Heather McCrory talks growth and female leadership with Accor in the Americas [Construction Report]

by Sorcha O'Higgins | 28 Oct 2019 | News

Heather McCrory, CEO at Accor Americas. (Photo: Accor)

Heather McCrory, CEO of Central and North America at Accor, attended the recent Lodging Conference, where she was presented with an award for women in leadership in the hospitality industry.

We find out what she had to say about Accor’s growth strategy in the Americas.

A whole new world of brands for Accor

Heather McCrory almost didn’t have enough fingers to list out the incredible amount of brands Accor now has under its belt. While she was at The Lodging Conference, she spoke about all the new brands Accor is planning on introducing into the Americas.

She said the outlook in the US and North America for the French hotel group was very good, with lots of growth planned in the coming years, the majority of which is to be concentrated in the luxury and lifestyle segments.

Ms McCrory gave particular attention to the addition of 21c Museum Hotels, which are a great fit for Accor’s lifestyle portfolio, and have been listed under Accor’s M Gallery brand.

Brand integration

Given the number of new brands Accor is taking on, it is now imperative that these brands be integrated under Accor’s umbrella, McCrory said.

She mentioned several important openings which will be happening over the next year and a half, including the Sofitel Mexico Reforma, Sofitel’s first opening in North America in a decade, two SO hotels in Cuba and Cabo and a new Fairmont property. “Integrating those hotels into our current portfolio is what we’re really focused on,” she said.

Women in leadership

Upon accepting her award for women in leadership positions in the hospitality industry, McCrory said Accor is looking very closely at gender equality within the group and is aiming for a 50/50 split in all areas of the organisation.

“We have to have more women on the slate,” she said. “Hire the best person, whoever that may be, but right now we don’t have an equal number of women on the slate. I ask all of you to take a little time in your organizations to have a look at that,” Ms McCrory concluded.

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