Accor has formed a ¡°Masters of Travel¡± advisory board made up of 10 corporate clients to detail their priorities relating to the hospitality industry and define a ¡°vision¡± for the future in the new era of business travel.

The panel brings together clients from industries such as pharmaceuticals, entertainment, technology and finance along with a senior managerial team from Accor, including Sophie Hulgard, SVP of sales for Northern Europe, and Sabine Toplak, VP of corporate sales and telemarketing for Northern Europe. Clients come from a range of countries including the UK, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland.

According to Accor, the inaugural consultation identified environmental, social and corporate governance as a key focal point, with actionable outcomes agreed and used to implement strategic change on both the company and client sides. The advisory board will also share its findings, insights and actions with the wider industry as these take shape.

The board will hold its first virtual meeting on Wednesday, 6 October, while subsequent meetings will be held annually with the aim of taking place face-to-face.

Hulgard commented: ¡°We at Accor recognise an industry need to open dialogue with clients and provide unique solutions tailored to unique priorities. The ¡®Masters of Travel¡¯ advisory board will revolutionise the way we¡¯re able to do this by opening interactive conversations with a wide range of decision makers from across Europe to drive positive, tangible and targeted change. It will allow us to better embrace market trends as they emerge and anticipate those to come, working collaboratively with leaders from multiple sectors. It will enable us to lead the industry by example, build back better and shape the future of hospitality.¡±