Jonathan Sheard has been appointed as Senior Vice President, Development at AccorHotels UK & Ireland. This is a new role that will see him leading the company’s strategic priorities to accelerate strong organic franchise growth, particularly for the Mercure and ibis Styles brands; proactively acquire new portfolios on a franchise and management basis; and actively seek out projects for development by HotelInvest.
In addition, Jonathan’s remit also includes support for major development deals in other countries within NER Region.
Jonathan has worked for AccorHotels since 1992, most recently as Senior Vice President for Luxury, Upscale and Midscale Brands, UK&I, responsible for the rapid growth of the Mercure brand, one of the largest midscale brands in the UK and it’s repositioning in this segment.
“Jonathan has held a number of key positions during his career at AccorHotels and has already contributed to the additional growth of our portfolio particularly in the Mercure brand which has significantly increased in the last two years,” says Thomas Dubaere, MD AccorHotels UK&I.
“The UK is a growing market and we have ambitious expansion plans to reach 40,000 rooms in the coming years. Jonathan’s skillset alongside the experienced team will be invaluable.”
Jonathan Sheard comments: “The UK is a thriving market for hotels at the moment and there is real development potential for AccorHotels. We will be actively seeking new portfolios in the economy and midscale segment as well as continuing to drive individual franchise and management contracts.
“I am excited about the prospect of driving that significant growth over the coming years with a strong team to support the additions to the AccorHotels portfolio.”