Accor scores a century!

Accor Hotel Services Middle East, one of the world’s leading hospitality groups, has reached a major milestone of 100 hotels in the region, with 66 operational hotels and 34 hotels under development across 10 countries … including another in Bahrain.

Its regional network covers all segments of the hospitality market including luxury, upscale, midscale and economy properties with a total of approximately 24,500 keys, underlining its status as one of the largest hotel groups in the Middle East.

Its Bahrain portfolio currently contains the 172-room Novotel Al Dana Resort, the 120-room Mercure Grand Seef and the 263-room Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa.

There is currently one more hotel boasting 304 rooms under development in the kingdom – the ibis Manama Seef which is scheduled to open in December, 2015. ibis is Accor’s leading economy brand.

To celebrate hitting the century target, the hospitality giant has launched a ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ initiative to identify and recognise 100 employees from across its regional Middle East operations who have contributed significantly to the company’s success.

The ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ will each receive a cash prize and a ceremony will be staged towards the end of the year to donate a further $10,000 to support the Red Crescent Society.

Christophe Landais, chief operating officer for Accor Hotel Services Middle East, said: “We are delighted to reach our target of 100 hotels in the Middle East. It is a great achievement made possible by the strength of our relationships with our regional partners and the fantastic commitment of our employees.

“I would like to thank them all for playing an important role in our shared success, and I’m especially proud of the fact that we achieved this major milestone ahead of our scheduled target date of 2015.”

As the regional market leader in the economy and midscale segments, Accor is helping to meet the growing demand for three and four star hotels in the Middle East.

The group is also strengthening its position as a key regional player in the luxury and upscale hotel segments, with a significant number of properties completed and currently under development belonging to brands such as Sofitel, Pullman and MGallery.

“Our strategy of expanding aggressively through select developments tailored to each market location, in partnership with leading regional investors, has delivered outstanding results so far,” said Mr Landais. “This success has been underpinned by the establishment of the Académie Accor Middle East in 2003, the first training academy of its kind in the region, which ensures the development of skills and advancement opportunities for our employees.

“Looking ahead, we see exciting opportunities to expand our portfolio of hotels across the region in the years to come.

 “The milestone of 100 hotels is more than just a number – it represents an enormous effort from all our employees who give their best, both individually and as a team, to deliver the highest performance every day, in everything we do.

“Our ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ recognition initiative is dedicated to our employees who make a significant, and sometimes unsung, contribution to the success of our business. I am delighted to launch this initiative and look forward to celebrating these talented and committed members of the Accor team.”

* The first Novotel opened in Lille Lesquin in France in 1967. The group now boasts 3,645 hotels in 92 countries.