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Open hOuse Accor ’ s Jo & Joe brAnd distills the millenniAl trip .
By BarBara Bohn , managing editor
Hotels are about beds ( and the heads in them ). But Accor- Hotels ’ new Jo & Joe brand is reconsidering the spaces that those beds – and heads – occupy . “ We are selling beds and not rooms anymore ,” says Frédéric Fontaine , senior vice president of Accor ’ s marketing and innovation lab , where the brand
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was shaped . Is Jo & Joe a hostel or a hotel ? Neither , he says . “ We call it an open house , internally .”
The brand , which will launch in Paris and Bordeaux in 2018 , also has a generous helping of Airbnb home rental . Public spaces – restaurant , bar , meeting areas – invite “ townsters ” in for a meal , drink or activity , while “ tripsters ,” or guests , have access to all that and a Happy House where they can cook meals and do laundry .
a six-person room
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Room spaces are adaptable for groups or singles , who might utilize a dormitory or the “ pizza bed ,” a big circular chaise , if they feel social or rent a budget-level pod that converts from sofa to private space ( with a projector for a mobile device ) if they don ’ t . Pairs and families have room options , as do “ tribes ” that are connected but may not be related or romantically linked .
It ’ s all aimed squarely at millennials – younger ones on a budget who don ’ t mind sharing a bathroom and can get an economical meal for about € 10 , and older ones with families who may eventually convert to a traditional Accor brand , Fontaine says . The concept was tested at Ibises in Warsaw and Rio de Janeiro and aims for 50 locations by
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2020 in Europe , Latin and North America and some cities in Asia .
The fulcrum for visitors , locals and employees is an app connecting the three communities , says Pascal Locatelli , SVP of marketing innovation and project . “ It ’ s more about the experience ,” he says . As well , townsters will be consulted via social media on the cost-conscious design and social priorities of each location . “ We want the community to be part of the programming ,” Fontaine says – they may drop by the bar but return to pick up local produce or for a yoga class .
Is it a risk to focus on an age group that cuts such a wide swath ? “ We are going to requestion ourselves almost on a daily basis to adapt to the travelers ,” Fontaine says .
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14 hotelsmag . com December 2016 |