Accor brand Sofitel has 120 properties in nearly 40 countries, but that totally is currently severely under-represented in the Americas — particularly in the United States.That’s where Dominique Colliat comes in.

　　Accor brand Sofitel has 120 properties in nearly 40 countries, but that totally is currently severely under-represented in the Americas — particularly in the United States.

         That’s where Dominique Colliat comes in. After working on repositioning the Sofitel brand starting in 2006 and being promoted to a newly created role as senior vice president of operations for the brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2009, Colliat recently moved to New York City to serve in a similar role for the Americas. Colliat knows this region is a critical frontier for Sofitel, and she recently sat down with HOTELS to discuss the brand’s aggressive plans for the Americas as well as Sofitel’s broader evolution.

       HOTELS: How would you describe your new role as SVP of operations for the Americas to your most recent role for the brand in EMEA?

　　Dominique Colliat: My challenge today is totally different. In my previous region I had 55 hotels, and the goal was to make sure we were consistent in terms of quality of service and to increase brand awareness, and we did it. In the U.S., we have eight properties, and we have nine in Latin America and Canada [combined].

　　Really, the main goal for me is to increase the number of hotels in this region, to increase the presence of Sofitel in the big cities in North and Latin America. In Sofitel, we have three brands — Sofitel, which is the core brand; Sofitel Legend, such as the Metropole in Hanoi; and So, which are trendy, boutique, design hotels. I really believe this brand is going to be expanded very quickly in Latin America and North America. In Latin America, we are going to rebrand the Caesar Park in Rio de Janeiro Ipanema as Sofitel So as soon as we renovate the hotel. So that will be the first one in the region. I really believe this will lead the development of Sofitel So in Latin America and North America. I can see very quickly Sofitel So in Miami, in New York, in the region of L.A.

　　HOTELS: Is it fair to say So is your main focus in this region?

　　Colliat: I feel So is going to be more requested by potential investors. This is the type of hotel young clientele like. We are going to open Sofitel So in Singapore at the end of the year with Karl Lagerfeld, and last year we opened Sofitel So Bangkok with Christian Lacroix and Sofitel So Mauritius with Kenzo Takada. We are waiting for the confirmation of somebody very well known for Ipanema.