Accor is sharpening its deal with design as a industrial lever with Chief Design, Technical Companies and Innovation Officer for the Premium, Midscale and Financial system Division, Damien Perrot, telling franchisees that robust design is straight tied to pricing, visitor loyalty and long-term asset worth.
Because the hospitality panorama evolves, Perrot mentioned Accor remained targeted on supporting franchise companions with options that future-proof their property by design, technical companies and model supply.
Talking at Accor’s 2026 Pacific Franchise Convention in Sydney final week, Europe-based Perrot positioned lodge design as a strategic funding to house owners and buyers in attendance.
“The one query is that this: do the design selections in your property align clearly and fantastically with the visitor, as a result of once they do, it’s not solely a nicer lodge, it’s stronger loyalty, it’s greater pricing energy, it’s higher asset worth, and that’s the ROI of design.”
Utilizing bottled water as an analogy, Perrot in contrast three manufacturers, however vastly completely different industrial outcomes.
“Three bottles, similar chemistry, three fully completely different companies,” he mentioned. “What makes the distinction? The design, the model, the standard of function.”
He mentioned the identical logic applies throughout Accor’s portfolio.
“Ibis shouldn’t be a reduced Sofitel. Novotel shouldn’t be a less expensive Pullman. A Mercure shouldn’t be a softer MGallery, every is a selected dialog with a selected visitor.”
Perrot mentioned Accor has invested closely in reimagining model identities and lodge layouts globally, highlighting Pullman’s 2025 model relaunch, with creativity central to the method.
“We actually put creativity on the coronary heart of every part we do. We don’t use design as a ghost author of the model or of the operation. It’s a artistic software to reinforce the model fairness, the model worth, and the visitor expertise.”
That method consists of opening lodge layouts to really feel extra related with surrounding neighbourhoods and giving company higher flexibility in how they use shared areas.
“We fully modified the philosophy of the organisation of the house. We need to be pleased with the funding that we put in our lodge. It must be seen from the surface,” Perrot mentioned.
“We have to entice company, not solely the one who sleeps within the lodge, however the one who simply walks by it and desires to get it to have a drink, to have enjoyable.”
Perrot acknowledged the funding problem dealing with house owners, with inflation, power prices and financing pressures impacting renovation plans throughout the community.
“Near 50% of our motels are greater than 10 years previous, so we have to renovate our property with a purpose to improve their efficiency, with a purpose to improve the model fairness,” he mentioned.
To help house owners and buyers, Perrot outlined a number of renovation pathways throughout manufacturers, with various design selections and worth factors tailor-made to completely different asset profiles and monetary capability.
“We’ve a necessary model, similar idea, similar model, similar DNA, completely different design depth so as actually to have the ability to be consistent with the monetary capability of each single lodge,” he mentioned.
Perrot additionally bolstered the function of upkeep as a part of the design dialog, and in some areas equivalent to power, can present a considerable cost-saving to house owners and buyers.
“Upkeep shouldn’t be a value, it’s an funding to raised carry out.”
