Accor and Hard Rock International sign global loyalty and development partnership

Accor and Hard Rock International have agreed a global strategic partnership covering loyalty, distribution and international development, Hard Rock International said in a release issued from Hollywood, Florida. The deal is subject to the transaction closing.

Under the agreement, hotels in the Hard Rock portfolio, including Hard Rock Hotels, Reverb by Hard Rock, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos and Hard Rock Hotel & Residences, will have the option to join the ALL Accor distribution and loyalty platform, which the release says has more than 125 million members. Accor will connect participating hotels to its global sales and distribution network, while Hard Rock keeps running its own direct marketing and distribution channels.

The two loyalty programmes, ALL Accor and Unity by Hard Rock, will offer reciprocal benefits, including point conversion and status matching. According to the release, guests can already experience the partnership's benefits at Hard Rock Hotel New York.

Ennismore, the lifestyle company in which Accor holds a majority stake, will become the primary driver of Hard Rock's hotel development globally, with Hard Rock joining as a partner brand. Led by Ennismore and the wider Accor development team, the group plans to grow the brand across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, entering some markets for the first time. Ennismore will also provide operational support.

Hard Rock's Jim Allen said the partnership would "introduce Hard Rock to exciting new destinations around the world". Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin called it "a powerful demonstration of the strength, scale and global reach of ALL Accor" and said it offered the chance to accelerate Hard Rock Hotels' global expansion.