Accor’s accelerating franchise technique can be led by an “owner-centric and proprietor mindset method”, in response to International Chief Franchise Officer Leire Leoz, who mentioned homeowners and buyers should stay on the centre of the corporate’s long-term, asset-light development plans.
Talking at Accor’s 2026 Pacific Franchise Convention in Sydney final week, coinciding together with her first go to to Australia since becoming a member of the corporate simply over three months in the past, Accor’s Chief Franchise Officer for its Premium, Midscale & Economic system Division, Leire Leoz mentioned regardless of franchising persevering with to achieve momentum globally, the European-based model wanted to “catch up” to worldwide rivals who lead market share.
“I believe the acceleration of franchise is what’s coming to us. It’s positively not us driving that. It is a market development,” Leoz mentioned, including that Accor has 65% of its international community underneath franchise agreements, and whereas it seems excessive, “it’s truly low once we evaluate it to our rivals”.
Leoz, who spent 15 years with Marriott Worldwide throughout franchising earlier than becoming a member of Accor, claims roughly 85% of Marriott’s international community was on franchise agreements, whereas Hilton was nearer to 95%, “we’ve some catch up”, she added.
In line with Leoz, franchising marks a twin perform: from the brand-side to speed up development through scale, and from an proprietor or investor’s perspective, to gasoline distribution and permit them to stay answerable for their belongings.
Leoz mentioned she has been “very impressed” with the standard of manufacturers inside the Accor community, with the group asserting conversion-friendly greet to quickly launch within the Pacific.
Chatting with delegates, she acknowledged “you as soon as had a selection to maneuver into lodge funding, and you then had a selection of a model and a associate”.
With franchising immediately impacting Accor’s asset-light technique, Leoz mentioned homeowners should stay on the forefront to realize success.
“The asset life technique solely works if there are asset-heavy individuals. So we’re nothing with out the homeowners and the buyers, and clearly we won’t develop if we don’t have companions which can be able to put their stability sheets and their investments into resorts and into our manufacturers.”
Trying forward, Leoz mentioned her fast precedence is embedding that owner-first philosophy extra deeply throughout the enterprise.
“So, in my new function, maintaining that sort of asset-light construction, what I actually need to do is to have an owner-centric and proprietor mindset method … we have to put the homeowners on the centre of what we do.”
“It’s not about us making an attempt to make our EBITDA targets, that can move by means of if we do the proper factor, and the proper factor is driving worth for our companions, ensuring that we’ve the proper instruments. We don’t want too many, we want the proper ones. These that can make a distinction, these that can have an effect in your high line and positively additionally in your backside line.”
Regardless of ongoing market uncertainty, Leoz mentioned hospitality had constantly confirmed its resilience.
“Clearly we’re in turbulent occasions… however I believe it’s good to keep in mind that our business has been by means of crises worse than this, and we’ve at all times seen how resilient we’re as an business.”
“The longer term is shiny, the longer term is franchise.”
