ACCOR has unveiled a new Novotel room design in seven years and expects the four-star brand to grow as fast as its economy Ibis in Asia-Pacific.
The new-generation Novotel room is 26m2 in size, stays true to the brand’s DNA (simple, efficient and modern), with the redesign focusing on areas such as improved living space and comfort.
The contemporary midscale turf has been the hardest to innovate, with many hotel groups in recent years trying to come up with the best prototype to win over a new generation of mobile, value-conscious travellers.
Frederic Josenhans, Accor’s senior vice president marketing and brands development, said consistency was a key to staying ahead in the four-star sector. “We want to have more consistency than Holiday Inn or Courtyard (the main competitors of Novotel). This is why the product is very standardised. We may have fewer hotels than them, but we want to be more consistent.”
There are now more Novotel rooms in Asia-Pacific than there are in France. Of 74,106 Novotel rooms worldwide, 29 per cent are in Asia-Pacific, versus 21 per cent in France and 37 per cent in the rest of Europe. Accor Asia-Pacific chairman and COO, Michael Issenberg, said he would be disappointed if there were not more Novotels in Asia than in Europe in 10 years.
At present, there are 86 Novotel hotels in operation in Asia-Pacific and an additional 36 in the pipeline.
Asked whether such a standardised product could have the flexibility to cater to the Asian market, Issenberg said: “The room size can go up to 28m2. The colour schemes have been adapted to Asia – the first colour schemes were muted; in Asia, there are more bright colours.
“For investors, the advantage is you can build a small room that is more cost-effective and we consider that as one of the great advantages of Novotel, particularly in the future when the midscale and economy become dominant. Traditionally in Asia, a lot of the development has been in the upscale, but more owners and developers are actually attracted to the midscale and economy and here’s where an economical size Novotel has the advantage.”
The new room is already in nine Novotels worldwide. In Asia-Pacific, it is found in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Sydney. The entire Novotel network is expected to be retrofitted within the next five to seven years.
– Read more in TTG Asia, Hotels Guide – Expansion Plans, Midscale Sector, March 11 issue
