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At this point, Accor has no shortage of lifestyle brands, and this one seems pretty par for the course. Still, the group has done a good job of tapping into a growing trend.

Accor has launched midscale lifestyle brand, Tribe, as the hotel group bulks up its portfolio of alternative accommodations in response to guest demand.

Tribe will consist of funky, stripped-down lodgings targeted at regular travelers in urban areas, with its first location in Perth, Australia, according to a press release Monday. The rooms are promising to be stylish and spacious, offering the basics like free coffee and under-bed storage, but not much else.

The hotel group acquired the brand from Australian hotel developers Mark and Melissa Peters, who founded it in 2017. The couple will remain owners of the original Perth location.

This comes on the heels of a rebrand, after Accor Group launched a new, sleeker logo in February. The group dropped “hotel” from its name, because it has “been doing so much more than hotels,” according to Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin. At the same time, the group started a new loyalty program, Accor Live Limitless, which will focus more on activities and entertainment than its previous loyalty program.

The location in Australia has 126 rooms, all of which have windows to the exterior, making the space feel larger, Accor said. It will offer creative co-working spaces, and an on-site cafe which turns into a bar at night. Bike rental and a fitness center will be available for a fee, and staff is reportedly be more informal than in a traditional hotel.

Ten other locations across Europe and Asia Pacific have been scheduled to open by 2022, Accor said in the press release.

“The pipeline of over 50 hotels is currently being negotiated for the coming years,” said Gaurav Bhushan, chief development officer at Accor, “including in gateway locations such as Paris, London, Singapore, Dubai, and Bangkok.” He added that Tribe would debut in 150 international destinations by 2030.

Accor is known for how frequently it acquires new brands. In 2018 alone, the hotel conglomerate acquired 14 brands, most of which added to its growing lifestyle portfolio, which it calls its “lifestyle ecosystem.” Overall, the group has roughly 4,800 hotels and 704,000 rooms in over 100 countries.

In 2017, the group launched a string of youth hostels called Joe&Joe, another original brand offering nontraditional accommodations.

“Never in its history had Accor opened as many hotels as in 2018,” said Accor’s Bhushan. “The Group also dramatically strengthened its position in the lifestyle sector. In a very short time, our teams have successfully assembled a strong and comprehensive brand portfolio in this market.”

Update: A previous version of the story did not mention that Accor acquired the original Tribe location from Australian hotel developers Mark and Melissa Peters. The story has been updated to include this information.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the name of the new Accor loyalty program. It is Accor Live Limitless. 

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Tags: accor

Photo credit: Accor launched Tribe Monday, a new midscale lifestyle brand, with its first location is in Perth, Australia. Accor

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