Accor partners with LVMH to fast-track Orient Express growth
14 June 2024
Accor and LVMH have signed a partnership to accelerate the development of the legendary Orient Express brand which Accor acquired in 2022.
In the latest revival impetus, Orient Express will be charting new iconic ventures for trains, hotels and sailing ships with the exacting standards it is renowned for. A LVMH statement said the renaissance of an historic train and the launch of the first Orient Express sailing ship in 2026 are the next steps. This will coincide with the opening of the first Orient Express in Rome and Venice in 2016, which Accor had previously announced.
Under the agreement, LVMH is joining Accor in investing in the Orient Express brand, in the company that will operate the future hotels and trains, and in the entity that will own the two sailing ships. The first ship is currently under construction at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, France, and the two groups will continue to search for a third partner for this new venture.
The partnership will benefit from LVMH’s expertise in delivering high-quality products and services. In the travel world, LVMH said this is illustrated by the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train and the five other trains operated by Belmond, which is owned by LVMH since 2019.
Accor, under chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin, has amassed a leading collection of luxury brands, and boasts a global loyalty and distribution in travel and tourism.
Bernard Arnault, LVMH group chairman and CEO, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Accor to accelerate the renewal of this travel icon. Each of our groups will bring the best of its expertise to take Orient Express to the pinnacle of the art of hospitality.”
Bazin said, “With LVMH today, we are opening a new chapter in this exciting journey, with the ambition of exploring new horizons and embodying the audacity and creative passion that drive our groups. We’re delighted to enlist LVMH’s rare expertise to continue pushing further the frontiers of this legend and bringing its embodiment to life in an ever more singular way.”