Articles tagged “orient express”

Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, said on Tuesday that Omer Acar will head its brands Raffles & Orient Express as of March 1. Acar will join Accor's other brand CEOs…

Christmas comes early for Accor, which announced its first Orient-Express Hotel in Bangkok, a 154-room property that was originally meant to be an Edition hotel. But there is still much for Accor to do as luxury players find the old new brand "confusing."

Shareholders are no doubt elated, but luxury travelers are concerned. They don't want Belmond to become another Ritz-Carlton, and get folded into another mega-hospitality giant.

While part of the goal of Belmond's new branding campaign is to establish itself as an entity apart from its former Orient Express moniker, we wonder if the images it presents may be just a little too reminiscent of its former self.

While some of the deals done by AccorHotels have raised eyebrows, this one seems like a good strategic fit. The Orient Express brand is known the world over and will give AccorHotels a greater presence in the luxury space.

The new Belmond brand allows the hospitality and travel group to better seek out new management partnerships and expand the customer base to younger demographics.

It's a beautiful world (Belmond), and a curious one, as Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. is discarding its iconic -- albeit licensed -- brand, and is rebranding its portfolio of hotels, river cruises, rail lines, safaris and restaurants.

Orient-Express Hotels may one day feel some seller's remorse in not taking the Indian Hotels merger offer as it would have meant a 43 percent premium on its recent stock price.

The latest rejection from Orient-Express doesn't mean it won't get bought; it could just be a way to bid up the price.

If the takeover is successful, Taj's iconic branding and luxury reputation will surely only help Orient's properties.