Accor has appointed MeetingPackage as its exclusive global partner to automate group booking and meeting room bookings – the goal is to reduce the typical 48-hour response time to RFP and enable near-real-time bookings.
Group operations can account for 30% to 40% of business hotel net revenue, but manual workflows and legacy systems slow down conversions.
MeetingPackage’s Group and M&E central booking systems will be the core platform for managing inventory, pricing, content and availability. It will connect to Accor’s direct booking engine and third-party RFP platforms such as Cvent.
The platform supports real-time booking and pricing for group accommodation and meeting rooms. It also routes RFP from external sources to ACCOR selected sales and catering systems: Delphi, Oracle Osem, Ivvy, and Backyou.
Competitors also focus on hotel group booking strategies
The partnership reflects a larger shift in hotel group booking strategies. Earlier this year, IHG expanded its agreement with Groups360 to further deploy GroupSync Gaint, a direct online booking solution for group rooms and meeting spaces.
Meanwhile, Marriott International tests and expands its direct book capabilities through its M-Beta program and more widely utilizing Groups360’s GroupSync platform to enable small meetings. Marriott’s instant booking tool is available at over 1,500 hotels, allowing planners to book events with 10 to 25 rooms or up to 50 attendees in real time, four days to one year in advance.
In 2019, Groups360 received $50 million in investment in 2019, including ACCOR.
ACCOR extends Oracle integration for meetings and events
Accor also implements Oracle Opera Cloud sales and event management in its global portfolio to support its conference and event operations.
The platform will connect 2.5 million square meters of event space and connect 800,000 rooms in 5,600 hotels. Self-service tools will allow planners, guests and third-party organizers to browse and book venues, rooms and dining.
It is planned to launch a soft launch by the end of 2025 and is expected to be fully functional in early 2026.
“Hotels need to be able to maximize revenues from the growing demand for meetings and event space,” said Alex Alt, executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Consumer Industries. “Whether professional event planners are choosing from global options to people who want to host small events at local hotels, Oracle Cloud helps customers find and book the ideal venue from Accor’s broad portfolio.”
