The shift in business trends during the health crisis from physical to remote work has accelerated digitisation across the board, including business travel. However, as both leisure and corporate travel, including trade events, begin to get back on track with the return of large events in cities across the world, there’s been a surge in demand for services facilitating hybrid events, which has led the Group to reinforce its role as a strong partner with a first-rate expertise of the sector through updated B2B and MICE offers. 

New solutions from our Global Sales teams

According to our research, 50% of physical meetings initially planned in 2021 will shift to virtual formats and that for 70% of respondents hybrid meeting facilities will become a key service. Diversifying from offers that previously focused on physical events (guest rooms, conference rooms, business centers, business leisure packages) hotel facilities today will include new digital, hybrid and complimentary activities. 

Some of these new solutions include our ALL CONNECT concept, a new hybrid meeting experience based on Microsoft Teams, available to Meetings & Events customers in our hotels. We also recently introduced "Accor Business Offer Auto-Enrol", a self-registration business program for small and medium-sized businesses, where clients can more quickly benefit from discounts for their business trips. 

Boosting performance for our partners

Still exploring new packages, our teams are working to ensure clients’ new post-pandemic expectations are being met, building value and revenue for our owners. Our mission is to boost the performance of our hotels through the different segments, distribution channels and our call centres. 

Accor’s sales network allows hotels to increase their revenue thanks to strategic long-term partnerships within a large B2B ecosystem comprising international and local partners from M&E agencies to Luxury travel agents, Corporate clients, Leisure players, Travel Management Companies and Airline’s crew. This means that through our network, our partners are increasing their revenue with sales conditions, and benefiting from exclusive advantages from our partners, more visibility at international trade fairs as well as stronger relationships with clients during events. 

A look at some key trade shows and bespoke events for our team

With tourism events picking up, the Accor Global Sales team is getting back on the road to bolster our already strong network and build the travel sector of the future. Traveling across the world from Sao Paulo to Singapore, and Frankfurt to Sydney, they’re meeting partners in our B2B ecosystem with the aim of connecting them with our hotel owners in fresh new innovative partnerships. 

A live session kicked off our Leisure Digital Rendez-vous – this event replaced ITB Berlin cancelled for the 2nd year due to the pandemic - followed by 300+ meetings either in person or hybrid in different parts of the world. Some other key events for the team include the ILTM Latin America and IMEX Frankfurt in May, ILTM Asia Pacific and ILTM North America in September, IMEX America in October, followed by WTM in London and IBTM World in November, and last, ILTM Cannes in December. Our 300-strong team scattered across 56 offices will also be attending local travel trade fairs and events throughout the year in all four corners of the globe, with a focus on the Asian and North American markets. 

Leisure is leading the recovery

Some 70% of leisure travelers in major countries — such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Japan and Spain — plan to spend more on travel in 2022 than they have in the past five years, according to a November joint report by the World Travel & Tourism Council and travel website Trip.com. 

We see strong demand for leisure travel and early bookings for the summer have been rising consistently; our partners in the B2B Leisure space are looking forward to a genuine recovery with families and friends looking to travel together in greater numbers again, having missed out in the past two years. Our sales teams are out on the road meeting with customers as offices open again and organising leisure weeks in key source markets in Europe and further afield providing our hoteliers the opportunity to meet with key partners.