Acccor app hospitality strategy

Developing IT management to be more relevant toward the new hospitality industry trends. This is what the head office of Accor Hotels is currently working on. They tend to focus on developing a new way of booking system through their app more than on the Internet. Indeed, if we look at the evolution of the mobile device growth, IT in corporate strategy means to be more and more significant. 

Written by Sean O’Neil, on the 9^th of January 2015. The article deals with the strategy that Accor is implementing to optimise travellers’ experiences: “reinventing the customer experience through technology”, Accor Hotels strategy. According to the Executive vice president, Jean-Luc Chretien, the growth for mobile devices using has been wisely noticeable. Indeed, “35% of the users of Accor’s digital plateforms are arriving by mobile device”. Their strategic objective is to reach “40% bookings in three-years time” against 12% of the current booking coming through mobile”.  Accor strategic goals are to develop and focus on “One portal for all”.

Today Accor’s bookings are mainly coming from their sub-brands websites and booking systems. They currently collect around $2 billion in digital revenues thanks to their website Accor.com. A half of the global benefits comes from the sub-brands as Ibis and Pullman. In a short-term length, 6 months, Accor plans to move in the development of “One portal for all”. This motto leads Accor to gather the entire sub-brands mobile app to a single one. To stick with the new strategy of improving the customer experience, Accor wants to be on the cutting edge of the technology. Due to all the information that will be collected by the app, all the services would be improved and will allow Accor to anticipate the new trends. In order to improve their IT services, the Company has invested in new technologies development such as the Google Glass.

“Making Accor the center throughout the trip journey”. This sentence illustrates well the Multinational’s new way of thinking. They plan to anticipate customers’ expectations, needs and habits. According to Romain Roulleau, the Senior Vice President of ecommerce, Accor needs to be “at the right place at the optimal time: in their hand.” The implementation of new technologies into their hotels will undoubtedly improve the customer experience. Indeed, they will match all data from their users in order to provide them the most bespoken offer. The aim of this strategy would be to gather all data that the sub-brands already own into one place. Furthermore, all those data will be a great strategic marketing tool. They use a “predictive analytics” to target its customers and to be the first to propose them the best offer. Accor aims at predict travellers’ needs.

Customers’ knowledge might be the new trend in marketing strategy. Accor is developing a huge follow up of their customers past through their data collection. A traveller in Honk-Kong who is used to travel there every three-month will receive the best offers from Accor according to his previous bookings in the city. Moreover, it helps them to loyal their travellers by offering them special and customised services. Unlike their competitors, the Multinational is on the cutting edge of the customers’ expectations when they are travelling.

The use of “one portal for all” is both profitable for the Company and the customers. It allows the Company to have well organised data and reused them to improve the customers’ experiences.

According to the growth of mobile device technologies and data collection, Accor settles its strategy in order to create loyal customers, flexible travels and a full trip experience. The relevance of this article shows the use and the improvement of a current technology full of opportunities. Being able to anticipate customers' needs and expectations allow the Company to get a strong and competitive advantage. 

Sources: 

http://www.tnooz.com/article/accor-hotels-talks-mobile-reinvention/

http://www.tnooz.com/article/digital-revamp-Accor-mobile-first-wipolo-hacks

video & picture: www.accor.com


Nicolas Pluvert & Sixtine Gautier