Accor launches Adagio aparthotels brand into UK
French hotel group Accor has officially confirmed the launch the Aparthotels Adagio brand into the UK, with the opening of a property in Liverpool.
Thomas Dubaere, managing director of Accor in the UK & Ireland, told Caterer and Hotelkeeper in January that the upper-midscale brand, focused on guests staying for between four and 90 days, would be set to enter the UK.
"Adagio is mainly in Europe," he said. "There is the potential for 10 to 15 Adagios to open in city centres across the UK."
The 126-apartment Adagio Liverpool will open this week as part of the £26m development of the former Lewis's department store in the city centre. Offering studios and one-bedroom apartments, the aparthotel provides fully-fitted kitchen and hotel services, including a 24/7 reception, free internet access and housekeeping facilities.
Adagio is as a joint-venture partnership between Accor and Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs, which currently has more than 10,000 apartments in 90 properties across six European countries, with new openings planned for Abu Dhabi and Brazil later in the year. Future Adagios in the UK are planned for Birmingham, London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow.
Vangelis Porikis, director, Aparthotels Adagio, Central & Northern Europe, said that the UK would be a key market for the future growth of the brand.
"The Liverpool opening is particularly exciting as we open in the iconic Grade II-listed Lewis Building in the heart of the city," he said.
"Liverpool is an internationally renowned city of business and leisure, with investment and opportunities flooding into the city since its transformation as 2008 Capital of Culture. The continued development in the region provides an interesting demand for both corporate and leisure clients from the UK and around the world."
Adagio is the third Accor brand to launch in the UK in the past two years, following the opening of MGallery and Pullman properties. Aparthotels Adagio aims to grow to 150 properties by 2016.
The Caterer and Hotelkeeper Interview - Thomas Dubaere >>
