How the CEO of Sofitel gave one of Accor’s oldest brands a positive change

Maud Bailly enters her third year as CEO of Accor’s top brands such as Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery and Emblems.

Some might say he was given one of the most difficult jobs when the French-based hotel giant underwent another significant corporate restructuring more than two years ago. Sofitel, which turned 60 last year, was a French brand that had lost its way and needed a facelift – much like Chanel before Karl Lagerfeld.

With M Gallery, Bailly inherited a little-known collection of hotels that directly faced competitors like Marriott’s Autograph Collection, and Emblems was a luxury brand on paper with no open hotels to point to.

Bailly, who previously worked as CEO of Accor in southern Europe and as the company’s chief digital and commercial officer, took the challenge before him – and turned the brands he oversees into new (and renewed) French hospitality brands around the world.

What ethos drives the growth and renewal efforts of the brands Bailly oversees?

TPG learned more in two exclusive interviews with the hotelier at the recent International Luxury Travel Market conference in Cannes, France, and, most recently, this week in a transatlantic video interview.

“People may lose their appetite for luxury, but they will not lose their appetite for luxury, and good hospitality is about luxury,” he said.

The numbers speak for themselves. The 60-year-old Sofitel, which currently operates around 120 hotels worldwide, has a pipeline of 32 new hotels slated to open in markets such as Ireland, Vietnam, Portugal, India and Mexico in the next few years.

At a time when a new hotel brand is announced almost every week, it’s a strong sign that the seagenarian hotel brand has a lot of interest and many new properties in the works. Twelve of those new hotel deals were signed in the past year alone, but it’s not limited to new locations.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for the best news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts

Part of Bailly’s leadership initiative has been to elevate existing hotels and bring a consistent feel to the premium Sofitel brand. Twenty-six percent of Sofitel’s existing network is currently under construction. Properties like the Sofitel New York – an important renovation, as Sofitel is one of Accor’s best-known brands in the US – and the Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile are part of that effort.

The brand relies on its French heritage in locations around the world and often includes a nod to its home country, such as “Bonjour” at the front door or French chefs choosing the menus in the hotel’s restaurants. The first Sofitel in the US made a splash with its extensive French wine collection and freshly baked baguettes in 1975.

“There are many brands, so why should you choose this one?” Bailly said. “Sofitel obviously does not pretend to be an eight-star hotel, but it has a clear, unique, distinctive identity and a very strong culture. French zest with heart, authenticity and generosity.”

In addition, the Sofitel Legend brand of luxury properties – including TPG favorite Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo in Panama City – is also gaining steam ahead of growth. Three new Sofitel Legend hotels are planned for the Czech Republic, India and Egypt in front of the Giza pyramids – bringing a 50% increase to Sofitel’s current range of six hotels.

“People also had questions about Sofitel Legend because it’s a small network. These are good buildings, but if the product doesn’t grow, it doesn’t improve, people start having questions,” said Bailly before emphasizing the brand. always be very selective about future growth: “Development is a good thing, but developing well is very important because you protect the consistency of the product.”

Similarly, strong growth continues at MGallery, with 48 hotels under development, and Emblems, a new luxury brand with seven hotels planned for launch. The first MGallery hotel planned for the Caribbean, Whimsy Hotel & Spa Saint-Martin—MGallery Collection, will be a luxury conversion of the former Beach Plaza hotel on the French side of St. Maarten.

Additional buildings are planned for markets such as Mexico, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Egypt and India. MGallery also has 8% of its portfolio under renovation.

But one of the most interesting and long-awaited developments at Accor has been a different type of collection: Emblems. The brand, which was first announced in late 2021 as the Emblems Collection, does not yet have a hotel open, but that is set to change this year with the first location expected to open in Europe. Additional properties are planned or in advanced stages of negotiations in Italy, Greece, China, Vietnam and North America.

Should one be concerned that there is still no headrest in the area associated with Emblems more than three years after the product was first introduced? Probably not.

“There are too many brands that, if you’re in a hurry, if you don’t do things the way they’re supposed to be done, especially a new brand—you’re making sure the brand positioning is really different, you’re making sure the new leads are good leads—you just kill the brand before it dies a second death,” Bailly said.

After all, it took Ian Schrager and Marriott almost seven years to open the first Hotel of the Order after launching the brand in 2008, so it seems that Accor is ahead of the luxury development curve.

“It’s the balance between the intensity asked to make a difference and the moment you need to say, ‘OK, it’s now or never,'” Bailly added.

“Build it, and they will come” came the line “Field of Dreams.”

“Open it properlyonce luxury guests it will come” may be a line in successful and reliable hotel development.

Related reading: