Accor reaches 100 Middle East hotels milestone

Accor HotelServices Middle East has confirmed that the operator has reached its target of 100 hotels in the Middle East, with 66 operational hotels and 34 more properties under development across 10 countries, ahead of its schedule of 2015.

The group’s room inventory currently stands at 24,500 keys across the luxury, upscale, midscale, and economy segments.

Accor HotelServices Middle East chief operating officer Christophe Landais 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.”

Accor currently has a number of properties under the Sofitel, Pullman, and MGallery brands in the region.

Explaining the strategy, Landais added: “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. 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.”

To mark the occasion, Accor has launched the ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ initiative to identify and recognise 100 employees from its regional operations who have made a significant contribution to the group’s success.

The 100 employees will each receive a cash prize, and the group will host a ceremony to donate 10,000 to the Red Crescent Society.

Commenting on the initiative, Landais commented: “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.”