AccorHotels to launch new Jo&Joe brand with 50 sites
AccorHotels is to launch a new economy brand to appeal to millennials, which blends hotel, hostel and private-rental formats.
Fifty Jo&Joe venues are to open by 2020 in cities including London, Paris, Bordeaux, Warsaw, Budapest, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. All will be located centrally close to public transport hubs and less than 15 minutes from major points of interest.
The move is the laterst initiative from the French hotel giant to propel it head and shoulders above its global hotel competitors in the fight for a share of the disruptive accommodation market. AccorHotels has previously opened up its digital channels to independent hotels in a reaction against the increasing dominance of online travel agents, as well as acquiring a number of home rental sites including Onefinestay and a stake in Squarebreak and Oasis Collections.
Sébastien Bazin, chairman and chief executive of AccorHotels, said that the brief in the creation of Jo&Joe was to "break with tradition, forget old habits, be surprising, authentic and bring a breath of fresh air" to the company. "We have now more than met that challenge. Jo&Joe represents the very essence of hospitality: welcoming, exciting and beyond our guests' expectations," he explained.
Key touch points of the brand include:
A bar that enjoys high visibility from the street, which focuses on local and craft products
A restaurant that offers interaction and simple concept with a grill, open flame barbecue, wok or wood fire pizzas with a menu starting at €10 (£8.65).
A kitchen that guests can use to keep their budgets under control
A choice of sleeping arrangements: Together will be a modular, shared sleeping area with private lockers, reading lights and USB ports; Yours will offer rooms and apartments for two to five people with private bathroom, and, possibly, a kitchen; and OOO (Out of the Ordinary) will include unusual sleeping experiences in yurts, hammocks and caravans
Starting rates from €25 (£21.60)
The design of Jo&Joe has been created by British company Penson, which has previously worked for Goole, Jaguar Land Rover and Playstation, but has never worked on a hotel before.
AccorHotels buys home share company onefinestay >>
