Accor, the French multinational hospitality company behind brands like Orient Express, Raffles, and Fairmont, just launched the Emblems Collection of luxury hotels.
The launch was marked by the reveal of the new brand’s flagship hotel, now called Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Emblems Collection, a beloved country estate with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Wiltshire, England. Though the property dates back to 1720 and has been operating as a hotel since the late 1980s, it officially joined Emblems Collection in November 2025 with subtle new branding. There will be six additional Emblems coming over the next two years across Europe and the Americas. Some will be new builds and some will be acquisitions of existing properties, like Lucknam Park.
Accor
The outdoor pool at the Lucknam Park, Emblems Collection.
In 2026, travelers can look forward to (in chronological order) the debut of the fully renovated, 333-room Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, in the snow-dusted Canadian Rockies; the transformed 60-room Masseria Furnirussi, Emblems Collection, set within the largest fig orchard in Europe, in Puglia, Italy; and the all-new Palazzo Sozzini Malavolti, Emblems Collection, a frescoed palace, just steps from Siena, Italy’s Piazza del Campo.
Paris-based Accor is one of the world’s largest hospitality operators and has more than 45 brands divided into “hard brands” and “collection brands.” Hard brands, like Accor’s Orient Express and Raffles (considered the most luxurious Accor offering), adhere to strict and standardized guidelines. A Raffles will always feel like a Raffles. In contrast, collection brands, like Accor’s MGallery and Handwritten Collection, are groups of hotels, each typically independently owned and with its own identity, while still benefiting from Accor’s loyalty programs and reach.
As the name suggests, Emblems Collection is a collection brand. “Collection brands are allowing more flexibility, and [hotel] owners are looking for this kind of flexibility, because sometimes they don’t want to change to a very specific identity,” says Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery, and Emblems Collection.
She sees Emblems as a more luxurious version of MGallery—Accor’s collection of boutique-style hotels—with larger rooms and more suites. She also notes, “You may stay in an MGallery to visit the city around it. At an Emblem Collection property, the hotel is the destination.”
The Emblem hotels will each have signatures that vary by location. One such element is an ‘emblematic ingredient’ to provide the literal flavor of each hotel. “The idea is to have something that is truly symbolic and attached to the destination because it’s about the uniqueness of the property,” says Bailly. “So, for our Emblems based in the Dolomites in Italy, we will use mountain herbs. And for our Puglia property in Italy, it’s going to be all about the fig because it’s located in the middle of a stunning, beautiful fig orchard.”
At Lucknam Park, the emblematic ingredient is the crisp red Wiltshire apple, which you’ll find displayed around the hotel, worked into a welcome drink, and inspiring dishes in the hotel’s restaurants. Other signatures will include emblematic literature, a small book of destination-specific readings. “It’s all about celebrating time and space,” says Bailly. “So, we crafted a selection of bespoke columns and novel extracts to build an anthology for each property.” At Lucknam Park, this booklet includes poem extracts from Edward Thomas, an English poet with connections to the Wiltshire countryside, and a passage from Kazuo Ishiguro’s historical novel “The Remains of the Day,” which takes place in a fictional stately home (Wiltshire was also a filming location for the film adaptation).
The Emblems brand is already growing quickly, and Bailly’s goal is to amass up to 60 properties worldwide by 2035. Europe is the main focus at the moment, but Bailly expects growth in Asia and the Americas. All Emblems properties will be part of the ALL – Accor Live Limitless loyalty program.
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