International hotel operator Accor has unveiled its vision for the Mercure brand, with the aim of expanding its offering to 1,000 Mercure hotels in the next five years.

Reacting to the change in guest expectations in the midscale hotel market, Mercure’s new positioning will introduce a new approach to welcoming guests, a redesign of food and beverage services, and create a dedicated offering for business customers on the move, whilst continuing the brands commitment to quality and further hotel refurbishments.

Mercure’s new positioning focuses on four main areas:

1. A new, modernised experience to meet guest expectations
2. Accelerated expansion, mostly through franchises, with a target of 1,000 hotels within five years
3. A global quality guarantee
4. A brand new visual identity

Yann Caillre, CEO of Accor, declares “Mercure is essential for the group’s expansion, which has been particularly driven through franchises and managed hotels, with the brand now preparing to start a new chapter in its history. Thanks to the work carried out in partnership with our franchisees, Mercure is increasing its attraction for hoteliers and guests alike by injecting new impetus, modernity and innovation into midscale hotels.”

Mercure is the world’s second largest hotel chain in its segment with 732 hotels in 50 countries. The brand is enjoying sustained expansion with an average of one opening per week and over 15,000 new rooms between 2011 and 2012. Mercure alone accounted for 21% of rooms opened by Accor in 2012.

FRANCHISEE FOCUS

More than 75 percent growth is achieved by converting existing hotels through franchises and management contracts,

Key market for the Mercure brand are France (232 hotels), Germany (112 hotels) and the UK (73 hotels), expanding in Brazil (64 hotels) and Australia (63 hotels) and setting up in two new countries every year.

In 2012, Mercure established footholds in Russia and South Korea. In 2013, it will launch its first establishments in Turkey and Sweden. Mercure plans to open a total of 53 new hotels in 2013.

“To meet our objective of 1,000 hotels within five years, we will expand mostly through franchises. Independent hoteliers make up 70 percent of the midscale hotel segment. They are looking for sector expertise, particularly to handle the hotel digital revolution. Mercure places relations with franchisees at the heart of its brand governance and that makes it a benchmark franchisor,” explains Christophe Alaux, chief operating officer Mercure & MGallery Europe.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

There’s a new approach to hospitality that focuses on customer welcome, business on the move and food and beverage concepts.

Fr_d_ric Fontaine, senior vice president marketing Mercure and MGallery explains “Midscale hotels are caught between rapidly modernising economy hotels on the one hand and the upscale hotel experience on the other.

“Mercure is abandoning the practical, logical, best-value-for-money model and adopting a much more “emotional” approach that aims to foster “harmony between places and people.”

A number of refinements have been made across the business including:

• The traditional lobby with its reception desk has been transformed into a friendly, social space. The receptionist is now a “host” who invites customers to the “host table” or to one of the comfortable lobby spaces and include the bar and the restaurant.
• The use of digital tablets enables rapid check-in. This concept was launched in April in London and will be rolled out in five other hotels by the end of 2013.
• The launch of EasyWORK: dedicated and modular work spaces complete with a light meal service, equipment and Internet access.
• The food and beverage profile has also been redesigned and features a new wine menu that showcases local vintages. Three concepts have been created: the Cuisine Lounge, where guests serve themselves at any time of the day or night in an area designed like an apartment kitchen; the Restaurant Lounge, which reinterprets local or traditional recipes; the Bar Lounge, warm and convivial where guests can snack in a cosy atmosphere.

HUMAN RESOURCES
 

The brand’s renewal also concerns its teams. For this purpose, Mercure has designed a Human Resources program with three components:

1. Mercure Touch 10 differentiating customer service attitudes that allow hoteliers to interact with their guests and create a bond with them. This program will be implemented on a participatory basis from January 2014.
2. Mercure School of Service: an innovative, flexible e-learning training course available in nine languages, or through the 17 Accor Acad_mies located around the world. This system enables Mercure to ensure that each employee receives at least one week’s training a year.
3. Mercure Community: a corporate social network for the 45,000 employees so they can share best practices, exchange, improve their skills and ultimately progress professionally.

GLOBAL AD CAMPAIGN

Mercure has launched a new advertising campaign featuring a black and white TV advertisement that focuses on the positive emotions prompted by an unexpected surprise and inspired by a stay at Mercure. The communication campaign will also run in the press, on billboards and online across Europe and Brazil.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

• A renovation concept launched in 2011 in France is being rolled out across Europe.
• By the end of 2014, the Mercure Quality Guarantee (based on 96 guidelines) will be deployed across the entire network. This includes a dedicated phone line, with the same number (2424) for the entire Mercure network