1967 - 1980

Creation: Pioneering Hospitality

Accor’s founders Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pélisson create a bold new model for the hospitality industry, catering to a fast-paced post-war lifestyle defined by movement and modernity.  With the opening of Novotel Lille-Lesquin in 1967, the founders disrupt the staid hotel business. They invent the standardized hotel chain, revolutionizing the industry by introducing a full-service model with modern comforts: private bathrooms, room service, swimming pool…

The young business expands rapidly through the 1970s, pioneering the modern midscale hotel. By 1975 there are 45 Novotel hotels across Europe. The acquisition of Mercure that same year provides an additional brand to drive growth in the midscale segment. In 1974 the Group enters the budget market with the first ibis hotel in Bordeaux. It quickly becomes Europe’s leading economy hotel brand – by 2008 there will be 800 ibis hotels worldwide.

The Group’s commitment to promoting responsible hospitality begins early, with the establishment of an action plan for women in the workforce. By 1980, there are 17 female General Managers of Accor hotels.

Key Milestones of This Period

1980 - 2000

Expansion: New Markets & Sustainability Initiatives

Growth across geographies, segments, and activities. Accor expands rapidly beyond Europe into China and the US, enters the luxury segment, takes an early lead in the emerging wellbeing trend, and trailblazes in environmental responsibility.

In 1983 Accor – now holding 440 hotels across Europe and counting 35,000 employees – is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange as its global growth continues. The first stone is laid for Novotel Beijing in 1984; by 2010 there will be 100 Accor hotels across China. US expansion is fast-tracked by the 1990 acquisition of the Motel 6 chain, with 550 budget motels. The Group continues to innovate in Europe, creating a new concept with the low-cost Forumule1 chain; by 1994 there are 200.

The acquisition of iconic French brand Sofitel in 1980 marks Accor’s entry into the luxury market. Daring acquisitions in spa and wellbeing (Quiberon), food and catering (Jacques Borel, Lenôtre) and leisure travel (Africatours) mark the first forays into a holistic hospitality strategy that will fully flourish in 2016 and beyond.  

With this extraordinary growth comes a growing conscience of the Group’s responsibility to shape a more sustainable future for the travel industry. In 1994 Accor becomes the first CAC 40 company to create an Environment Department and creates its first Environment charter in 1998. In establishing Accor Academy in 1985, it creates a cutting-edge corporate university to empower all team members to reach their full potential.

Key Milestones of This Period

2000 - 2016

Acceleration: Towards Global Leadership

Accor continues to reach significant milestones as it takes and consolidates a leading position in the hospitality industry, accelerating global coverage, launching new brands, beginning its digital transformation, and deepening its environmental and social commitments. 

Answering evolving client expectations and a growing demand for customized experiences, the Group founds new brands to serve specific markets: MGallery with upscale hotels with character, Pullman for business travelers, Suite Novotel (later becoming Novotel Suites) for apartment-style stays, the expansion of the ibis family for the budget segment.

Accor’s social and environmental ambition is also growing, with initiatives like the Solidarity endowment fund and Plant for the Planet leading the way in the hospitality industry. In a world first, Accor shares its environmental impact results in 2011. An official partner of COP21, the 21st International Conference on Climate Change in 2015, the Group begins to make alliances and join forces with industry peers to forge a more sustainable future for hospitality.  

The launch of the first real-time hotel reservations site in 2000 is a step towards digital transformation that gathers pace with the takeover of service platform FASTBOOKING. 

All the while, milestone openings multiply as Accor’s global expansion continues: 2010 alone heralds the 400th hotel in Asia-Pacific, the first Sofitel in Saudi Arabia, and the 100th hotel in China. In 2014, a strategic alliance between Accor and Huazhu gives rise to a giant of the Chinese hospitality industry.

Key Milestones of This Period

2016 - 2023

Transformation: Reimagining Hospitality

The transformation to an asset-light model allows focus on core activities and powers expansion across hotel segments – and beyond. An innovative “Augmented Hospitality” vision takes shape alongside ambitious ESG strategies and collaborations.   

Through a series of strategic acquisitions and joint ventures, Accor cements its position as a true global leader across hospitality segments. The luxury offering is expanded by the acquisition of Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel and partnership with Banyan Tree, while the Ennismore joint venture, finalised in 2021, takes Accor from 16 to 40 brands and creates a new leader in the increasingly important lifestyle category.

With bold moves into home-sharing, coworking, and entertainment, the Group transforms into an integrated service ecosystem rooted in experiences and connecting with guests in their daily lives beyond travel. The embodiment of this “Augmented Hospitality” vision, the loyalty program ALL – Accor Live Limitless, is launched in 2019. 

The Planet 21 strategy sets a new industry standard for sustainable hospitality in 2016, and 2021–22 are milestone years for forging innovative alliances and setting a path for carbon net zero – the first hotel group to take this bold step.  

Accor’s digital transformation deepens with acquisitions of a suite of digital services and business boosters that expand the Group’s expertise, allowing it to offer comprehensive support and solutions across the full range of hospitality activities and driving ongoing technological innovation.

Key Milestones of This Period

2023 - 2024

Opening A New Chapter of Growth

A new era opens with an evolution in the Group’s structure into two dedicated divisions supported by a Global Shared Platform, enabling a deeper focus of expertise, offers and services. This bold move promises to accelerate and deliver profitable growth, reinforce brand momentum and market leadership, and increase value for all stakeholders. The Group places its ESG commitment at the very heart of its business model, embedding sustainability across all activities and setting ambitious targets to contribute back more than it takes.