Accor to expand UK budget portfolio in to 2017
The French hotel giant said the expansion was a key step towards its target of increasing its number of rooms in UK and Ireland by more than 30 per cent by 2017.
The new sites include two new openings under Accor’s budget ibis brand – the ninth and tenth ibis hotels to open in the UK since early 2015.
A 62-room ibis Styles will open at the former Portland Hotel in Birmingham this spring following an ‘extensive’ renovation.
A 120-room ibis Budget is currently under construction at London Luton Airport and is set to open during the summer of 2017.
Accor is also set to launch a 159-room Novotel at Heathrow airport after signing a franchise agreement with Nine Heathrow Ventures Limited.
The announcements are a clear indication of Accor’s ongoing commitment to its budget brands after the company bought the Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel brands for £1.9bn in December in a bid to turn the company in to a ‘worldwide leader in the luxury segment’.
The deal expanded Accor’s luxury portfolio to 500 hotels, including The Savoy in London, The Plaza in New York and Raffles hotel in Singapore.
Thomas Dubaere, managing director AccorHotels UK & Ireland said: “We are pleased to announce these new hotel signings which prove the attractiveness of our brands to franchise partners.
"Our ambitious expansion plans demonstrate our commitment to strengthening the portfolio across our budget and midscale brand segments and are another important step in our ambitious 30 per cent increase for our UK network.”
