Accor has successfully hosted the third edition of its Global Leadership Council (GLC), bringing together senior travel buyers and corporate leaders from 18 organizations from across Europe and North America to identify the key trends set to shape hospitality performance in 2026 and beyond.
The forum brings together Accor executives and leading global corporate clients to work as strategic partners, discussing the evolving business travel landscape and co-constructing the priorities and solutions that will shape the future of corporate hospitality.
This year's discussions highlighted a growing need for greater visibility and control of managed hotel programs, more integrated travel ecosystems, and the increasing role of loyalty and technology as commercial drivers. Together, these shifts point towards a more connected, data-led and performance-driven approach to corporate travel.
Against this backdrop, Council delegates unanimously agreed that the following are the most important trends driving hospitality performance in 2026:
- Creating Greater Value Through Strategic Partnership: Collaborative, transparent relationships between clients and hotel suppliers continue to drive stronger alignment, mutual value, and long-term success beyond traditional rate negotiations.
- Cost Pressure Balanced with Traveler Experience: While cost remains a dominant concern, clients increasingly prioritize traveler well-being and a comfortable, personalized experience as an opportunity to recognize travelers and improve talent retention.
- AI's Practical Application for Efficiency: Clients are moving beyond AI experimentation, seeking practical applications to streamline operational problems, and improve traveler experience during the booking process – moving towards conversational interactions across all platforms.
- Optimized Value & Competitive Pricing Structures: Clients seek a pricing framework that is agile and responsive to local market dynamics, ensuring optimal value delivery and sustained competitiveness across diverse geographies.
- Driving Greater Rate Availability & Visibility: Support process enhancements and stakeholder collaboration drive additional opportunities to improve the consistency and accessibility of negotiated rates across booking channels.
Julien Houdebine, Chief Sales & Revenue Officer at Accor, said: "The Global Leadership Council highlighted how forums and knowledge sharing are becoming increasingly valuable. It is a space to challenge assumptions, align at scale and tackle real commercial questions shaping our sector. We are no longer just talking about growth. We are talking about how value is created across the ecosystem, and what it takes to capture it."
The Council was opened by Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin and brought together senior Accor executives and brand leaders for two days of discussions focused on the future of business travel. The insights from the third edition of the Global Leadership Council will directly inform Accor's corporate travel strategy, with a comprehensive report to be released later this year.
