Having established the Accor Middle East office in Dubai in 2000, French national Christophe Landais has overseen the development and expansion of the group from 16 hotels across six countries to 65 hotels today.
2014 ranking: 4
2013 ranking: 5
In terms of room numbers, Accor is now the number one operator in Dubai.
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Accor’s number of operating properties stands at 65 hotels, consisting of 1860 rooms, spanning from the luxury Sofitel to mid-market Novotel and economy brand Ibis. With 31 more hotels under development, signalling an additional 7872 rooms, Accor has a total of 96 properties under contract and looks set to meet its target of operating 100 hotels in the region by 2017.
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In the 12 months between July 2013 and July 2014, the company opened an impressive 11 properties across the region, with three of these in Saudi Arabia and a further seven located in the UAE.
Among these was Polynesian-themed Sofitel The Palm, a luxury resort at one of Dubai’s most sought-after addresses, and at the other end of the spectrum, a three-property development encompassing Ibis, Adagio and Novotel hotels in Fujairah. The mid-scale/ budget accommodation increased Fujairah’s room inventory by 40% with its total of 434-keys, and marked the first venture of an internationally-founded company to the city centre of Fujairah.
Another milestone was the opening in July of the largest Adagio property in the Middle East. The Adagio Abu Dhabi Al Bustan added 279 apartments to the capital.
Additionally, 20 new contracts were signed, totting up 4000 additional rooms for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. Among these is the mammoth 588-room Ibis, to launch at Dubai World Trade Centre in 2015. When it opens it will be the largest Ibis in the region.
By The Numbers
Number of years in the role: 14 Number of years in the company: 14 Number of Middle East operating hotels: 65 Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 31
Fun Fact: Christophe Landais says if he hadn’t followed the hotelier’s path, he would have liked to have pursued his love of animals and become a horse breeder.
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