Shanghai, February 28, 2012 – Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Asia-Pacific, today announced the re-engineering of its Grand Mercure brand, tailored for the China market. The brand was unveiled at the inauguration of Grand Mercure Shanghai Zhongya by Accor, the first hotel adapted to the new positioning. Grand Mercure combines Accor’s extensive China and international hotel experience and significant distribution infrastructure with products and services customised to the needs of the upscale Chinese traveller.
Known in Chinese as 美爵 (Mei Jue), each hotel within the Grand Mercure network in China will sport the new Chinese identity, reflecting the brand’s commitment to developing products and services tailored to its Chinese clientele. Distinctly Chinese, fluid and rich in tones the new identity has been designed to appeal to upscale consumers, be as recognisable to Chinese guests as the Mercure hotel brand is to travellers around the world. The identity retains a sense of connection to its parent brand whilst being highly influenced by Chinese design form.
“Accor has tailored the Grand Mercure brand to better suit the Chinese clientele’s needs, in a strategic country for the Group and in the context of a booming upscale domestic travel business,” remarked Mr. Grégoire Champetier, Chief Marketing Officer of Accor at the launch event. “This brand is launched in the framework of our global project to modernize our brand portfolio. Our clients are now expecting brands capable of understanding the diversity and the complexity of their identity. With Grand Mercure (“Mei Jue”) the Group demonstrates its ability to have more flexible brands, that are locally relevant,” Grégoire Champetier added.
Grand Mercure hotels in China will invite guests to ‘Discover a new authentic’, to connect with and learn from their surroundings in new, innovative ways. Grand Mercure hotels in China, like Mercure hotels around the world, are a reflection of their location and form an integral part of each city. In each Grand Mercure hotel in China, 12 brand signatures will be installed – conveyed through ceremonies that exemplify strong aspects of Chinese culture and blend in elements of European influence (reflecting the heritage of the Mercure brand).
Each guest can expect a personalized and authentic welcome reflecting the hotel’s location. In Shanghai, for example, employees will use the local Shanghai’nese language and guests will be welcomed by team members wearing Qipao, a traditional elegant evening dress. All team members will be identified with name badges bearing firstly Chinese characters, followed by a pinyin transliteration enabling employees to use their given names rather than adopting foreign equivalents.
With China being one of the pivotal engines of the global hospitality industry and one of the fastest developing areas in Accor’s global network, the inauguration of Grand Mercure Shanghai Zhongya by Accor marks a major milestone in Accor’s global strategy of creating hotels adapted to specific customer segments.
At present, Accor operates 7 brands, 121 hotels in 47 cities across Greater China.
Accor operates over 700 Mercure hotels in 50 countries around the world. Mercure hotels are representative of local culture and design and provide a conduit for guests to experience the hotel’s surroundings. Accor has embraced the increasingly upscale nature of hotels in China with the arrival of ‘Grand’ Mercure, a hotel brand tailored for China.
Sam Shih, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Accor Greater China, said, “Throughout Accor’s 27 years of operation in China, we have developed a strong understanding of the China hotel industry and the specific desires of the Chinese traveller. Accor has built upon this expertise in the development of the new Grand Mercure brand, tailored for China, providing a fresh yet familiar hotel experience for upscale travellers throughout the country. The Grand Mercure brand provides Accor with a fresh platform for organic upscale expansion throughout the country”.
About Accor Greater China
As one of the pioneering international hotel management companies to enter the Chinese market, Accor signed its first management agreement in 1985. With 27 years’ development experience in China, Accor has established strong relationships with its local partners such as Beijing Tourism Group, Jinjiang Group, COSCO, and Dalian Wanda Group etc.
Accor operates 121 hotels in 47 cities in Greater China representing 29,552 rooms. All Accor hotels in China are situated in major metropolitan areas, gateway cities, popular resort destinations, and are developing fast into tier two and tier three cities under 7 different brands: Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery,
Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis, covering a full spectrum of markets from luxury to economy.
Grand Mercure is postured towards the upscale Chinese traveller and is destined to be a growth driver for the group in the country.