Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is delighted to report on the progress made across the business in the UK and Ireland in 2013, including network development, HR initiatives and sustainability strategy. Network development
The Group’s strong portfolio of brands has continued to gain traction across the UK. Most recently ibis was ranked as one of Britain’s top three budget hotel brands, while Mercure saw the largest increase in prompted brand awareness according to the BDRC guest survey.
In 2013 Accor has so far opened:
• Ibis Styles, London Excel (07.01.2013)
• Mercure, Milton Keynes (22.01.2013)
• Ibis Styles, Blackpool (26.03.2013)
• Adagio, Liverpool Central Village (26.03.2013)
• Ibis, Brighton (15.07.2013)
• Ibis Styles, Birmingham (16.09.2013)
In September, Accor was pleased to announce the signing of the Novotel London Brentford. The hotel will be operated under an agreement with Brentford Hotels Limited, a subsidiary of the Pedersen Group, and is due to open in 2015, the same year as the new-build Novotel in Canary Wharf.
The Group continues to have a healthy UK development pipeline, and there are a number of new hotel openings on the horizon, including Belfast; Ibis Styles, Enfield; Ibis Styles, Liverpool; Ibis Styles Edinburgh, two Ibis hotels also in the city and ibis Cambridge.
HR initiatives
Accor is committed to investing in new talent and developing careers across the business, and in June, the group was recognised by The Great Place To Work® Institute as one of the UK’s best workplaces.
The Accor Academie in London is a first-of-its-kind professional training centre offering exceptional teaching facilities to ensure staff development and career progression. So far this year, the facility has trained more than 2000 delegates through 161 courses.
In March, Accor was pleased to announce the expansion of its popular UK Apprenticeship scheme, which provides young people aged 18 to 24 with on-the-job training and a national qualification. The group has also recently re-launched its successful Hospitality Futures programme in conjunction with Springboard. This programme helps those who are unemployed find placements in the hospitality industry with the long-term view of securing them a permanent job.
Sustainability
Accor is dedicated to operating a responsible and environmentally conscious business. We are delighted to have been named the Eco Hotel Group of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards 2013. This accolade reflects the success of Planet 21, Accor’s sustainable development strategy which defines 21 commitments and ambitious goals, including a program to inform guests and employees and encourage them to contribute to reinventing hotels, sustainably. In May 2013, Accor launched its agro-forestry partnership with Pur Project to mark the first anniversary of Planet 21. This Plant for the Planet program will fund 200,000 trees in the United Kingdom in a pioneering project designed to promote sustainable food production and nurture links between hotels, guests and farms.
Thomas Dubaere, Managing Director, Accor UK & Ireland said: “The progress we have made this year has been very encouraging, and the recognition we have received from the AA and BDRC, amongst others, reflects the on-going success of a number of initiatives across the business. We continue to open hotels in key locations, strengthening our network across the UK and Ireland, and we are committed to investing in our employees and their development. Through our sustainability programme, we are proud to focus our efforts on protecting the planet, its people and the environment. I am confident that this success will continue into 2014 and beyond.”
