
by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:26 PM ET, Tue March 6, 2018
AccorHotels has reached a new milestone in its growth and development.
The company now has properties in 100 countries around the world, according to a statement issued by AccorHotels Group.
The announcement comes 50 years after AccorHotels opened the first Novotel in France. During the past half-century, the company's hotel portfolio has grown to include nearly 4,300 properties and 600,000 rooms.
In addition, AccorHotels has about 870 new properties in the works for the coming five years, which translates into 161,000 rooms. About 79 percent of those properties will be located in high-growth markets.
AccorHotels Group is now focused on three key strategic priorities-accelerating organic expansion; acquisition to increase the portfolio of hotels and expanding the brand portfolio, which currently includes 25 brands.
"Our development strategy is very simple: to remain the leader in the markets where we are dominant and to accelerate growth in emerging markets," Gaurav Bhushan, AccorHotels chief development officer, said in a statement. "The Group's extensive portfolio of brands and its acquisition and innovation policy, therefore, play a key role in our development."
Bhushan said the company signed flagship projects in 2017 including Raffles hotels in London and Dubai.
The company's SO/ brand is also taking off in the luxury segment and its MGallery is the fastest growing brand in the same segment, according to Bhushan.
Other notable Accor projects include the Mercure Dubai, which is set to become the largest Mercure in the world, with its 1,115 rooms. Accor is also in the midst of renovating ibis Barcelona.
In Europe, AccorHotels substantially accelerated its organic growth in 2017 with the signing of 145 projects, which represent nearly 17,000 rooms. That's a 40 percent increase in its European presence.
In the Middle East and Africa meanwhile, AccorHotels is the fastest expanding hotel group in the region. The company has a pipeline of 32,000 rooms there and has set its sights on having 50,000 rooms by 2020.
In the Asia-Pacific region, AccorHotels already has 830 hotels, including nearly 250 in the luxury segment. About 47 percent of the company's global pipeline of projects will take place here.
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