French hotel giant AccorHotels has been boosted by “very brisk” sales in the UK following the fall in the value of the pound.
The company saw UK revenue rise by 9.2% for the first three months of 2017 compared to the same period last year, with the drop in the pound encouraging British customers to “favour local destinations” and also attracting customers from outside the UK.
AccorHotels’s overall revenue for the quarter went up by 35.4% to €425 million year-on-year as the company benefited from its acquisitions of the Raffles, Fairmont, Swissotel and onefinestay brands. Revenue rose by 7.4% on a like-for-like basis.
“In London, there was a marked recovery in the leisure segment - both local and international - with a very pronounced increase in travellers coming from Asia and North America,” said Accor in its results release. “At the same time, the business travel segment remained very solid.”
Chief executive Sebastien Bazin added that there had been “a favourable environment for the hotel industry” in most regions around the world.
“This is particularly the case in our three main markets, France, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region,” said Bazin. “The new businesses also performed well, thanks in part to the support of AccorHotels.
“At the same time, the group further entrenched its growth, its move into new businesses and its leadership in the luxury segment through numerous value creating acquisitions.”