French hospitality company, Accor, has announced Emblems Collection, a global portfolio of boutique hotels and luxurious resorts, with its flagship hotel – Guiyang Art Centre Hotel in China’s Guizhou province, set to open in December 2022.

The luxury brand is expected to grow to 60 properties around the world by 2030.

Accor chairman and CEO, Sébastien Bazin, said he’s excited about the new venture for the company.

“Emblems Collection adds a fresh and exciting new dimension to Accor’s luxury offerings,” he said.

“A key focus of our growth and development strategy is to add aggressively across our strongest lines and leading business accelerators, which includes luxury as well as collection brands, while ensuring all 40+ brands in our global network continue to grow, evolve and flourish.

“The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travellers who appreciate high-end, boutique-style experiences, as well as by hoteliers who cherish the independent brands they’ve built while desiring the benefits that come with a global partner,” said Bazin.

Hotels and resorts joining the Emblems Collection brand fall into three categories:

• Emblems Collection Heritage – hotels that are landmarks of a destination – the buildings that contribute to the character of a city, place or nation; properties that celebrate the hallmarks of history and classic cultural traditions.
• Emblems Collection Retreat – resort properties along beaches, bucolic countrysides or nestled in the mountains, offering sumptuous spa and wellness experiences with holistic care and enrichment through rituals, serenity and wellbeing.
• Emblems Collection Signature – design-led hotels that embody an aesthetic universe, an ode to the style and signature of the designers or original residents who contributed to the hotel’s unique legacy.

The Emblems Collection brand is also designed for independent hoteliers who want to upgrade their property’s luxury status and boost their global profile.

Accor chief development officer, Agnes Roquefort, says Emblems Collection is a prime opportunity for hoteliers to capitalise on.

“For owners and developers who have created unique luxury hotels, or are looking to develop a new upmarket offering, we offer a collection brand that can boost their property’s status and profile with limited investment in marketing and branding, along with an easy transition process,” she said.

“With Emblems Collection, a hotelier can optimise their costs and operations right away by leveraging Accor’s powerful global distribution and supply networks, while expanding their audience reach from the moment they join.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with more hoteliers and development partners to bring more hotels around the world to this outstanding collection,” said Roquefort.

The Guiyang Art Centre Hotel is the inaugural flagship of the hotel portfolio and will be a huge first step for Emblems Collection, according to Accor CEO for Greater China, Gary Rosen.

“As one of the most important hospitality markets in the world, China is the perfect location for Accor to launch our newest luxury brand, and we are honoured to work with our trusted partner, HLC Group on this landmark project,” he said.

“HLC is a respected business leader in Guizhou province and recognized as one of China’s top private enterprises; we are delighted to partner with them to bring our shared vision of the new Emblems Collection hotel in Guiyang to life.

“This grand and enigmatic property has long captured the attention of residents and visitors to Guiyang.

“Emblems Collection will bring a fresh, modern expression of luxury living to this iconic landmark, setting the high standards of hospitality and style that we expect for this brand as it expands to other markets worldwide,” said Rosen.

The Emblems Collection brand is set to expand around the globe with Paris and Prague as two ideal locations for the next expansion.