Accor’s Latest Luxury Brand Targets Independent Hotel Owners

When Sébastian Bazin first heard the pitch for a luxury soft brand hotel, he didn't buy it.

The Accor Chairman and CEO wasn't sure if independent hotel owners would trust the group to manage and market their luxury hotels, even if the "soft brand" concept lets owners avoid being dictated to by a corporate headquarters.

"I did not expect Accor to be able to be that trusted partner, to elevate an existing jewel," he said Tuesday. "I did not really believe."

Bazin does now. This week, Accor officially launched Emblems Collection with Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa near Bath, England, the first property to operate under its long-announced luxury soft brand.

Maud Bailly, Chloe Laskaridis (member of the owning family of Lucknam Park), and Sébastien Bazin at the launch of Emblems Collection at Lucknam Park. Credit: Accor.

The move turns the 2021-launched soft brand concept of Emblems into a functioning business line. Lucknam Park, a 500-acr