Accor is sharpening its deal with design as a industrial lever with Chief Design, Technical Providers and Innovation Officer for the Premium, Midscale and Financial system Division, Damien Perrot, telling franchisees that robust design is immediately tied to pricing, visitor loyalty and long-term asset worth.
Because the hospitality panorama evolves, Perrot mentioned Accor remained centered on supporting franchise companions with options that future-proof their belongings 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 after they do, it isn’t solely a nicer lodge, it’s stronger loyalty, it’s increased 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 totally different industrial outcomes.
“Three bottles, similar chemistry, three fully totally different companies,” he mentioned. “What makes the distinction? The design, the model, the standard of objective.”
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 particular dialog with a particular 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 all the things we do. We don’t use design as a ghost author of the model or of the operation. It’s a inventive device to boost the model fairness, the model worth, and the visitor expertise.”
That strategy 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 area. We wish to be happy with the funding that we put in our lodge. It must be seen from the surface,” Perrot mentioned.
“We have to appeal to company, not solely the one who sleeps within the lodge, however the one who simply walks by it and needs to get it to have a drink, to have enjoyable.”
Perrot acknowledged the funding problem going through house owners, with inflation, power prices and financing pressures impacting renovation plans throughout the community.
“Near 50% of our accommodations are greater than 10 years outdated, so we have to renovate our property in an effort to improve their efficiency, in an effort to improve the model fairness,” he mentioned.
To assist house owners and buyers, Perrot outlined a number of renovation pathways throughout manufacturers, with various design selections and worth factors tailor-made to totally different asset profiles and monetary capability.
“We’ve got a vital model, similar idea, similar model, similar DNA, totally different design depth so as actually to have the ability to be according to the monetary capability of each single lodge,” he mentioned.
Perrot additionally bolstered the position of upkeep as a part of the design dialog, and in some areas resembling power, can present a considerable cost-saving to house owners and buyers.
“Upkeep shouldn’t be a value, it’s an funding to higher carry out.”
