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Accor plans 70 hotels in Middle East by 2011

DUBAI — Accor, one of the world's largest hotel and services group, wants to open 70 hotels by 2011 in the Middle East, 41 per cent of which will be in the UAE, the group's managing director, of the Middle East, Christophe Landais said this week.

He also said that Accor Middle East has a "mid-term objective of 115 hotels by 2015, or 28, 200 rooms." This would be broken down as 32 per cent in budget and economy, the segment in which Ibis hotels sit; 29 per cent in upscale and upper upscale, the Pullman and Sofitel brands respectively; and 39 per cent in midscale, the segment catered for by Novotel, Mercure and the new hotel brand Suitehotel. The Pullman brand, a business-type hotel, is the fastest growing of Accor's brands worldwide, said Landais, and is aimed to attract the international corporate and MICE customers.

Over a shorter timeframe, he confirmed that Accor would be opening another 33 hotels by 2010 in addition to the 21 already operating. This represents a 186 per cent increase in the number of hotel rooms available, from 4,552 now to 8,480 by 2010 and a 163 per cent increase in the number of hotel projects. "We are the most aggressive group in terms of development in the region," he said, comparing the group against other leading names such as Rotana, Movenpick and Intercontinental. All Accor's hotels are under management; the company has no equity in any of its hotels, although this could be a possibility in the future, said Landais.

In the UAE there are 18 hotels currently scheduled to open by 2011, most of them over the next two years. Seven Ibis hotels and seven Novotels are slated to open along with two Sofitels, one Mercure and one Suitehotel. This "family" hotel will be sited by the Mall of the Emirates and is under construction. It will open in 2009. It will comprise 180 suites, 100 of which will be 30 square meters and 80 will be 45 square meters. An Ibis hotel will also be cited at the Mall of the Emirates as well as another in Barsha.

A Sofitel, called The Palace, has recently opened in The Old Town in Dubai and another Sofitel will open at Jumeirah Beach next year. One will also open in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and another on Palm Jumeirah in 2010.

Next to the UAE, the most aggressive development will take place in Saudi Arabia with the opening of four Novotels and one Sofitel by 2011. A Sofitel will also be opening in Karachi.