How Design is Meeting and Shaping Expectations in Hospitality
ACCOR AHEAD
Spotlight on what's Driving Hospitality Forward
DESIGN
Driving Guest and Owner Success Through Design
Experience is considered a competitive advantage in tourism and hospitality—from Guests' physical interaction with a hotel's environment to the sensorial internalization of what they live and taste—design has become a more powerful force for the sector over the past decades. A study analyzing over 11,000 online guest reviews found that elements such as design, amenities, and local culture now account for over 42% of the guest's aesthetic experience.
With many travelers seeking authentic and unique hospitality experiences, design makes a tangible impact and is a powerful medium for storytelling, shaping the atmosphere, emotions, and connections within a hotel and fostering brand identity. Each brand’s unique DNA and the culture of each location can be woven into the hotel’s identity, for example using local art and architecture to create an immersive sense of place. This enriches the guest journey and integrates the hotel harmoniously into the surrounding community. Design also contributes to advancing sustainable solutions that reduce environmental impact, from utilizing locally sourced, low-carbon materials to integrating renewable energy systems.
Beyond the guest experience, strategic design is a powerful driver of financial performance for owners to improve operational efficiency. It is a direct lever for enhancing asset value and long-term profitability.
Harnessing this potential, Accor prioritizes designs that transform its hotels into vibrant hubs that deliver positive environmental and social impact. Through a close partnership between owners and Accor's Design & Technical Services team, design is central to the strategy across more than 45 brands.
DISCOVER OUR DESIGN & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Design in Action
Discover how Accor is unlocking potential through design
The Novotel Brugge Centrum Transformation into a Modern Flagship
A Case Study on Operational Excellence
Much more than just a modern look, the ambitious redesign of Novotel Brugge Centrum, in Belgium, offers new ways of operating to deliver a guest-centered, forward-looking vision. Explore the design journey behind creating a modern flagship and achieving tangible results.
WATCH THE VIDEO →
Unveiling the Next Generation of Talents in Design
Accor Design Awards 2025
Committed to design innovation, Accor launched a worldwide competition for architecture and interior design students to imagine the hotels of tomorrow and showcase the next generation of talents in sustainable hospitality. This year’s winners impressed with "Polé, Polé," a Tanzania-inspired concept that uses local, circular materials.
DISCOVER THE PROJECT→
Visionary Collaborations with Renowned Designers
Bringing Artistic Vision to Hotel Projects
Accor collaborates with designers and architects worldwide to create distinctive hotel concepts that reflect each location's unique culture and heritage. Explore how these partnerships unite artistic identity, local history, and a commitment to excellence, as seen through the perspectives of two featured designers.
MEET THE DESIGNERS →
Spotlight on what's Driving Hospitality Forward
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DESIGN
Driving Guest and Owner Success Through Design
Experience is considered a competitive advantage in tourism and hospitality—from Guests' physical interaction with a hotel's environment to the sensorial internalization of what they live and taste—design has become a more powerful force for the sector over the past decades. A study analyzing over 11,000 online guest reviews found that elements such as design, amenities, and local culture now account for over 42% of the guest's aesthetic experience.
With many travelers seeking authentic and unique hospitality experiences, design makes a tangible impact and is a powerful medium for storytelling, shaping the atmosphere, emotions, and connections within a hotel and fostering brand identity. Each brand’s unique DNA and the culture of each location can be woven into the hotel’s identity, for example using local art and architecture to create an immersive sense of place. This enriches the guest journey and integrates the hotel harmoniously into the surrounding community. Design also contributes to advancing sustainable solutions that reduce environmental impact, from utilizing locally sourced, low-carbon materials to integrating renewable energy systems.
Beyond the guest experience, strategic design is a powerful driver of financial performance for owners to improve operational efficiency. It is a direct lever for enhancing asset value and long-term profitability.
Harnessing this potential, Accor prioritizes designs that transform its hotels into vibrant hubs that deliver positive environmental and social impact. Through a close partnership between owners and Accor's Design & Technical Services team, design is central to the strategy across more than 45 brands.
DISCOVER OUR DESIGN & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Design in Action
Discover how Accor is unlocking potential through design
The Novotel Brugge Centrum Transformation into a Modern Flagship
A Case Study on Operational Excellence
Much more than just a modern look, the ambitious redesign of Novotel Brugge Centrum, in Belgium, offers new ways of operating to deliver a guest-centered, forward-looking vision. Explore the design journey behind creating a modern flagship and achieving tangible results.
WATCH THE VIDEO →
Unveiling the Next Generation of Talents in Design
Accor Design Awards 2025
Committed to design innovation, Accor launched a worldwide competition for architecture and interior design students to imagine the hotels of tomorrow and showcase the next generation of talents in sustainable hospitality. This year’s winners impressed with "Polé, Polé," a Tanzania-inspired concept that uses local, circular materials.
DISCOVER THE PROJECT→
Visionary Collaborations with Renowned Designers
Bringing Artistic Vision to Hotel Projects
Accor collaborates with designers and architects worldwide to create distinctive hotel concepts that reflect each location's unique culture and heritage. Explore how these partnerships unite artistic identity, local history, and a commitment to excellence, as seen through the perspectives of two featured designers.
MEET THE DESIGNERS →
