André Sena, from Accor Americas, details the progress of ALL Accor, its leadership in corporate sales, and its strategy involving AI and celebrities

A commercial leadership that integrates sales, marketing, and experience. After seven years with the company, André Sena now holds the position of Chief Commercial Officer of Accor Americas, leading the areas of sales, marketing, revenue management, loyalty, and customer experience from Canada to Uruguay.

Before joining Accor, she built a career in aviation and the telecommunications sector. "Today I oversee all commercial and customer areas here in the region," she says, summarizing the scope of her work.

How each region of the Americas consumes the hotel industry.

When analyzing consumer behavior in the Americas, Sena avoids simplistic generalizations. According to him, the North American market is predominantly domestic, but at the same time the largest source of travelers in the world.

“It’s difficult to say that one type of demand dominates. There are absolutely all types of demand within the American market,” he explains. There is room for resorts, corporate capital, inland destinations, and leisure.

In South America, the scenario is also diverse. Brazil, for example, has more than 90% of its travel flow concentrated in the domestic market. Countries like Colombia and Peru, on the other hand, have a greater international participation.

The profile changes depending on the destination. Lima has a strong corporate and gastronomic presence, while Cusco is essentially leisure tourism. Santiago differs from Chilean Patagonia. Capital cities concentrate on business; destinations like the Caribbean and Northeast Brazil are driven by leisure tourism.

In the Caribbean, the corporate world is practically nonexistent. "There, we're talking about 95% resorts," he says. Mexico brings together both worlds: cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey are corporate-oriented, while Cancún and Tulum follow the resort model, with a strong presence of all-inclusive options.

Strategic relationship with agents and operators

Accor maintains close relationships with major corporate agencies and invests in ongoing training. "We conduct a lot of training to explain the differences between our products," says Sena.

In the leisure sector, the strategy includes major distributors and operators. A prime example was the unprecedented partnership with CVC, which allowed customers who book hotels from the chain through the operator to accumulate benefits from the loyalty program.

ALL Accor as a pillar of differentiation.

The loyalty program has over 100 million members worldwide and 17 million in the Americas region. Half of that base is in Brazil.

According to Sena, ALL Accor is a decisive factor in choosing a hotel. "Customers who are part of this program are increasingly choosing to stay at our hotels because of the loyalty program."

Among the recent initiatives is the partnership with Azul, allowing cross-accumulation of points between the two programs. Even if the customer does not stay at the hotel, by flying with the airline they accumulate points in ALL Accor, and vice versa.

Another highlight is the growth of the program's subscription club. "Last year, we grew this Subscription Club by seven thousand percent compared to the previous year," he reveals.

Leadership in corporate sales

Accor's commercial strength is also reflected in the numbers. According to data from Abracorp, 38% of corporate sales by hotel chains in Brazil belong to Accor.

In the Hispanic countries of the region, the company also expanded its market share, consolidating its presence beyond the Brazilian market.

Revenue Management with artificial intelligence

Digital transformation heavily relies on revenue management. In 2022, less than 15% of managed hotels used a structured Revenue Management system. Today, 100% of managed hotels in Brazil operate with IDeaS software.

"It's the best provider in the world, best in class, the Ferrari of global revenue management," says Sena.

In the region, more than 70% of total revenue is already covered by the system, which uses artificial intelligence to cross-reference historical data, search behavior, and market signals in price determination.

The advancement of digital technology and the partnership with AI.

The digital channel has become the network's main means of direct sales in the region, with rapid growth of the app. One in three digital sales now occurs via the app.

Another new feature is Accor's integration with ChatGPT, allowing customers to search for and even book accommodations through conversational interaction. "We are one of the preferred partners and one of the first to develop this globally," says Sena.

Behavioral trends and new experiences

To understand the contemporary traveler, Accor conducted a global study with Globetrender, mapping eight major behaviors and feelings that influence travel decisions, such as the search for enchantment, nostalgia, connection, surprise, and prestige.

“We work much more with attitudinal research,” explains Sena, highlighting that marketing and experience strategies are designed based on these behaviors and not just on age group or income.

Glamour, influence, and brand strategy

When discussing the world of glamour and celebrity presence in the chain's hotels, Sena gives space to those who directly lead this front. Roberta Vernaglia, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Digital Strategy at Accor Americas – Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, explains that working with influencers is planned and is part of the brands' positioning.

“Celebrities have a much more effective reach and communication. So, yes, of course that's part of our communication plan.”

According to Vernaglia, it's not just about spontaneous exposure. "It's not just spontaneous, it's a real partnership." For the executive, in a business driven by experience, having personalities experiencing and sharing hospitality enhances the connection with different audiences and strengthens the value of the group's brands, in initiatives that can be long-term or one-off, depending on the strategic objective.

The power of brands in the consumer's imagination.

In the brand field, Accor consistently enjoys recognition. Mercure and Novotel lead in brand recall in their segments, while ibis maintains a dominant position in the economy segment.

The ibis brand, in fact, was recognized in the international ranking World's Best Brands, consolidating its strength with the Brazilian consumer.

By integrating technology, loyalty, sales force, and brand strategy, André Sena designs an operation that combines scale, sophistication, and data intelligence — elements that position Accor as a leading player in the South American hotel industry.

Reporting and photo: Mary de Aquino.