During the age of COVID-19, it seems if you aren’t a huge hotel brand, you may have one of two choices: go under or merge. Not long ago, there was talk about Accor merging with U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). But it looks as though the Paris-based hotel Accor SA took another route, as it will soon be merging several of its products with United Kingdom-based Ennismore to create a new lifestyle brand.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the new brand will take Ennismore’s name and be headquartered in London. This new venture will combine 73 different hotels and 12 brands, including The Hoxton, 21C Museum Hotels, Tribe Hotels, Hyde Hotels & Residences, SLS Hotels & Residences, Mondrian Hotels and Jo&Joe. Altogether, some 110 hotels will fall under the new umbrella, with another 70 “under active discussion,” according to a press release by the companies, which also said more than 150 restaurants and bars may be affected.
Accor will be the majority shareholder of the new hotel company, the companies say.
“Over the last nine years, our mission with Ennismore has always been creating hospitality brands that inspire discovery,” said Sharan Pasricha, founder and CEO of Ennismore. “I’m passionate about how brands make you feel, from the personalized digital experience to the design, and with an incredible team of operators and creatives around me, we have expanded The Hoxton across the globe; reimagined Gleneagles; and crafted unique restaurant and bar concepts.”
After the merger, the brand will begin to build in Europe and the United States, which is planned to be one of the company’s prime markets. Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South America will also be hosts of rapid expansion by the new Ennismore.
Pasricha continued: “This exciting autonomous entity with Accor—one with culture and brand purpose at its heart—allows us to come together to build on our combined portfolio of unique lifestyle brands, accelerate our growth and explore new markets. I look forward to working with Gaurav [Bhushan, CEO of Accor] and Sebastien [Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor] on this exciting next chapter as we become an unrivaled player in the hospitality industry.”
