“We are launching a large-scale project to establish Accor as the world reference in the hotel industry capable of inventing the hotels of the future. This major initiative will involve all our teams,” said Denis Hennequin, Accor chairman and CEO.

“To do so, we will rely on the Accor brand that we intend to make more visible to the general public in particular, in order to meet distribution challenges.

“Our ambition is reflected through a new signature ‘Open New Frontiers in Hospitality’ and through stronger identity symbols.

“Our objective is to offer a new, unique hotel experience with repositioned brands and modern, innovative services.

“I have decided to challenge some of the basics of our business model: change is not an option, it is a necessity.

“The first part of our project concerns the economy segment.

“With our international leadership, we will revolutionise our economy brand portfolio around the ibis brand. Consequently ibis, Etap Hotel and all seasons will evolve into a group of three strong, innovative, modernised brands and become ibis, ibis styles and ibis budget.

“ibis is now the keystone of our economy portfolio.”

Observation of constantly evolving life styles and consumption modes was the starting point for Accor’s reflection on its economy brands.

Consumer expectations have evolved significantly. The vertical segmentation of economy to upscale brands is a thing of the past. Now, all brands must be able to project a self-enhancing image to their customers and offer modern, contemporary, stylish services.

So Accor felt that the group’s economy hotel products and services needed reinvention to go beyond their market segment and cater for the changes in consumer expectations.

The popular ibis is to become a megabrand encompassing ibis, which will retain its own name, all seasons, which will become ibis styles, and Etap Hotel, which will become ibis budget.

The rebranding, which will be completed worldwide by early 2013, is intended to increase the clarity, consistency and strength of the three economy brands and boost each brand’s appeal and growth potential.

A major communication campaign will take place in 2012 to highlight the shared DNA while clearly differentiating the distinct offers of each of the three economy brands.

A plan to modernise the hotels and improve bedding comfort will be implemented with common areas, food and beverage offerings and consumer technologies also being upgraded.

A company statement said: ‘With its 1,500 economy hotels on four continents, excluding Motel 6, Accor absolutely must consolidate its leadership position in this segment which is essential for its profits and its worldwide growth.’

Hennequin says he believes the time is right to redefine the company’s objective and missions and the new tagline ‘Open New Frontiers in Hospitality’ reflects the group’s aim to regenerate a spirit of innovation.

The Accor brand will now play a larger role, particularly with the general public, and will be at the forefront on the internet battle through both the direct distribution channel and the group loyalty programme.

And the parent company will also play a greater role in conveying the group’s commitments to a wider audience, particularly in terms of human resources, sustainable development and multiculturalism, thus generating more value for all hotel brands.

Accor is currently one of the world’s leading hotel operators and the market leader in Europe. It is present in 90 countries with 4,200 hotels and more than 500,000 rooms. The company’s portfolio includes Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all seasons/ibis styles, Etap Hotel/ibis budget, Formule 1, hotelF1 and Motel 6.

Its portfolio includes more than 50 amusement and theme parks and a number of international restaurant franchises in the Middle East.

And executive vice president Sami Al-Hokair is looking to grow the group’s hospitality arm with the expansion of Mena Hotels & Resorts by undertaking more management contracts for hotel apartments and serviced residences across the GCC. “Today, we have about 7,000 rooms in the pipeline and expect to take this number to more than 10,000 rooms by 2014. Most of the new properties will open in Dubai, Jordan, Al Aqaba and a large number in Saudi Arabia, which remains our key market,” he said.

“We will continue to work in partnership with hotel brands like Golden Tulip, Novotel and Hilton Garden Inn, but the focus for Al Hokair Group has moved to developing Mena Hotels & Resorts, our hotel management company which was established in 2008. The first Mena hotel to open in Saudi Arabia was the Mena Hotel Riyadh.

“Mena Hotels & Resorts also took over the management of the five-star Mena Grand Khalidiya, Riyadh. The Mena Suites Olaya, Riyadh, is scheduled to open by November 2011, Mena Hotel Muscat, Oman, and our suite property, Mena Suites Hotel – Al Khobar, are due to open in the summer of 2012, with more locations including Abu Dhabi, Lebanon and Jordan.”

The Al Hokair Group’s founder and chairman, Sheikh Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair, was one of the earliest investors in the entertainment business in Saudi Arabia, with the company’s roots stretching back to 1965.

Now the group has projects in development amounting to an investment of more than SR300 million($79 million).

“Our long term vision is to grow the Mena Hotels & Resorts division in Saudi Arabia, a market that is seeing immense growth in the hospitality sector today. Mena is a local, regional brand and if you look at the success stories of other regional brands in the area, we aspire to take Mena Hotels & Resorts to such heights. There are lots of serviced residences in Saudi Arabia that are managed individually – this is a market we want to develop. This will be our niche,” says Al-Hokair.

Mena Hotels & Resorts encompasses three brands: Mena Grand, Mena Suites and Bayti Suites.

Breaking with convention, the brand now poses an alternative style of question to guests, asking ‘Let Us Stay With You’, reversing the age-old approach of hotels asking guests to stay with them.

The campaign aims to deliver the message through one-of-a-kind experiences and stories by the ladies and gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton.

Speaking about the need for such an initiative, Pascal Duchauffour, vice president of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Europe and the Middle East says: “2010 was a good year for the brand and, looking ahead, we expect similar strong results for both 2011 and 2012. The brand is expanding into new markets, reaching out to new guests and the new campaign is just to refresh our core message to them.

“Who we are has not changed. We are still very much a people’s company. Our ladies and gentlemen work towards creating a customer for life and strengthening that emotional attachment they have with the brand.”

Ritz-Carlton’s ‘Let Us Stay With You’ will define rare and special things that characterise true luxury, uniting guests around the world by speaking directly to those connected by their wants and needs, rather than their geography and culture.

A key component of the platform includes a comprehensive advertising campaign, complemented by a memory-evoking piece of film, the introduction of new social media networks and a website re-design on www.RitzCarlton.com, which will encourage the ladies and gentlemen to publicly share their stories of luxury service and care.

Duchauffour adds: “In the long term, we want to reach out and touch our customers, even when they are not physically in the building. This will be the goal of each property, to study their guest likes, needs, choices and offer it to them. For example, if you bring a renowned chef and a sommelier together, you know they can create an exceptional experience. But, what about being able to offer the same exceptional service in the comfort of the guest’s own house.  This is where we create a touch-point with our customer. 

“We always talk about ‘wow’ stories; constantly share them with our colleagues internally. Today, part of the brand message is to share that with all our guests through our website. It’s really about creating, capturing and sharing those special moments, allowing interaction with our customers even after they have left the hotel.”

“In order to be relevant, one has to be where the customer wants you to be and hence the group’s decision to reach out to the guests via the digital platform.

“Today we are interacting with our customers via Facebook, Twitter or apps like Foursquare where we launched the Foursquare World Concierge to further support our efforts to stay with our guests even when they’re not travelling with The Ritz-Carlton.”

The company has an ambitious expansion plan for the region. This year, the group opened the Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre in Dubai, UAE, and took over the management of the Al Bustan Palace hotel in Muscat, Oman, from InterContinental Hotels Group.

The brand makes its first venture into Saudi Arabia next month with the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh and into Abu Dhabi with the opening of the Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal by the end of this year or early next year.

Speaking about the new properties Duchauffour says: “The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh is a phenomenal hotel and carefully thought out for the Saudi market. We are now ready to open and have very high expectations for the hotel. The property has already seen lots of interest particularly for large events like weddings. The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is also a few months away from opening.

“We will differentiate ourselves in both these competitive markets with our service standards. It is all about creating memories and experiences when we open these hotels.”

He is extremely positive about the region saying: “We think the Middle East is where things will be happening in the next few years. Of course there are pockets of challenges like Egypt, but again we are witnessing improvement and that is encouraging.”

Ritz-Carlton will open the Nile Ritz-Carlton in Cairo, the company’s second property in Egypt, early in 2013. Further, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai is undergoing an expansion which  will increase the total number of guest rooms and suites to 301 and include the addition of several new restaurant concepts. Duchauffour added that the company is very keen to take its brand into new areas like Lebanon, Jeddah and possibly a second property in Abu Dhabi.

WTTC president and CEO David Scowsill said: “Today, on World Tourism Day, we call on governments around the world to recognise the central role that our industry plays in their economies today, as well as its leading role as a driver of global sustainable economic recovery.

“Travel and tourism acts as a universal bridge connecting people, cultures and communities all over the world. And at the same time, travel and tourism is a world leader in contributing to the global economy by creating jobs, generating wealth and improving quality of life. Many governments understand this. Unfortunately, many others do not.

“While we fully support the efforts made by some governments to reduce their debt burdens, we do not believe it is good economics to overly tax an industry that is a driver of growth and recovery as taxes on travel and tourism tend to do more harm than good economically. We also urge governments to implement sensible visa policies, which balance the understandable requirements of homeland security with the needs of a sustainable travel and tourism industry.

“The WTTC was formed more than 20 years ago by the heads of some of the largest private travel and tourism companies in the world to ensure that governments, the media and society understood the enormous economic and social contribution of travel and tourism.

“That is still our aim today. Our membership still consists of the heads of the largest and most influential private companies in world travel and tourism. Together our industry accounts for nine per cent of the world’s gross domestic product – and accounts for 260 million jobs.”

As president and managing director of international lodging, Fuller led Marriott’s growth outside the continental US from 16 hotels to more than 550 today in more than 70 countries. Approximately 175 additional hotels are currently under development outside the US.

Having recently published a book about managing growth and change, entitled ‘You Can’t Lead with Your Feet on the Desk’, Fuller played an integral role in Marriott’s international growth, and most recently has been focused on guiding the company’s operations in the Middle East and Africa in the midst of major regional turbulence.  

Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief operating officer, said: “We will miss Ed’s insights and tremendous grasp of the industry as we continue the global growth for which he was a powerful advocate.”

Joining the company in 1972, Fuller was appointed chief sales and marketing officer for Marriott Hotels in 1977. He also served as general manager of key hotels in the US and as regional vice president in the US. He assumed leadership of Marriott’s international lodging operations in 1991 as senior vice president and managing director, was promoted to executive vice president, and was named president and managing director in 1997.

Fuller plans to serve as an adjunct professor at the Paul Merage Graduate School of Business at the University of California Irvine and as visiting professor at Boston University. He will also continue his work with business and charity boards.

Winners included the Pyramids of Giza, which beat off stiff competition from Victoria Falls, Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro to win Africa’s Leading Attraction. Meanwhile Egypt Air collected Africa’s Leading Business Class Airline and Sierra Resort Sharm el Sheikh was voted Egypt’s Leading All-inclusive Resort.

Sonesta Nile Cruises, which operates six ships, took the award for Leading River Cruise Company for the second consecutive year.

Other blue riband winners included Cape Town, voted Africa’s Leading Destination, Abercrombie & Kent, winning Africa’s Leading Luxury Tour Operator, and Saxon Boutique Hotel & Spa, South Africa named Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel.

Meanwhile Sonava Gili was the Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort and the Maldives picked up Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.

WTA president and founder Graham Cooke highlighted travel and tourism’s crucial role in Egypt’s new era of democracy and opportunity saying: “Egypt is proving a textbook example of world-class destinations demonstrating an incredible ability to bounce back. Its phenomenal array of attractions – from the Pyramids of Giza and the temples of Luxor to the diving and beaches of Sharm El Sheikh – will ensure that tourism remains integral to the evolution of the new Egypt.”

The WTA ceremony was followed by Egypt hosting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s World Tourism Day, which was to celebrated in the city of Aswan on  September 27.

And at the Europe WTA ceremony, at the Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa in Antalya, Turkey, the travel brands that have demonstrated greatest strength amid global economic uncertainty emerged victorious.

More than 500 organisations across Europe, spanning more than 125 categories, entered the competition for the most influential accolade in travel.

Lufthansa was one of the big stars on the night, walking off with the blue riband category Europe’s Leading Airline, while Le Bristol Paris was voted Europe’s Leading Hotel, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts won Europe’s Leading Hotel Brand, Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa was named Europe’s Leading Luxury Resort and Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa picked up Europe’s Leading Resort.

Turkey in particular enjoyed a large share of the evening’s honours, reflecting its role as one of the few tourism success stories of the global downturn. Home-grown winners included Istanbul for Europe’s Leading City Break Destination and the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism  for Europe’s Leading Tourist Board.

The industry’s elite including CEOs of leading travel companies, government ministers and tourist board chiefs attended the gala event, which was headlined by Turkish pop sensation Aydan Kaya and violin rock supremos, Fuse.

The services are contracted to run through to June  next year and will bring an additional 50,000 visitors to the emirate.

According to the agreement, six charter flights,made on RAK Airways’ Boeing 757-200 aircraft, will arrive every week from various areas of Germany including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Munich and the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The first flight from Hamburg was greeted personally by Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation.