With first Emblems Collection hotel, Accor has climbed 'the ladder'

The debut of Accor's luxury brand Emblems Collection — its 48th hotel brand — is symbolic of the direction of the global hotel company.

When he started his role in 2013, Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin said it was evident the French hotel firm needed to “go up the ladder.”

“To get credibility in unknown territories, lifestyle and luxury are required. Previously, we did not have the expertise. I was terrified, but now the fear is out,” he said.

The debut hotel for Accor's Emblems Collection brand is the 49-room Lucknam Park, Emblems Collection in the English county of Wiltshire, east of Bristol and within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Lucknam Park is a Grade II-listed house and has been a hotel since 1987 but officially reopened under the Emblems Collection flag on Nov. 4.

Accor has six Emblems Collection hotels in development to open in 2026 or early 2027. Company executives describe the brand as a “characterful collection of boutique-style hotels in the high-end luxury space.”

Four Emblems Collection hotels will be in Italy, including the 38-key Palazzo Sozzini Malavolti Siena; 60-key Masseria Furnirussi, between Lecce and Otranto in Puglia; 51-room Relais San Clemente, in a former 14th-century Benedictine convent just north of Perugia, Umbria; and the 80-room Hotel Bellevue in the Dolomites mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The other two announced hotels are the 263-room Rimrock Banff in Canada, and the 54-key Elatos Resort in Greece at the foot of Mount Parnassus.

Maud Bailly, Accor's brand CEO for Sofitel, MGalley and Emblems Collection, said Accor is carefully curating the Emblems Collection portfolio, which Accor plans to grow to 60 properties by 2032.

Fifteen properties are in “advanced negotiations” to join Emblems Collection, she added.

“The need for franchised luxury is there, and it came from the market. There are thousands of unbranded hotels, wonderful properties that are adamant they do not lose their identity. They want to shine,” Bailly said. “Brands are mortal, luxury is not. Attitude and culture are luxury. Product, excellence and service are luxury. Dilution and discrepancy are the opposite of luxury.”

She said the luxury hotel brand segment has seen a 400% increase in rooms since 2016 and that it is predicted there will be a 7% increase in demand by 2027.

Emblems Collection hotels will be “landmarks,” Bazin said. He predicted the brand will be a bit exclusive and turn away more interested property owners and franchisees than it accepts. He added Accor knew there was an opportunity in this elite space, one it did not want to hand over to its competitors in the global hotel industry.

Bailly added at least 30% of accommodation options in Emblems Collections hotels will be suites, and rooms will measure at least 40 square meters (430 square feet). For example, at the upcoming Palazzo Sozzini Malavolti Siena in Italy, 70% of its accommodations will be suites.

MGallery, Accor’s brand that might be most closely compared to Emblems, has 15% of its rooms as suites, which measure approximately 25 square meters, Bailly said. MGallery hotels are in primary and secondary cities.

Chloe Laskaridis, a member of the hotel’s family office Lucknam Park Limited — which also is the owner of Elatos Resort in Greece scheduled to join Emblems Collection — said the hardest part of affiliating her hotels with a brand was finding alignment and trust.

Bazin said Accor will be involved in each Emblems Collection property in varying degrees, dependent on need. Accor's vision for Lucknam Park is the hotel “will bring English generosity, caring and luxury to a new set of travelers,” he added.

Bazin also predicted Emblems Collection will attract a specific traveler segment that relishes luxury stays.

“There will be Emblems-lovers like there are Aman junkies,” he said, referencing the loyal guest base of Aman Resorts. “The future is collection brands. Clients want to get away from it all.”

Bazin said at least 50% of hotel owners in the branded luxury segment desire a partnership to help increase their return on investment.

“Stays need to be three or four days, and embedded experiences are indispensable for that length of stay,” he said. “The destinations must be microcosms, a certain vision of luxury.”

Each Emblems Collection hotel will have an “emblematic ingredient,” Bailly said. Lucknam Park’s will be apple, since the property is known for producing heirloom varieties. The Hotel Bellevue's emblematic ingredient will be mountain herbs, and the Masseria Furnirussi will feature figs. Each property will also create a unique cake using that relevant ingredient.

“I am not saying you will only eat apples for your entire stay,” Bailly said.

Lucknam Park’s principal food-and-beverage outlet Restaurant Hywel Jones — led by its eponymous head chef — has not lost its Michelin star since it was first awarded one in 2006.

Bazin said it is not a coincidence that almost 60% of Emblems Collection hotel development pipeline is in Italy. Accor debuted its La Dolce Vita Orient Express train and service in Italy earlier this year, and it will launch its first sailing yacht next year.

Bazin said it was “wise to wait” in launching its sailing portfolio, rather than rushing it to market. The same is true of Emblems Collection.

The brand’s development came after an 18-month period of listening, Bailly added.

“It is right to be cautious," Bazin said. "It must be developed in an impeccable way. [At these hotels] we are an operator but also a caretaker."

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