Accor will deploy its wholly owned D-Edge Hospitality Solutions subsidiary as its central reservation system (CRS) for the hotel firm’s 5,300 properties across the world.
France-based Accor, which owns brands such as Ibis, Mercure, Fairmont and Sofitel, created D-Edge in 2019 by combining two prior acquisitions: digital marketing tool Fastbooking and hotel technology provider Availpro.
In January 2020, Accor announced plans to work with Sabre to develop a unified CRS and property management system. But last year Accor’s CEO Sebastien Bazin cited the Covid-19 pandemic when announcing the decision not to continue this partnership with Sabre.
Accor Group chief operating officer Patrick Mendes called the D-Edge deployment “especially important as our industry is currently facing a significant staffing shortage, making easy and quick product adoption critical to business efficiency”.
Floor Bleeker, Accor’s group chief technology officer, added: “We want to provide our hotels with a future-proof, agile and user-friendly platform.
“We trust that the D-Edge CRS, into which Accor is investing significantly, is the best choice to support their growth and provide them with the necessary agility required to adapt to fast-changing environments.”
Accor has also introduced a new offer for small meetings and events. The flexible offer allows free cancellation up to 14 days in advance of meetings for up to 30 people. It applies for bookings made until 30 June 2022 for meetings taking place up to 31 August 2022.
The move comes after Accor published a study earlier this year showing how important flexibility will be for meeting bookers during 2022.