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Accor had renamed itself AccorHotels in 2015. Four years later it reversed course. The group now owned more than 30 hotel brands and wanted to sell what it called augmented hospitality, anticipating guests' needs and wishes well beyond a room for the night, which a name with hotels in it no longer described.

Brandimage worked with the group on a two-part strategy, according to Stratégies and L'ADN. First, premiumisation: the name returned to Accor, with a new logo in the form of an elegant blue and gold monogram meant to place the group in the world of luxury. Second, the loyalty scheme became ALL, Accor Live Limitless, an integrated platform for rewards, services and experiences, delivered through a new app and website.

Both brands use the same A monogram, alongside the bernache goose, the group's historical emblem. Accor's research found its members' main passions were entertainment, dining and sport, so ALL launched with partnerships: an extended deal with AEG for more than 60,000 tickets and suites, chef masterclasses with IMG, and a multi-year agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, whose shirt carried the launch worldwide.

The work won the Grand Prix in its category at the 2019 Stratégies communication awards.

Skift showed what the identity was really for. Chief executive Sébastien Bazin was spending $255 million on ALL, Accor Live Limitless, because rivals such as Marriott, Hilton and IHG drew 40 to 60 percent of bookings through loyalty programmes while Accor managed 30 percent. Sports, dining and entertainment perks were central to the pitch. Seen that way, the new corporate mark is the badge on a loyalty card as much as on a building, and its job is to make a sprawling portfolio of hotel brands feel like one club worth joining.

Dropping 'Hotels' was right; it had been a clumsy addition. The monogram is less convincing. Blue and gold is the most obvious luxury code going, and a group spanning more than 30 hotel brands does not become premium by dressing its corporate A like a jeweller. The genuinely interesting idea was ALL, using one mark to tie loyalty, lifestyle and sport together.