Hospitality business turns to theatre for inspiration
Do you see expansion opportunities for Accor in other Romanian cities?
Our first hotel brand here, which is a massive brand with more than 1,000 units worldwide, is the Ibis. However, we’ve moved into a new phase with the Ibis, creating different styles. We have the core Ibis, which currently operates in Romania, with Ibis Gara de Nord, Ibis Parlament, Ibis Sibiu, and Constanta. But we have also created additional brands to complete the core Ibis brand, namely the Ibis Budget and Ibis Styles. The Ibis Budget, as its name suggests, will be a somewhat simpler hotel product. In turn, the Ibis Styles will focus more on style and design. Currently we are looking at projects in Brasov, Timisoara, Târgu-Mures, and even Bucharest. So there is plenty of potential. There are some other interesting opportunities, mainly for boutique hotels like our brand Mgallery. They have very specific historical design and we offer very special locations. We have such hotels in Paris, in Prague, and I think we also have good potential to open such hotels in Bucharest and in the region.
What strategy changes have been implemented in order to limit the effects of the economic recession?
First of all, at Accor we have a wonderfully performing booking system that allows us to sell rooms anywhere in the world at anytime. And to do that we are very cautious at positioning the right hotel product at the right price. So, first of all, we always position our hotels according to market and demand. Then you have to have very strong brands in order for the customer to feel reassured in their hotel experience even in the recession time.
What are the main similarities and differences between Accor’s operations in the Czech Republic and Romania?
The main difference between the hospitality markets in the two capitals, Prague and Bucharest, lies in the percentage covered by business and leisure travelers respectively. I would say that leisure tourism accounts for 70 per cent to 75 per cent of the total in Prague, while in Bucharest the situation is totally different; nearly 80 per cent of the visitors are here on business.
In terms of similarities, I think the main similarity is that customers have high expectations from their hotels everywhere. In fact, nowadays it is no longer enough to offer a clean room and a good product. Customers want to have an emotional experience and contact with the hotel’s team.
“Hotel is like a theatre”
This is why we have developed special training programs. We continued to invest in training during the crisis. We train our teams on issues related to the leisure market, just like any other hotel would do, but we also bring theatre coaches to work with our staff, to help them interact more easily and give them the tools to bring some emotion in their contacts with the clients. The program is called “Actors on stage” and it is very innovative.
We explain to our staff that a hotel is like a theatre, with actors interacting with the audience.
What are the main elements that Romania’s hospitality business should focus on in order to become more competitive?
I think that we need to create points of attraction for the leisure market so that Romania can grow and take a more significant share of the European business in that segment. Also, there are many high visibility business events every year. And I believe we have the proper infrastructure and logistics to attract such events to Bucharest. These events provide business opportunities to the local hospitality sector, but at the same time they raise the profile of Bucharest and Romania as business and leisure travel destinations.
I think Romania has a great potential of expanding its incoming travel segment based on cultural events. Also, many cities in Europe are visited by students in their studies. We need to be able to bring them here, because Romania has a great history and cultural heritage that need to be shared.
Our first hotel brand here, which is a massive brand with more than 1,000 units worldwide, is the Ibis. However, we’ve moved into a new phase with the Ibis, creating different styles. We have the core Ibis, which currently operates in Romania, with Ibis Gara de Nord, Ibis Parlament, Ibis Sibiu, and Constanta. But we have also created additional brands to complete the core Ibis brand, namely the Ibis Budget and Ibis Styles. The Ibis Budget, as its name suggests, will be a somewhat simpler hotel product. In turn, the Ibis Styles will focus more on style and design. Currently we are looking at projects in Brasov, Timisoara, Târgu-Mures, and even Bucharest. So there is plenty of potential. There are some other interesting opportunities, mainly for boutique hotels like our brand Mgallery. They have very specific historical design and we offer very special locations. We have such hotels in Paris, in Prague, and I think we also have good potential to open such hotels in Bucharest and in the region.
What strategy changes have been implemented in order to limit the effects of the economic recession?
First of all, at Accor we have a wonderfully performing booking system that allows us to sell rooms anywhere in the world at anytime. And to do that we are very cautious at positioning the right hotel product at the right price. So, first of all, we always position our hotels according to market and demand. Then you have to have very strong brands in order for the customer to feel reassured in their hotel experience even in the recession time.
What are the main similarities and differences between Accor’s operations in the Czech Republic and Romania?
The main difference between the hospitality markets in the two capitals, Prague and Bucharest, lies in the percentage covered by business and leisure travelers respectively. I would say that leisure tourism accounts for 70 per cent to 75 per cent of the total in Prague, while in Bucharest the situation is totally different; nearly 80 per cent of the visitors are here on business.
In terms of similarities, I think the main similarity is that customers have high expectations from their hotels everywhere. In fact, nowadays it is no longer enough to offer a clean room and a good product. Customers want to have an emotional experience and contact with the hotel’s team.
“Hotel is like a theatre”
This is why we have developed special training programs. We continued to invest in training during the crisis. We train our teams on issues related to the leisure market, just like any other hotel would do, but we also bring theatre coaches to work with our staff, to help them interact more easily and give them the tools to bring some emotion in their contacts with the clients. The program is called “Actors on stage” and it is very innovative.
We explain to our staff that a hotel is like a theatre, with actors interacting with the audience.
What are the main elements that Romania’s hospitality business should focus on in order to become more competitive?
I think that we need to create points of attraction for the leisure market so that Romania can grow and take a more significant share of the European business in that segment. Also, there are many high visibility business events every year. And I believe we have the proper infrastructure and logistics to attract such events to Bucharest. These events provide business opportunities to the local hospitality sector, but at the same time they raise the profile of Bucharest and Romania as business and leisure travel destinations.
I think Romania has a great potential of expanding its incoming travel segment based on cultural events. Also, many cities in Europe are visited by students in their studies. We need to be able to bring them here, because Romania has a great history and cultural heritage that need to be shared.
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