spain +6.2% and Italy +4.2%) and Brazil (+2.6%). In France, Accor's performance on the economic segment remains pretty steady with a RevPar up 0.7% like-for-like on Q4, a strong performance in light of the rest of the French markets.
These strong results have also enabled the ibis brands to further strengthen their market shares in all key markets (France, Germany, UK, Benelux) with a steady increase of RevPar Index, key measure of the Group's performance compared to competitors.
ibis kitchen, reinventing the codes of restaurant in hotels
To streamline and modernize its restaurants and vitalize the way guests are experiencing these living spaces, ibis launched its ibis kitchen.
With a focus on flexibility, ibis kitchen is disrupting traditional habits: at different times of the day and suitably to the diversity of hotels, restaurants and lobbies are blended, extended and opened-up through the lounge space. It is a place where guests can interact and exchange in a friendly atmosphere at any times of the day, work, relax, meet and of course lunch and have dinner.
Adding warmth and modernity, ibis kitchen features a trendy design, revisited furniture, as well as a strong, visual and unique identity perfectly in keeping with the informal and contemporary spirit of the new common areas of the brand. Ibis plans to roll out over 400 restaurants across its worldwide network by 2015.
In line with its renewed bedding concept and redesigned common areas, the brand also announced the creation of a new room designed by Archange Studio. Deployed in future renovated and new construction hotels, it will offer a completely revisited guest experience in the economy segment: printed decorative panels, new lighting, new bedhead and carpeted floor. A first pilot will be rolled-out at the ibis Rotterdam City Centre, in Netherlands.
