The Hotel Of The Future

Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer – India and South Asia, on bringing luxury hotels such as Raffles to India, the ratio of branded inventory against unbranded and what it means for the hospitality sector, and the promises held by Artificial Intelligence.

What sort of opportunities does the Indian market holds for AccorHotels? India has always been, and continues to be, one of the most important markets for AccorHotels. In India, we have always followed the 'Born in France, Made in India' philosophy—a melange of our French heritage and Indian culture. The country has given us multiple opportunities that have helped us customise our offering to suit the needs of the market and the guests. In the hospitality industry, every aspect revolves around the guests and thus, all our brands at AccorHotels ensure that our guests ‘feel welcome’ at every touch point.

One of the most important aspects of our India operations is our strategic partnership with InterGlobe Hotels, which has given us the opportunity to develop and grow the ibis brand. We began the AccorHotels India operations with ibis a decade ago, and in a months’ time we will launch our 19th ibis property—ibis Kolkata Rajarhat, which will launch a new generation of ibis hotels.

For AccorHotels in India, our development priority is to densify in key cities and become the number one player by offering a variety of brands to consumers across budgets. We are always looking forward to present quality development projects. The growth of the Indian market is tremendous, and with the help of our consumers, we continue to grow our Novotel and ibis brands. Additionally, we are in active discussions to bring various luxury brands to India –from Raffles to Banyan Tree, and are continuing to grow our existing brands such as Fairmont and Sofitel.

How do you choose the destinations/ cities in which you locate your hotels in India?