03. Olivier Granet, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, AccorHotels Middle East
AccorHotels want to double its Middle Eastern presence in the next five years and has its new captain, Olivier Granet, to guide it through the challenge
Olivier Granet has had big shoes to fill, taking over from Christophe Landais — at the beginning of this year — who led operations for the French hotel company for about 15 years in the Middle East and North Africa. However, Granet is no stranger to the role or the region, having previously served as the senior vice president of development.
Granet has his work cut out as AccorHotels has mapped out a rapid growth strategy to double its presence from 75 operating hotels in 2015 to 150 properties by 2020. “We plan to open the same number of hotels that were developed by the group in the last 35 years in the region, over a span of only five years,” Granet says.
Granet says one of his key achievements was his involvement in facilitating 70 new partnerships that the company signed across the Middle East averaging, “one new signature every two weeks”. “A number of those properties have already opened and 55 remain under development.”
“Over the past seven months, I have pushed forward with our excellent and dynamic growth in this region. We are, on an average, opening one hotel per month in the region and are signing one new agreement every two weeks, demonstrating our credibility in the market and support from our partners,” Granet says.
In the last year, AccorHotels opened 10 hotels (3,216 rooms) across the Middle East: Marjan Island & Resort – managed by AccorHotels, UAE (299 rooms); Ibis Styles R Holding Dubai, UAE (191 rooms); Novotel Marsa Alam Resort, Egypt (268 rooms); Ibis IKIA, Iran (196 rooms); Novotel IKIA, Iran (296 rooms); ibis Dubai One Central (588 rooms); Ibis Styles Dragon Mart, UAE (251 rooms); Pullman Zam Zam Madinah, Saudi Arabia (836 rooms); Sofitel Jeddah Corniche, Saudi Arabia (191 rooms) and Novotel Yanbu (100 rooms).
He remains confident that Accor’s move to acquire FRHI will act as a major booster for the company. “With the acquisition of FRHI, AccorHotels will reach 50,000 rooms in operation by 2020 covering all market segments.”
By the numbers:
7 Number of months in role
16 Number of years with company
87 Number of Middle East operating hotels
71 Number of Middle East pipeline hotels
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