Accor to recruit more than 1400 Saudi Nationals

Accor Middle East is actively recruiting more than 1400 Saudi Nationals over the next five years, with the ultimate aim of achieving an 80% Saudisation target in KSA.

In the 2015 Accor Saudisation plan — produced in collaboration with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) — the hotel chain has pledged to recruit in excess of 1412 Saudis within the next five years — brining the total number of Saudi Nationals employed by the firm to 1757.

Speaking at a press conference in Saudi Arabia, Accor Middle East managing director Christophe Landais said: ““We fully support the Saudisation programme in its endeavour to solve the growing unemployment in the country and we strongly believe that sustainable hotel development will succeed only through the development of Saudi Nationals”.

He explained that the objective was for Saudi Nationals to comprise 80% of the total workforce in Accor’s hotels in the Kingdom.

Within front office, Accor has committed to employing 100% Saudi Nationals within the next two years, added Landais.

He said: “Most evidently those are challenging targets. Clearly some immense efforts and drive will be required from Accor at corporate level as well as at our hotel general manager and head of department levels with two prominent focuses: determination and training”.

The Saudisation plan will support Accor’s existing and upcoming hotels Saudi Arabia, where the chain currently operates 10 hotels.

Three new hotels are expected to open by the end of 2012 — Novotel Dammam Business Park, Ibis Riyadh Olaya Street and Ibis Yanbu — and two further hotels have been announced today in partnership with Al Mohamadia Almotahda.

Located in Jeddah, the two hotels will form a multi-segment property comprising an Ibis and an Adagio hotel, due to open in 2014.