Michael Issenberg

Mondrian Seoul Itaewon in marks the fifth property in the Mondrian portfolio

Raffles Hotels & Resorts has announced its 15th Raffles Hotel in the world, with the launch of the lavish Raffles Bali, which offers unparalleled views over the Indian Ocean and the famous Jimbaran Bay sunsets. With just 32 private pool villas, it epitomises distinguished charm for well-travelled connoisseurs seeking elegant spaces, privacy and cultural discovery. […]

Accor has announced a new strategic partnership between its new lifestyle loyalty programme, ALL- Accor Live Limitless and South East Asia’s super app, Grab. The deal brings together two of the biggest names in hospitality and technology to give members access to rewards and benefits including the ability to transfer points across programmes and make […]

Novotel Perth Murray Street has opened its doors and is ready to take bookings for the summer holiday period. The hotel opening commenced with a traditional indigenous smoking ceremony, didgeridoo performance and Welcome to Country by local Whadjuk Elder Uncle Ben Taylor, followed by an official ribbon-cutting by Fragrance Group chief executive officer, James Koh; […]

Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, MGallery by Sofitel, has opened for business, with the property’s first guests checking-in on 1 November. The five-star, AUS130 million hotel was opened on Friday by the by John Gandel AC; Victorian Minister for Suburban Development, The Hon. Marlene Kairouz MP; Vicinity Centres CEO and managing director Grant Kelley and chairman & […]

Since acquiring the legendary Raffles brand in 2016, the French hospitality group Accor has announced plans to almost double the iconic collection, with recent openings including Raffles Maldives Meradhoo and Raffles Shenzhen, as well as upcoming projects including Raffles Udaipur and Raffles Jaipur. The group adds a further two landmark projects to the pipeline with […]

AccorHotels launches the world’s first Orient Express hotel on top of the King Power Mahanakhon Building in Bangkok.

AccorHotels has announced an exclusive three-year deal with Tennis Australia and re-signs Serena Williams as Official Ambassador in Australia.

The number of APAC properties run by AccorHotels reached one thousand when the group announced the opening of Pullman Tokyo Tamachi in Japan today — putting the company on track for its target of opening one hotel every single day by 2020.

Last week I brought to you the first part of my fascinating interview with Accor’s CEO for Asia-Pacific, Michael Issenberg, where he and I discussed the strategy behind the company’s recent slew of acquisitions. In part two, we pick up where we left off and discuss Accor’s Ctrip partnership and its strategy for success in the region.

On Monday, I reported on the latest in a long line of company acquisitions by AccorHotels, when the company announced its purchase of the Mantra Group in Australia. Almost every day I find myself reading about another intriguing buy from the French hotel group. But what is tying all these Accor deals together?

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of deals and acquisitions from the French multinational and industry juggernaut Accor. May alone saw the USD 105 million purchase of Chilean hotel group, Atton Hoteles;  April concluded with the sensational buy-up of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts — for a cool USD 567 million, on top of successful deals for a 50% interest in Mantis Group and the full acquisition of table reservation platform, ResDiary.