Accor Middle East, a leading hospitality group in the region, plans to bring the group's regional portfolio to 100 hotels by 2017, with the expanded portfolio covering the economy, midscale, upscale and luxury sectors with Accor brands such as ibis Styles, Adagio, Novotel and Sofitel.

Details of Accor ME's expansion plans will be revealed during its participation at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conferences (AHIC) which runs on May 4 and 5, and the Arabian Travel Market 2014, which is held from May 5 to 8. Top Accor executives from its head office in France will be present at both events.

“Accor has ambitious plans for the Middle East and our participation in this year’s AHIC and ATM will highlight how we continue to advance our regional network,” said Christophe Landais, managing director for Accor Middle East.

“Accor is well on target to reach our goal of having 100 hotels within the coming three years in the region. We have already opened six hotels this year in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and intend to open eight more by the end of 2014 – an average of more than one per month.”

During AHIC, at which Accor is an Emerald sponsor, Accor executives will highlight the many recent milestones Accor has achieved in the region, including the opening in 2014 of 14 new properties spanning from luxury to economy segments adding 3,173 rooms in the region, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The will also spotlight the rapid expansion of Accor’s midscale brand, Novotel, which, during 2014 so far, has celebrated the opening of its sixth and seventh hotels in the UAE – the Novotel Fujairah and the Novotel Al Bustan.

The introduction of new brand ibis Styles with ibis Styles Dragon Mart and the expansion of the ibis brand footprint in the Middle East will also be a focus, as well as the development of the region’s largest economy hotel – ibis World Trade Center 2 – with 588 rooms, and Accor’s strategic partnership with Alesayi to develop the ibis brand in Saudi Arabia.

At Arabian Travel Market, Accor executives will showcase the group’s growth plans for the Middle East – with 27 hotels currently in development across six countries – as well as its existing 65-hotel regional footprint.

The booth will feature the full portfolio of Accor’s hotel brands, which span the upscale, midscale, and economy segments, including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio and ibis.

The exclusive second storey of the Accor booth will focus on its luxury brands, including the soft launch of the Sofitel Downtown Dubai, which is set to become the brand’s new Middle East flagship.

The new Sofitel Downtown Dubai, which will formally launch in November, has a prime location within close proximity to the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall, and the Dubai International Conference Centre. The booth also will highlight the Sofitel Riyadh in development, to open in 2015.

The booth will also promote Accor’s new Arabic-language website, which was launched in January. – TradeArabia News Service