Northstar

FEATURE | COVER STORY 20 NOV-DEC 2017 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com ACCORHOTELS One company that is doing particularly well is AccorHotels, which is reflected across its entire portfolio of properties. "We see an increase in demand from our key international markets in the incentive segment and we are enjoying the trend that sees our major corporate markets spending more on events than on traditional marketing and advertising," said Kerry Healy, VP of Sales, Asia Pacific, AccorHotels. Ibis hotels, one of the company's brands, is increasingly including meeting rooms when opening new properties due to demand from customers looking for affordable meeting options. Those looking for more luxurious venues for events can look to the brand's Sofitel and Pullman properties. When it comes to quantifying success, AccorHotels can point to the opening of its 800th property in Asia Pacific. And in keeping with demand from consumers, the 223-room Sofitel Singapore City Centre offers nearly 2,000 square metres of meeting space across 10 flexible venues including the 600 sqm Wallich Ballroom. While Sofitel is a firm favourite for upscale meetings, newer AccorHotels brands such as Pullman are also targeting the events sector. "Our Pullman brand, though relatively young, is particularly well placed for meeting and events and with T he hotel sector in Asia Pacific (APAC) has experienced robust growth in recent years, led by China, and with hundreds of new hotels come lots of new event venues to cater to the region's burgeoning MICE sector. With the industry not expected to slow down anytime soon, the world's top brands are rushing to keep up with demand. According to STR's June 2017 Pipeline Report, there is an inventory of 612,210 rooms in 2,767 hotel projects under contract in Asia Pacific. This represents a 6.2% increase in rooms under contract compared with that of June 2016. Asia Pacific had 270,976 rooms in 1,183 projects under construction for the month. Based on room inventory, that is an 8.5% increase in year-over-year comparison. "We see an increase in demand from our key international markets in the incentive segment..." – KERRY HEALY, VP OF SALES, ASIA PACIFIC, ACCORHOTELS 37 hotels scheduled to open over the next five years in this region, and adding to our existing 68 Pullman properties, we expect significant growth from this segment and are focused heavily on developing the positioning of this brand with our meeting and event customers," said Healy. Top and above: Sofitel Singapore City Centre's MICE foyer and brunch decadence at Racines

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