Accor S.A., using the brand name AccorHotels, is a French multinational hotel group, part of the CAC 40 index, which operates in 95 countries.
Headquartered in Paris, France, the group owns, operates and franchises 3,700 hotels (spanning all inhabited continents) representing several brands, from budget and economy lodgings to five-star hotels.
History
Accorhotels.com - Campagne publicitaire 2012 - Tour de France - Film "The Cyclists"
In 1967, Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pélisson founded the Société d'investissement et d'exploitation hôteliers (SIEH) hotel group and opened the first Novotel hotel outside Lille in northern France.
In 1974, they launched the Ibis brand with the opening of the Ibis Bordeaux. The following year, SIEH acquired the Courtepaille and Mercure brands, and in 1980 the Sofitel hotel brand, which then consisted of 43 hotels. In 1982, the SIEH bought Jacques Borel International, the then world-leading brand offering restaurant vouchers.
In 1983, the group, which had restaurant tickets and hotels, changed its name to the Accor Group. In 1985, it launched Hotel Formule 1 brand, offering basic accommodation at low prices.
In 1990, it entered the North American market by acquiring Motel 6, and later the Red Roof Inn chain, which it later sold to The Blackstone Group and a consortium of Citi’s Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund, L.P., respectively.
In the 1990s, it diversified to include Accor Casinos and in 2004, bought a nearly 30 per cent stake in Club Méditerranée.
In June 2010, the shareholders of Accor approved the demerger of its hotel and voucher businesses. Accor Services became Edenred. The two entities started trading as separate companies on the Paris stock exchange from 2 July 2011. In 2011, Accor introduced its new brand positioning with the slogan "Open new frontiers in hospitality".
In November 2013, the firm redefined its group business model on two core competencies: hotel operator and brand franchisor (HotelServices), and hotel owner and investor (HotelInvest).
In October 2014, Accor transferred management of its Central European operations to Orbis. In December 2014, it announced an alliance with Huazhu (China Lodging) to accelerate expansion in China.
In June 2015, Accor became AccorHotels and adopted the new slogan "Feel Welcome".
In December 2015, Accor announced the purchase for US$2.9 billion in cash and shares of FRHI Hotels & Resorts, the owner of the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel chains. The transaction adds landmark properties such as the Savoy Hotel in London, Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the Plaza Hotel in New York to Accor's luxury and high-end hotel portfolio.
In 2016, AccorHotels acquired John Paul, a concierge services.
In October 2017, AccorHotels acquired the Australia-based Mantra Group for A$1.2 billion, adding 127 properties under the Mantra, Peppers and Breakfree brands. The deal will make AccorHotels the largest hotel operator in Australia.
Management
In 2006, Gilles Pélisson, nephew of Accor co-founder Gerard Pélisson, took over the group as CEO, replacing former CEO Jean-Marc Espalioux. Accor appointed Serge Weinberg, head of Weinberg Capital Partners, chairman of the supervisory board. In February 2009, Pélisson was appointed chairman and CEO. Pélisson was co-vice-president of the Novotel brand in 1994.
In 2009, Denis Hennequin joined the group's board of directors and replaced Pélisson as CEO in January 2011. Hennequin stepped down in April 2013, and Yann Caillère was appointed CEO for a transitional period. In August 2013, Sebastien Bazin was named Chairman and CEO, replacing Caillère, who left the group.
The current CIO is Gilles de Richemond.
Offices/Contact Centres
The company's head office, which houses the company's executive management, is located in the Immeuble Odyssey in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France, the company's registered office. The seven storey, 14,000-square-metre (150,000 sq ft) building was designed by British architect Norman Foster and features glass plates in its façade. Géraldine Doutriaux of Le Parisien called it "[u]n bel immeuble lumineux" ("a beautiful, bright building").
The company's other major office facility, and former registered office, is located in Courcouronnes, Essonne, near Évry, France.
The Tour Maine-Montparnasse in Paris' 15th arrondissement once housed the executive management of Accor.
After AccorHotels merged with FRHI Hotels & Resorts in 2016, the FRHI Global Reservation Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, is now known as AccorHotels Global Reservation Centre. They are the primary AccorHotels Contact Centre Operations for room reservations for all AccorHotels brands.
Economy and budget brands
- Ibis Budget
- Ibis Styles
- Hotel Ibis
- Hotel F1
Former economy and budget hotels
- Red Roof Inn: Accor acquired Red Roof Inn in 1999 for $1.115 billion, increasing its presence in North America. In April 2007, the firm sold the majority of its interests in Red Roof Inn to Citigroup Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund LP for $1.3 billion. Accor retained some hotels for rebranding into its Motel 6 brand.
- Motel 6 and Studio 6: Accor purchased Motel 6 in 1990. In October 2012, Accor finalized the sale of its 1,102 US Motel 6 and Studio 6 hotels to Blackstone.
Midscale brands
- Mercure Hotels (3 to 4 star hotels) is the largest of Accor's midscale brands, found internationally with 732 hotels and resorts in 55 countries.
- Adagio
Upscale brands
- Grand Mercure (4 to 5 star hotels)
- Grand Mercure Apartments
- The Sebel
- Mama Shelter
- Novotel (also known as Hotel Novotel)
- Pullman Hotels and Resorts
- MGallery
- Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts
- Mantra
Luxury brands
- onefinestay
- Sofitel
- SO Sofitel
- Sofitel Legend
- Raffles Hotels & Resorts
- Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Thalassa sea and spa
Thalassa sea and spa: prestige seaside destinations with 15 destinations, 14 thalassotherapy sites, 19 hotels, 4 countries.
Lenôtre: in July 2011, Accor sold its stake in Lenôtre.
Controversy
In May 2013, the online investigations company KwikChex identified Peter Hook, Accor’s Australia-based director of communications for its Asia-Pacific region, as having posted more than 100 reviews of both Accor-operated hotels and competing properties on TripAdvisor.
See also
- Paris portal
- Companies portal
References
External links
- Official website
- Accorhotels.com
- AccorFranchise.com.au