Tag Archives: Accor

Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP Operations, Accor India & South Asia, has revealed that Accor will be launching a new campaign ‘For the love of travel, for the love of now’ aimed at the domestic market. “It focuses on whether someone wants to work from a hotel, a vacation package, or weekend stay. We need to understand the demands and requirements of our guests. Some of them are looking for all-inclusive packages even in city hotels, where they can just stay in the hotel, enjoy all their meals and services in the property,” he shares.

Accor is all ready to set footprints in Chandigarh with its popular brand, Novotel. Being developed in the city centre close to the airport, the Novotel Chandigarh Tribune Chowk will offer 120 rooms, two food and beverage outlets, function rooms of various sizes, a swimming pool, and a gymnasium. This 21st Novotel is scheduled to open by early 2021.

After serving 3 years as COO- India and South Asia at Accor, Jean-Michel Cassé has announced his retirement from the global hospitality brand. In a farewell letter to its colleagues and partners, Cassé said that his last working day will be July 15.  Furthermore, Accor announced the appointment of Puneet Dhawan as Senior Vice President Operations- India & South Asia. Dhawan will take charge from August 1.

Kerrie Hannaford, Vice President Commercial, Accor India & South Asia during the 2nd TravTalk Digital Conclave said that after the COVID-19 crisis is over, hotels will have to change how they function. “We will be coming out with new standard operating procedures (SOPs) wherein a health certificate will be needed by hotels. The hotels need to work closely with the travel agents, who are the source on which our consumers can rely to get information. Anyone who engages with the consumer needs to have a certificate of health. That’s our priority. The idea is to build consumer confidence, allowing them to check-in without any fear,” she added.

In 2020 as well, Accor Showcase in New Delhi and Mumbai saw an enormous response from the travel and tourism fraternity. The fourth edition of the Accor Showcase saw participation from more than 50 Accor properties globally. The hotel representatives interacted with more than 1000 tourism leaders at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity (26th February) and Sofitel Mumbai BKC (28th February). Consecutively for four years, Accor Showcase has acted as a catalyst for the growth of both inbound and outbound tourism. Over the years, Accor Showcase has focussed on elevating and promoting MICE through its representatives. This year as well, the roadshow saw positive conversions for many participants and especially for Baku, Turkey and London. Many prominent corporates, travel partners, wedding planners, travel agents, airline partners and others attended the event. Luxury and leisure segment being the key aspect for Accor, created a great buzz at the Showcase. The most awaited brand, Raffles, also attracted conversation amongst the participants. Also, the upcoming Fairmont in Mumbai was discussed amongst the industry peers. The new loyalty programme, ALL- Accor Live Limitless and its offerings was a big conversation point. Speaking on the success of Accor Showcase 2020, Kerrie Hannaford, VP, Commercial, Accor India and South Asia, said “The hospitality industry is geared up for the year ahead and Accor has multiple campaigns and initiatives planned for the upcoming months. With our new loyalty programme ALL and Raffles debut in India, we are certain that Accor will get a lot of traction from the fraternity. Accor Showcase provides a great platform to interact with our partners and portray the great products and services provides by Accor globally.” Rohit Chopra, Regional Director Sales – India, …

GIFT city developed with India’s first intelligent and green infrastructure has welcomed its first international hotel with Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT city. Located on the bank of the Sabarmati river, GIFT city connects Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The nine-floor hotel features 151 guest rooms and six meeting rooms. “We are extremely happy to launch Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT city, the first international branded hotel, in the foremost operational smart city of the country. With the support of Brigade Group, we have successfully established three Grand Mercure properties in the country and look forward to collaborating for more hotels going forward,” said Jean-Michel Casse, COO, India & South Asia, Accor.