In this podcast Louise Daley, the deputy CEO of one of the biggest and fastest growing hospitality companies in Asia Pacific, speaks about the impact in Asia on Accor, the lessons to be taken as markets in the region take first tentative steps to restarting and, would you believe it, the ongoing opportunities to build more hotels in China.
“China has a long game. And they’ve been very good at building infrastructure through the course of the last 10 years. And that will continue,” said Louise Daley, as she speaks about hiring more staff to pursue development deals.
While she doesn’t believe this crisis will necessarily accelerate hoteliers’ push for more direct business, she believes that it is in tough times, you learn who your best partners are.
“I don’t think the crisis is going to necessarily fast track direct business. We’ve been trying to do that for a long time. We’re succeeding through our loyalty programme.
“Hotels have always been a very, very highly distributed product … we recognise that there always will be partners. I think it’s about choosing the best partners now. That’s really what it is. It’s going to be who are our partners that were there for us in the tough times and who are going to be there for us in the long run?”
She also keeps a keen eye on tech startups and investments, and she speaks about the pivots being seen in Accor’s food and beverage companies as they develop contactless solutions and delivery platforms to help restaurants get back on their feet.
“What we’re seeing now is the expectation of contactless order and pay – we’ll see this as a very, very big theme coming out of Covid-19. There’ll be less cash, we’re already on that track … I think that will accelerate. In Europe, we’re talking about our hotel restaurants not reopening, unless there is a contactless order and pay functionality.”
Workplaces are also in for a shake-up. Everything that you believed is being challenged, she said, “and you start to question everything that you thought was possible or not possible. I think just because of a financial requirement, we will probably look at less space … how do we provide the right space for our teams to come together as a group? And then how do we provide the right tools for them to work at home? Offices is about space, the way people work is about behaviours.”
Have a listen.