Accor HotelServices Middle East, one of the world’s leading hospitality groups, has announced plans to double the size of its operations in the Middle East to over 30,000 rooms by 2020.

The group’s chairman and chief executive officer, Sébastien Bazin, revealed the ambitious new target as the company celebrated reaching the major milestone of 100 hotels in operation (approximately 16,000 rooms) and under development (approximately 9,000 rooms) in the region.

Speaking at Accor’s global Annual Development Meeting, held in the Middle East for the first time, Bazin said: “Our presence in the Middle East, which stretches back 35 years, has expanded significantly in response to the dynamic growth taking place in the region and reaching 100 hotels is a significant achievement. Our commitment to double in size by 2020 is a bold statement of our confidence in the future of the region, the support of our partners who work closely with our experienced and localized teams here in our three offices in Dubai, Jeddah and Cairo, and the strength of our portfolio of brands that continue to deliver operational excellence and compelling returns.

“From a global perspective, we see strong growth potential in the region given that there are on average only two rooms per 1,000 inhabitants in the Middle East, compared to 10 and above in more matured markets. Across all our segments, from economy to luxury, we are seeing rising demand for the development of more hotels, which is why we introduced three new brands in the region during 2014 – Adagio serviced apartments, Majlis Grand Mercure and ibis Styles. Looking ahead, we expect growth to be driven by improving infrastructure, especially in the GCC, and the delivery of key events and government policies including Dubai’s Vision 2020, the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s target to attract 20 million visitors to its holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.”

Bazin was joined at the Annual Development Meeting by Vivek Badrinath, deputy chief executive officer of Accor, who announced the regional launch of the ‘Leading Digital Hospitality’ plan.

At the heart of this plan is the development of more robust information systems, distribution infrastructure and data gathering capabilities that will create a seamless journey for customers, a more transparent relationship with partners and a more digitally empowered Accor team.

Building on the launch of Accor’s Arabic language website, the plan’s roll-out in the region will include improved mobile applications, an extension of the tailored deal search engine and a further expansion of Accor’s loyalty programme.

Accor’s ‘Welcome Project’, which allows guests to check-in online will be deployed throughout the Middle East in 2015.  This new service has been piloted at the Novotel Al Barsha and ibis Al Barsha since July 2014.

Badrinath said: “Digital technology is disrupting all industries, but especially the hospitality sector. To meet this challenge we are launching globally a transformational strategy to enhance the digital experience of all our stakeholders,” said Badrinath. “Digital technology is massively important in the Middle East, where social media is a growing part of daily life and smartphone penetration levels are the highest in the world. In response, not only are we improving our online booking services, we will also increasingly welcome guests through their smartphone or tablet.  In everything we do, we are creating a richer digital-enabled Accor experience.”

To celebrate reaching 100 hotels (66 in operation and 34 under development), Accor HotelServices Middle East also launched its ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ initiative, to recognise 100 regional employees who contributed significantly to the company’s success. These ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ will each receive a cash prize for reaching this milestone, and Accor will host a ceremony towards the end of the year to donate a further $10,000 to support the Red Crescent Society. - TradeArabia News Service