Accor Plus looks beyond Asia Pacific

As Accor Plus celebrates 30 years of operation, there’s no denying the hotel subscription program has evolved into a dominating force in the travel loyalty space. It costs A$399 a year to join in Australia, yet memberships are up 43% over the last two years and the program now has more than 440,000 paid members.

Whilst Accor Plus has only operated within Asia Pacific since its inception in 1994, that could soon change. I chat one-on-one with Renae Trimble, CEO of Accor Plus, as she shares her insights on the company’s remarkable growth and the evolving landscape of hospitality loyalty programs.

What drives Accor Plus’ engagement?

‘We delivered 2.3 million room nights last year, and we’re looking at a 25% increase on that this year.’

Renae Trimble is no stranger to Accor Plus’ sustained growth. Before leading the team at Accor Plus, she was the Chief Commercial Officer at Accor itself, responsible for transforming the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) loyalty program into what it is today.

The stats paint an interesting picture – on average, each Accor Plus member is staying 5-6 nights a year. (Data point: I hold an Accor Plus membership and have stayed seven nights this year – a smidge above average.)

What are the key factors behind Accor Plus’ success? Renae highlights the explosive growth of Accor hotels in the Asia Pacific region. “When we started, we had three brands, and now we boast over 25 different brands,” she explains. With more than 1,000 hotels participating in Accor Plus, this expansion is pivotal.

Another reason Accor Plus is growing so rapidly is word-of-mouth, particularly with social media. One point Renae makes is that many members like to act as brand advocates, sharing their savings strategies with friends and families.

‘I think it talks to the community that our Accor Plus members have created. We have a big list of long-tenured members and there are even some that have been with us since the beginning, which is quite remarkable. Some people love to talk about their experiences… it’s a program that I think is sold best by the people who are getting the most out of it.’

Can Accor Plus stay on top in a competitive industry?

But she’s well aware of the risks that come with being complacent. I probe what plans Accor Plus has to evolve and stay competitive in the hotel membership space.

‘Particularly in this space, you have to keep innovating,’ she affirms. Members today seek more seamless digital interactions, and she acknowledges their desire for a balance between ‘immediate, tangible benefits’ and ‘being able to balance that with those exclusive experiences.’

‘Last year, we offered the Status Accelerator. Experiences will also continue to grow. This year, we’ll deliver over 300 different experiences across Asia Pacific – some points-burning and some paid – across travel, sport, exclusive opportunities and more. The other big area we’ll continue to look at is partnerships. We’ve already seen that finding the right partners resonates for our members, and is certainly part of our evolution.’

Renae also stresses the importance of strong communication, both within the company and with members. ‘We have to continue to listen to our members. I do get my team to help me in terms of understanding when members reach out to me, but I always follow up and check what we’ve done and whether we’ve resolved it.’

‘You have to be all in with loyalty and it has to be top-down. I’ve been very fortunate through my journey with Accor that we’ve always had extraordinary CEO-led importance on loyalty, and that’s what I think that’s what’s made Accor and Accor Plus so successful over such a long period of time.’

‘When you’re in a business where you’re asking over a thousand hotels to be able to deliver consistent benefits and recognise our members, it’s really important to make sure that all of our teams are part of the loyalty program so people understand what it means. They have to be in on it and see that the benefits are tangible to them, for them to deliver on it.’

Will Accor Plus grow out of Asia Pacific?

As it stands, just under one-fifth of Accor’s worldwide properties participate in Accor Plus. Notably, major markets in Europe and The Americas aren’t part of the program. So what’s in the pipeline for future developments?

Renae hints at an incoming expansion into underserved markets within and beyond the Asia Pacific region. ‘We’re here and we’ve got such a strong presence. There are probably some markets that we can lift our game in Asia Pacific,’ she observes.

‘But I also think there’s some opportunity outside of Asia Pacific. People are still travelling, even in the current cost-of-living circumstances. We want to make sure we can capture some of that.’

I unsuccessfully try to tease some hints out of her. ‘I can’t say anything yet,’ she laughs. ‘But we’re getting close. I think there’ll certainly be some regions that will be popular, put it that way.’

Looking ahead with Accor Plus

With the rapidly evolving competitive landscape of travel subscriptions, Renae expresses confidence that Accor Plus is well-positioned to lead. “We were ahead of our time,” she says, reflecting on the brand’s early approach to membership offerings. She agrees that there aren’t many other paid hotel loyalty programs around for now.

‘A lot have tried and come and gone. There are some in Asia, but not like the full-encompassing program that we have. But I think this is going to be a very hotly-contested space in the next few years because everyone is looking at subscriptions now. I definitely think there will be more travel subscriptions.’

Renae reaffirms her commitment to ensuring that Accor Plus remains a valuable choice for its members in the years to come. ‘We want it to continue to grow,’ she emphasizes.

‘We’re doing our very best to stay ahead of the curve.’