French hotel group Accor has signed its first Handwritten Collection hotel in Croatia. The 135 year old Continental Hotel, on the Croatian coast, will relaunch under the brand in 2026.
The historic hotel is in Rijeka, with its own distinctive feel born of its location and architecture. It will remain operated by the Jadran hotel group, a leading business in the town and the region.
A fast growing brand
Handwritten was launched by Accor in early 2022, as an addition to the group’s brand portfolio that would pull together a portfolio of charming independent hotels, offering an intimate hospitality experience. In common with collection brands from other hotel groups, it enables owners of smaller, more quirky hotels to benefit from the marketing muscle of a larger, international player, without the need to redecorate their properties to meet demanding or restrictive brand standards.
Currently, the Handwritten Collection features 17 hotels across 11 countries, including Australia, China, Estonia, France and Poland. There are more than 25 signed to the pipeline, and discussions are ongoing with up to 150 projects being considered for the brand. Accor has set out its intention to grow Handwritten to 250 hotels globally by 2030.
The brand is looking not just to gateway cities, but to interesting destinations, as it adds new hotels. In October 2024, the Handwritten Collection opened its first hotel in Cyprus. The Classic Hotel in Nicosia joined the brand, offering guests a stay in one of 54 rooms in the heart of the city, close to the historic and cultural attractions of the capital.
There are several other European hotels set to join Handwritten Collection, including the MUZE Hotel in Dusseldorf, the Adorn Tirana in Albania, the 197 room Handwritten Collection Batumi and Tecadra Bucharest Hotel, which will open in 2025.
Also recently joining the brand has been the Hotel Woolstore 1888 Sydney. The hotel has converted to Handwritten Collection after a modest refurbishment that saw the boutique hotel in the city’s Darling Harbour district close for several months. Guests staying in its 90 rooms will enjoy interiors combining industrial chic with modern technological touches.
Middle Eastern expansion
Among the pipeline properties is the first Handwritten Collection for Saudi Arabia. The Handwritten Collection Al Baha is a result of a partnership between Accor and Al Hilali Trading and Contracting Company, whose hotel will open in 2027 on the outskirts of Al Baha City, close to the country’s Red Sea coast. As well as 148 rooms, the hotel will feature banqueting spaces, and a ballroom.
It will be preceded by the 502 room Handwritten Singapore Waterloo, opening in late 2025. The hotel will be the brand’s second in Singapore, joining the Hotel Faber Park Singapore – Handwritten Collection which launched in late 2023.
