FRHI Hotels & Resorts
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Canadian international hotel management group that brought together the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands before being acquired by Accor.
Last updated August 25, 2026
Overview
FRHI Hotels & Resorts was a Canadian international hotel management company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Its portfolio comprised three established upscale and luxury hospitality brands: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. Collectively, these brands operated and managed more than 100 hotels and resorts in more than 30 countries, with a portfolio that combined landmark historic properties, urban business hotels, destination resorts, and luxury hospitality assets. The company was created in January 2006 after Fairmont Hotels and Resorts was acquired by Colony Capital. Colony subsequently combined Fairmont with Raffles and Swissôtel through a joint venture involving Kingdom Holding Company, creating Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, commonly abbreviated as FRHI. The group was designed to provide a single management platform for three differentiated brands rather than to make them identical. Fairmont emphasized grand hotels, local heritage, and full-service luxury; Raffles focused on intimate, highly personalized luxury associated with its Singaporean flagship; and Swissôtel occupied an upper-upscale position with an emphasis on contemporary design, efficiency, and Swiss-inspired hospitality. The businesses brought into FRHI had developed through separate histories. Raffles had been established in 1989 to oversee the restoration of Singapore's historic Raffles Hotel and the restructuring of the surrounding Raffles City development. The flagship reopened in 1991. Raffles later acquired the Swissôtel chain in 2001 and took over management of two Singapore properties previously operated under Westin contracts. Following refurbishment, the properties were renamed Swissôtel The Stamford and Raffles The Plaza in January 2002; the latter subsequently became Fairmont Singapore. Fairmont itself traced its origins to Canadian hotel businesses associated with Canadian Pacific Hotels and the Fairmont hotel company. Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired a majority interest in Fairmont Hotels in 1999 and adopted the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts name for its portfolio in 2001. FRHI's ownership changed during its independent life. Voyager Partners, an affiliate of Qatari Diar, acquired a majority interest in the group in April 2010. The company also briefly owned Delta Hotels, but sold that hotel management business to bcIMC, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of British Columbia, in October 2007. Delta was later acquired by Marriott International in 2015, after it was no longer part of FRHI. In December 2015, AccorHotels announced an agreement to acquire FRHI in a transaction reported at approximately US$2.9 billion. The deal closed in 2016, bringing Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel into the Accor portfolio and materially expanding Accor's presence in luxury and upper-upscale hospitality. After the acquisition, FRHI ceased to operate as an independent hotel group, while its three hotel brands continued within Accor's broader brand architecture. Accordingly, FRHI is best understood as a former corporate hotel-management platform rather than as a currently independent consumer-facing hotel chain.
History
FRHI Hotels & Resorts emerged from the consolidation of three hospitality businesses with different geographic origins and brand identities. The Raffles business was established in 1989 to manage the restoration of Singapore's historic Raffles Hotel and to restructure the associated Raffles City development. The restored Raffles Hotel reopened on September 16, 1991, giving the group a high-profile luxury flagship. Raffles later expanded beyond Singapore and acquired the Swissôtel chain in 2001. At the end of that year, it also took over two Singapore hotels whose Westin management contracts had expired. After refurbishment, the properties reopened in January 2002 as Swissôtel The Stamford and Raffles The Plaza, with the latter later becoming Fairmont Singapore. Fairmont had a separate Canadian and North American history. Its heritage was connected to both Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels. In 1999, Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired a majority stake in Fairmont Hotels. Canadian Pacific subsequently reorganized and renamed its hotel portfolio under the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts banner in 2001. Fairmont became a separately traded company as part of the broader restructuring of Canadian Pacific's businesses. In 2005, Raffles Holdings agreed to sell its hotel chain to Colony Capital. The transaction included 41 hotels and resorts as well as properties under development, including the landmark Raffles Hotel in Singapore, which was held under a long-term lease arrangement. Raffles City itself was separate from the hotel transaction and was later sold to CapitaCommercial Trust and CapitaMall Trust in 2006. FRHI was formed in January 2006 after Colony Capital acquired Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and combined Fairmont with the Raffles and Swissôtel businesses through a joint venture involving Kingdom Holding Company. The resulting company, initially known as Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, provided a shared corporate and hotel-management structure for three brands. Its portfolio covered luxury and upper-upscale hotels, large urban properties, historic landmarks, and resorts across a broad international network. The group was not a static collection of brands. In October 2007, it sold Delta Hotels to bcIMC, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of British Columbia. Delta later moved to Marriott International through a 2015 acquisition, but that transaction occurred after Delta had left FRHI. In April 2010, Voyager Partners, an affiliate of Qatari Diar, acquired a majority interest in FRHI, introducing another ownership change while the company continued international expansion. AccorHotels announced in December 2015 that it would purchase FRHI in a transaction reported at approximately US$2.9 billion. Completion took place in 2016. The acquisition gave Accor a substantial luxury and upper-upscale presence and added the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands to its portfolio. FRHI consequently ceased to function as an independent corporate hotel group, although the constituent brands continued operating under Accor ownership. Its history therefore represents both a consolidation of prominent hospitality names and a transition from a separately controlled management company into a larger multinational hotel group.
- 2016
FRHI becomes part of AccorHotels
[1]AccorHotels completed the acquisition, bringing Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel into its portfolio.
- 2015
AccorHotels announces acquisition
[1]AccorHotels announced a proposed acquisition of FRHI in a deal reported at approximately US$2.9 billion.
- 2010
Voyager Partners becomes majority investor
[1]Voyager Partners, affiliated with Qatari Diar, acquired a majority interest in FRHI.
- 2007
Delta Hotels is sold
[1]FRHI divested Delta Hotels to bcIMC, removing that hotel management business from its portfolio.
- 2006
FRHI is formed
[1]Colony Capital combined Fairmont with Raffles and Swissôtel through a joint venture involving Kingdom Holding Company, forming Fairmont Raffles Hotels International.
- 2005
Colony Capital agrees to acquire Raffles
[1]Raffles Holdings announced the sale of its hotel chain and related development interests to Colony Capital, effective October 1.
- 2002
Two Singapore properties receive new brand identities
[1]Former Westin Stamford and Westin Plaza properties were refurbished and renamed Swissôtel The Stamford and Raffles The Plaza, respectively.
- 2001
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts name adopted
[1]Canadian Pacific Hotels renamed its hotel portfolio under the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts banner.
- 2001
Raffles acquires Swissôtel
[1]The Raffles business purchased the Swissôtel chain, expanding the future group's brand and geographic base.
- 1999
Canadian Pacific Hotels acquires a majority interest in Fairmont Hotels
[1]The transaction brought the Fairmont and Canadian Pacific hotel businesses closer together before the later formation of FRHI.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A multi-brand international hospitality platform focused on luxury, upper-upscale, landmark, urban, and resort hotels.
Luxury hotels and resorts
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Fairmont was FRHI's broadest luxury brand, with roots in Canadian and North American grand hotels. Its properties included historic landmarks, major city hotels, convention-oriented full-service properties, and destination resorts. The brand emphasized recognizable architecture, local heritage, extensive amenities, food and beverage operations, and service suited to both leisure and business travelers.
Luxury hotels and resorts · 1989
Raffles Hotels & Resorts
Raffles was the group's most intimate luxury brand and was built around the heritage of Raffles Hotel in Singapore. It positioned its properties around personalized service, distinctive local character, refined residential-style environments, and a sense of exclusivity. The brand operated landmark urban hotels as well as selected resort properties.
Upper-upscale hotels
Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts
Swissôtel occupied an upper-upscale position within the FRHI portfolio. Its hotels generally combined contemporary design and practical full-service accommodation with a Swiss-inspired emphasis on precision, quality, well-being, and efficient operations. The chain served business and leisure guests in major cities and resort destinations.
Brand decisions
2015
Agreement to sell FRHI to AccorHotelsM&ABackground
FRHI controlled a substantial international portfolio through Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel, while AccorHotels was seeking to strengthen its presence in luxury and upper-upscale hospitality.
Action taken
AccorHotels announced an agreement to purchase FRHI in a transaction reported at approximately US$2.9 billion.
Aftermath
The acquisition closed in 2016, and FRHI ceased to operate as an independent group while its three principal brands continued within Accor.
Reported transaction value. US$2.9 billion (Announced December 2015; completed 2016)
2007
Divestment of Delta HotelsM&ABackground
Delta Hotels was part of the wider hotel-management portfolio but was separate from FRHI's three principal luxury and upper-upscale brands.
Action taken
FRHI sold Delta Hotels to bcIMC, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of British Columbia.
Aftermath
Delta left the FRHI portfolio and was later acquired by Marriott International in 2015.
Recent events
- 2016
Accor completes acquisition of FRHI[1]
M&A
AccorHotels completed its purchase of FRHI, ending FRHI's existence as an independent hotel management group while retaining its three principal hotel brands within Accor.
- 2015
AccorHotels announces agreement to acquire FRHI[1]
M&A
AccorHotels announced a proposed acquisition of FRHI in a transaction reported at approximately US$2.9 billion. The transaction would add Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel to Accor's international hotel portfolio.
- 2010
Voyager Partners acquires a majority interest in FRHI[1]
M&A
Voyager Partners, an affiliate of Qatari Diar, subsequently became the majority investor in FRHI, changing the ownership structure of the hotel group.
- 2007
FRHI announces sale of Delta Hotels to bcIMC[1]
M&A
FRHI sold its Delta Hotels management business to bcIMC, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of British Columbia. Delta therefore ceased to be part of the FRHI portfolio.
Sources1 sources
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