Accor appointed Kara Randall chief development officer for luxury brands in North America. The appointment took effect Oct. 1. The company issued the release on Monday, Oct. 5.
Randall leads the luxury development team in North America
Randall heads Accor's luxury development team in North America. She oversees development for Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, Emblems Collection and MGallery Collection. She reports directly to Agnès Roquefort, Accor's chief development officer of luxury and lifestyle. Roquefort leads development for the group's luxury and lifestyle brands.
The release states Randall joins Accor's Global Development Committee. She sits on that committee alongside the group's luxury and lifestyle development leaders. She also works with Edouard Schwob, senior vice president of global development for Raffles and Fairmont, to support continued growth of both brands.
She joins from Hilton's luxury development group
Randall most recently served as vice president of Hilton's luxury, residential and corporate development group for North America. In that role she supported Waldorf Astoria, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and LXR Hotels & Resorts. She spent 20 years at Hilton and held other leadership roles there, according to her LinkedIn profile. Earlier in her career she held leadership roles in Hilton's real estate asset management and owner relations group. The release credits Randall with more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, real estate and mixed-use development.
She is an inaugural member of Castell, a program that advances women in hospitality. She also serves on the board of the Center for Real Estate and Finance at Cornell School of Hotel Administration. She previously served on the school's Los Angeles alumni advisory board.
Roquefort cites development capability in the region
The release describes the appointment in the group's luxury and lifestyle development organization. Roquefort said Randall brings experience "delivering complex and high-value development projects" to Accor. She said the company looks to expand its luxury brands across North America strategically.
Roquefort said: "Kara will be a tremendous asset to Accor in North America, a strategic market for Accor's luxury brands." She said North America is home to some of Accor's most iconic luxury properties and flagship destinations, and she described the region as "one of the world's most important feeder markets for luxury travel." She said strengthening development capabilities in the region is essential to accelerating the growth and long-term success of the luxury portfolio.
Regional figures and brand activity
The Oct. 5 release carries Accor's figures for the region. Accor has approximately 150 hotels in North America. Its development pipeline in the region stands at 45 hotels representing more than 9,000 rooms.
Accor completed a comprehensive renovation of the U.S. flagship for its Sofitel brand in New York City last year. The company is expanding its Fairmont brand to New Orleans. The Louisiana hotel was initially slated to open in 2025. It is now expected to debut in November. Raffles opened its first North American location, Raffles Boston, in 2023.
Randall's own statement
Randall said: "Accor has built a solid reputation among the competitive North American hospitality market and its development capabilities have established the Group as a major player." She said she is "honored to join a team that is so forward-thinking and strongly positioned for the future."
What the announcement does not state
The release names no predecessor for the role, no team size, no effective date for a transition and no development targets for the luxury brands in North America. It names no other hires in the luxury development team.