Hotel giant Accor has announced the launch of Emblems Collection, a new global portfolio of boutique hotels and luxurious resorts.

Emblems Collection is launching with flagship hotel – Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection in China’s Guizhou province, slated to open in December 2022. The luxury brand is expected to grow to 60 properties around the world by 2030.

With the creation of Emblems Collection, Accor is broadening its footprint in the collection brands space and will look to replicate the success it has achieved with another of the Group’s brands, MGallery Hotel Collection, which now offers more than 100 boutique hotels worldwide.

Accor said hotels and resorts joining the Emblems Collection will fall into three categories:

*Emblems Collection Heritage – hotels that are landmarks of a destination – the buildings that contribute to the character of a city, place or nation; properties that celebrate the hallmarks of history and classic cultural traditions.

*Emblems Collection Retreat – resort properties along blissful beaches, bucolic countrysides or nestled in the mountains, offering sumptuous spa and wellness experiences with holistic care and enrichment through rituals, serenity and wellbeing.

*Emblems Collection Signature – design-led hotels that embody an aesthetic universe, an ode to the style and signature of the designers or original residents who contributed to the hotel’s unique legacy.

“Emblems Collection adds a fresh and exciting new dimension to Accor’s luxury offerings. A key focus of our growth and development strategy is to add aggressively across our strongest lines and leading business accelerators, which includes luxury as well as collection brands, while ensuring all 40+ brands in our global network continue to grow, evolve and flourish,” said Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor.

The Emblems Collection brand is designed with the needs of independent and boutique hotel owners in mind. Accor is actively seeking new properties to be part of Emblems Collection in targeted destinations across the globe, with Paris and Prague among the prime candidates for Emblems Collection Heritage or Emblems Collection Signature. O

Other target cities for potential growth include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Marrakech, Cairo, Amman, Doha, Moscow, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney, Montréal, New York, Havana, Cartagena, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Santiago, among others. For the Emblems Collection Retreat, short-listed destinations include Tuscany, Mykonos, Bodrum, Algarve, Bali, Australia’s Gold Coast and Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection is the inaugural flagship of the new portfolio, residing in the city’s famous Guiyang Art Centre. Originally built as an opulent private residence, the property features lush landscaping, sprawling grounds, 64 suites and two ballrooms.

Accor, which has more than 5,200 hotels worldwide with brands including Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel, SLS, Mama Shelter and Pullman, will be showcasing a number of its brands and properties at micebook EXPO re-Engineered on 12-13 January 2022. Find out more or register for the event here.