An Insider’s Perspective on AccorHotels’ Wide-Ranging M&A Strategy
Photo Credit: The 25hours Hotel in Zurich West is pictured in this promotional photo. In late 2016, AccorHotels announced it was taking a 30 percent stake in 25hours Hotels with a plan to speed up a global expansion. 25hours Hotel Zurich West
Skift Take
By the time we publish this, we wouldn't be surprised if AccorHotels has already purchased or invested in another business.
If there's one thing AccorHotels has gained a reputation for in recent years, it's buying nearly anything and everything in sight.
That might be a bit of an overstatement, but in the past four years alone, AccorHotels has bought or invested in nearly 20 different businesses, ranging from restaurant reservations platforms and concierge services to luxury hotel brands.
In those four years, the global hospitality company has gone from being what CEO Sebastien Bazin described as "a big sleeping giant" to a "first mover" that isn't afraid to take risks when it comes to their investments and acquisitions.
Bazin explained his own thinking behind AccorHotels' investments in various businesses, especially startups, when he spoke at the Skift Forum Europe in Berlin in April.
"We've made 12 to 17 investments (in startups) and I really believe that 20 percent of them will not work," Bazin said. "It might be the wrong equilibrium on the team, or the wrong idea, or it may be too late. Tw
