Accor announced it is collaborating with Microsoft to launch “All Connect,” a new hybrid meetings concept supported by Microsoft Teams. This new concept will enable guests around the world to adapt to the new ways of working that are expected to be an enduring legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, 55 percent of Accor hotels with meeting rooms are already providing hybrid meetings solutions to their clients, the company says. Launching in April 2021, the new “All Connect” concept is part of Accor’s target is to achieve 100 percent of its hotels with meeting rooms in compliance with the group’s new standard for hybrid meetings by 2022 across all brands, from economy to ultra-luxury worldwide.
Research by Accor shows that 50 percent of physical meetings planned by the company’s meetings and events customers in 2021 will switch to virtual formats, and that 70 percent of respondents see hybrid meetings as an important service in the future. Further, sector analysis, according to Accor, shows that the trend towards remote events and meetings is likely to endure beyond the pandemic even as corporate budgets return to pre-COVID levels.
By combining the brands and service culture of Accor with the meetings and collaboration technology of Teams, this new offering will enable corporate customers and meeting planners to combine physical in-hotel meetings with virtual interactions across multiple locations simultaneously. For hotels not already equipped for hybrid meetings, the new offering will allow attendees to connect and engage virtually on the Microsoft Teams platform. In select Accor meeting spaces, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2S will connect people on-site, to those joining remotely with industry leading audio and video device experiences. People can present content and see virtual participants as if they were in the same room. With this solution, Accor guests and their meeting attendees can come together through professional, inclusive meeting experiences, from wherever they are.
The concept will focus primarily on small meetings (eight to 50 physical participants), though options are also available for larger meetings and events.
For information about Accor’s health and safety measures, visit www.allmeetwell.com.
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