Accor tightens hygiene rules to reassure guests

As domestic travel recovers, group rolls out new rewarding lifestyle program

As the domestic Chinese market gets back on track, French hospitality group Accor is working to reignite guests' enthusiasm for travel while providing safe destinations.

Accor recently announced the application of its Allsafe Cleanliness and Prevention Label across its hotels in China to rebuild guest confidence as people return.

"Now the domestic Chinese market is continuing to recover and guests are returning to travel and lifestyle norms, hygiene has become a top priority," said Gary Rosen, chairman and chief operating officer with Accor Greater China. "The program was introduced in response to our relentless focus and constant care for the safety and well-being of our guests and employees in each destination."

According to Accor, the program encompasses some of the hospitality industry's most stringent cleaning standards and operational protocols. These standards were vetted by Bureau Veritas, an internationally recognized leader in inspection, certification and laboratory testing services.

"Allsafe is a crucial program for the industry's recovery process. Through the program, we aspire to exceed guests' expectations and to demonstrate that hotel stays are meant to be enjoyable and safe," Rosen said.

The program features a series of disinfection and cleaning measures, it covers comprehensive guidelines and best practices. Other measures include the optimization of workers' travel routes and work schedules to minimize cross-contamination and maintain social distancing. It also prioritizes safety and health for everyone including third-party vendors.

"We anticipate new needs while capitalizing on this opportunity to surprise and delight guests with new services and products," Rosen said."Hygiene can be accomplished with flair and incorporate our brand touch points. Though circumstances may be different, the guest experience remains key to what we do."

The hospitality industry was one of the sectors heavily affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the first half of 2020. With a resumption of work and production in China, domestic travel has seen an increase in demand.

"We have been seeing growing trends for domestic travel among our hotels in China and that is encouraging as it continues to prove that the strategy and efforts we have been focusing on are the right ones,"Rosen said.

Resorts are running incredibly well and are the first sector to recover, he said. "We do have outstanding hotels running at full-house. We've seen a healthy pickup trend so far with double-digit growth month-on-month since the recovery started."

To reignite guests' passion for travel and lifestyle, Accor began preparing for the recovery with the innovative offerings of ALL-Accor Live Limitless－in February. The new lifestyle program integrates rewards, services and experiences across the entire business to bring value to everyday life for members.

"ALL embodies the strategic transformation and reflects Accor's ambition. We're leading the way for a revolution to challenge conventions," he said. "We believe that the spirit of hospitality extends beyond the stay and loyalty is at the very heart of our consumer universe."

This year marks Accor's 35th anniversary in China. Accor said it will launch a series of programs and campaigns to reinforce its position as a luxury and lifestyle hotel destination.

Earlier this year, the group wrapped up a sales and marketing promotion campaign in China, featuring a distinctive approach to program design, media planning and creative distribution via top digital platforms. The highlight of the campaign was that it used the strength of each platform, including Ctrip, Alibaba's Fliggy, WeChat and Meituan Dianping.

Accor and Alibaba activated their strategic alliance with a unique offering driven via a targeted marketing plan across Alibaba ecosystem. It also tapped into a social aspect within the WeChat platform. And a new exclusive members' program was also developed through a partnership with Ctrip.

Accor and Fliggy has recently announced the return of Super Brand Day by partnering with exclusive roses and jewelry brand Roseonly. By using the system of shopping portal Tmall and online travel platform Fliggy, the campaign A World of ALL Romantic Wonders honors Chinese Valentine's Day in August. It touches upon the ways romantic experiences and loving memories are enhanced through creative offerings.

"Since Accor China's domestic recovery campaign began, we have partnered with Alibaba to create opportunities while driving the leisure market's pace with innovative offerings," Rosen said. "We aim to synergize with our partners to pamper our members through key passion points in life."

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn