Accor CEO in Brazil and South America, Thomas Dubaere spoke about soccer, Brazil and family
An encounter more of relationship than of work. This was the agenda dictated by the communication team of the Accor network in the invitation this Tuesday (6) for a talk in one of its units, Pullman São Paulo Ibirapuera.
In a frankly informal American format, the relationship dinner was attended by the company's CEO for (until then) Brazil and South America, Thomas Dubaere and several Accor executives.
Without protocols or master of ceremonies, Dubaere spoke about the World Cup, the performance of his Belgian team in the FIFA tournament (which did not advance to the round of 16), the pleasure of living with his family in Brazil and the great relationship with press. “In some countries I speak only when it is strictly necessary. Here there is more spontaneity, lightness, ”he summed up.
“This meeting is to reveal that the year 2022 will be the best year for Accor in Brazil, even after two years of Covid. It is a pleasure to reveal this, ”he told the guests. Without disclosing specific figures, Thomas said the first four months of the year were a bit rough, but in the last eight months all revenue and targets have been achieved.
"We opened 21 hotels and for the first time, in addition to budget hotels, we opened hotels, lifestyle hotels like Jo&Joy in Rio de Janeiro and Jo&Joy in Colombia," he recalled, adding that by 2023 the idea is to exceed these figures.
Heart
In his brief and objective speech, Dubaere recalled that above numbers, brands and flags are people, the Heartists, as network employees are affectionately called. “But at the end of the day, the most important thing is the maintenance and return of our equipment. Around 85% of these heartists returned to our hotels. They are more important than anything,” Thomas said.
Americas
Thomas told reporters present firsthand that from January 1 Accor's hub in Brazil, which also had South America under its umbrella, will take over the hotels in Central and North America.
Unification
Thomas took over as general director of Accor América do Sul in October 2020 and guarantees that this decision by the hotel group was not considered there, before his arrival. “This new reorganization was decided 8-10 months ago. It is a new stage of our work, more than challenging, complex, but our team is ready, ”he said.
According to him, the reason for this reorganization is so that each division (Luxury, Lifestyle, Executive and Economy) has a focus on its specific brands.
According to company figures, Accor currently has 424 hotels in South America, 339 in Brazil and 85 in Hispanic countries. The group has more than 40 luxury, premium, midscale and budget hotel brands.
Source: Diario do turismo