Accor to open nine more Middle East hotels in 2012

Accor is to open nine new hotels in 2012, following its first opening of the year in January, with the Mercure Gold Hotel Al Mina Road Dubai.

Currently, Accor has 56 operational hotels in the region, with a total of 12,357 rooms. By 2015, it plans to increase this to 79 hotels, and 18,248 rooms.

The brand has just held its 10th annual Middle East Roadshow with representatives from throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, from 18-22 February, in Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait.

Christophe Landais, managing director of Accor ME, said: “We have a strong development plan with the opening of nine new hotels representing 2,630 rooms this year in the region. The annual Accor Middle East Roadshow is an important initiative for us at Accor as it enables us to meet, interact and exchange ideas with our valued partners and travel companies across the region.”

Philippe Seguin, vice president of sales and marketing Accor ME, said: “The Middle East region has great potential when it comes to digital online tools. Local residents are one of the most tech-savvy generations in the world. They are up-to-date with the latest technology gadgets and early technology adapters with most young people owning an iPad/iPhone/iPod/Blackberry.”

He added: “Out of the 295 million inhabitants, 85 million are internet users. We aim to train our partner travel agencies to tap into this powerful tool, via an efficient booking system with our geo-localised website, Accorhotels.com Middle East. We live in a digital age and Accor is building its digital presence on all fronts”