by Emily Cathcart

How do we square the need to connect with maintaining health and safety, considering sustainability, and minding business travellers’ wellbeing? ALHAUS spoke to Sophie Hulgard, Accor Senior Vice President Sales Northern Europe, about priorities, opportunities and solutions.

Having joined Accor—the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide—as the travel landscape was dramatically changing, two years later Sophie Hulgard is focused on where we go from here. “We are in the midst of a fast recovery with the world opening up, normality returning and people travelling once more. It’s been a rollercoaster!”

As this recovery gathers pace, Hulgard comments on the rebound in passenger numbers: “Covid has not dampened our desire for travel. Even though one in five had to cancel or postpone a trip due to the Omicron variant, our research at the start of the year showed people intend to spend 39% more than they did in 2019, and we’re certainly seeing that today.”

But no matter the current situation and how it continues to evolve, some things never change. “I’ve worked in the travel and hospitality sector for more than two decades. My work, and the sector, both centre on people—understanding people’s habits, expectations, changing trends and responding to them. Hospitality and tourism is a people-centric sector, created by people for people, that’s what makes it so special and inspires my work every day.”

When it comes to understanding what people want now, it’s clear that priorities have shifted in the last two years. “Sustainability factors more than ever into the decisions people make. Work/life balance is no longer just a tag-line and travellers have a new awareness of the positive impact that travel has on their wellbeing. In fact, a staggering two thirds of us want to travel as a way of boosting our mental health. We expect this trend for betterment, mindfulness and wellbeing to be part of the travel experience for years to come, accelerated by the opportunities lost to Covid. Travel is back, experiences are back and Europe is travelling once more.”

Hulgard explains that storytelling is also a huge part of the travel experience. “Travelling creates memories, moments that change you, that inspire actions, that bring people together. It’s fundamental to the work that we do and the experiences we offer. Each of Accor’s brands has its own story and brand passions which we bring to life for our guests to inspire their travel decisions.

For instance, Fairmont is a grand luxury hotel brand rooted in nature, in the vast landscapes of Canada and North America. Last autumn, Fairmont launched a global brand campaign, ‘Experience the Grandest of Feelings’, paying tribute to the luxury brand’s historic origins. This spring, Fairmont published a stunning hardcover book, Fairmont: Grand by Nature, paying homage to the brand’s grandeur and lush settings.

This is just one of our 42 brands. Each has a story and we hope each brand and each hotel inspires our guests to experience their own story when they travel with us.”

As Accor’s many brand stories have evolved, so has its approach to business travel. “In May, we brought together 10 leading businesses from across Europe to join our annual ‘Masters of Travel’ board meeting at Sofitel Frankfurt Opera in Germany. The advisory board brings together colleagues from Accor in Northern Europe—32 countries from Dublin to Baku—with corporate clients from across the region, representing sectors such as pharmaceuticals, technology, finance, industrial equipment and professional services.

The discussion was vibrant as we debated priorities, opportunities and solutions to inspire the evolution of business travel. Sustainability was rightly a major focus of the discussion as we explored how to bring the industry, corporates and travellers together to make more conscious choices.”

Masters of Travel was a net zero carbon event, carefully mapped and off-set using Accor’s Carbon Calculator, demonstrating their deeply rooted Corporate Social Responsibility values and commitment to lead by example. The Net Zero Carbon Calculator solution is provided in collaboration with myclimate, a Swiss non-profit organisation and global leader in carbon accounting and climate protection.

Hulgard reflects on the collaborative success of the annual meeting: “It was a great opportunity to shape the industry together and build a more sustainable future for travel.”

Looking at what business professionals are saying now, a recent study by Accor revealed that almost a third (30%) reported they found it difficult not being able to see another person’s body language and non-verbal cues whereas, over a year, they expect to make an average of 23% more deals and 25% more revenue if they are able to meet face-to-face. 

Hulgard explained that the need to connect is strong and businesses are starting to gravitate towards each other to reconnect in person. As a result, she said that we are seeing four major business travel and meeting trends:

1. Hybrid Meetings: combining virtual and ‘physical’ in-person participation across multiple locations, facilitated by Accor’s ALL CONNECT collaboration with Microsoft Teams.

2. Closing Meetings: face-to-face closing meetings will surge as foundations built digitally come to fruition in closing meetings to get the deal done.

3. Culture Meetings: after potentially two years of separation, people will come back together to build teams and company culture.

4. Leadership Meetings: small meetings will be big—boards and senior figures will come back together to strategise.

Alongside these emerging trends, the topic of health and safety is still a crucial one—but it is now an inbuilt expectation. “Today guests want to have a guarantee on cleanliness. It is their primary concern and an expected requirement whenever they travel. Accor addressed these concerns and provided standards that can be benchmarked by launching a unique global cleanliness and prevention label: ALLSAFE, representing some of the most stringent cleaning standards and operational procedures in the hospitality world. ALLSAFE remains part of our daily operations, an essential reassurance for guests that our standards remain at the highest level even though mask wearing and social distancing is not as prevalent in most countries today.”

In an industry first, ALLSAFE goes beyond just cleaning and hygiene, it also addresses potential concerns for travellers should they feel unwell when they reach their destination. Guests across the 5,200 Accor hotels worldwide can access free telemedicine consultations and AXA’s extensive medical networks with tens of thousands of vetted medical professionals, allowing hotels to make referrals for guests based on their specific language or medical needs should an issue arise. 

This is valuable reassurance. A recent traveller study by Accor showed nearly one in five (19%) would be willing to pay more for a hotel room if it had a recognised cleanliness initiative award or designation. Of those surveyed, 31% want clearer health and safety standards and 30% want more flexibility on changes to bookings.

Technology will also play a significant role: 23% expect more contactless payment options and 17% want an increase in hotel technology solutions such as WhatsApp customer service. Hulgard explains that technology for Accor is all about ‘Tech with Heart’— purposeful technology built to improve the guest and staff experience. “We want to enable guests to get what they want in our hotels in the way that most conveniently fits with their everyday behaviour. It is technology that has our guests at the heart of it.” 

These are just a few of the shifts that Accor has seen in the last two years. As Hulgard concludes, “Covid really was an accelerator of trends—so as recovery is at full speed we find ourselves in a fascinating and truly dynamic time, where we can welcome travellers back around the world and start to change the experience they have when they travel.”

@Accor
Accor.com