Accor Hotel

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"Christophe Landais, the chief executive of French multinational hotel operator Accor Hotels Group, says the company is pursuing a special mission in Iran and plans to implement various projects around the country within the next 10 years and perhaps build 100 hotels during this time. In an interview with ISNA, as translated by IFP, Landais said the Accor Hotels is serious in making investment in Iran." (Iran Front Page, "Giant French Company to Build 100 Hotels in Iran," 10/14/2016). (http://ifpnews.com/news/homeland/tourism/2016/10/giant-french-company-build-100-hotels-iran/)

"Executives are looking to other markets to diversify its offering. A 3 July deal to open 50 managed hotels in Angola is one example, while another, mentioned during a 30 July news conference outlining the French company’s H1 2015 earnings, is Iran, where CEO Sébastien Bazin said AccorHotels had 'true ambition.' Bazin said talks are in progress to open two hotels under the Novotel and Ibis brands in Tehran. Iran has been in talks with the United States, European Union and other allies concerning its nuclear program and to begin closer bilateral relations." (Hotel News Now, "Accor drives performance via diversification," 7/31/15) (http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/16382/Accor-drives-performance-via-diversification)

"French operator AccorHotels is in advanced negotiations for two properties in Tehran under its ibis and Novotel brands. Christophe Landais, managing director Accor Middle East told Hotelier: 'We expect the recent agreements to potentially open up tremendous opportunities and rapid growth for the hospitality and tourism industry in Iran. AccorHotels is well positioned to play a leading role in the development of the hospitality and tourism industry throughout Iran. AccorHotels does not at present have any management agreements in place in Iran, however we are considering a number of potential opportunities across a broad range of segments.'" (Hotelier, "Hoteliers enter Iran race following nuclear deal," 7/16/15) (http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/24342-hoteliers-enter-iran-race-following-nuclear-deal/)

The announcement from Accor to manage two properties in Iran came towards the end of 2015, and operations have kicked off “positively” according to Christophe Landais who is heading the development of AccorHotels in Iran.

"This year’s opening of a four-star Axis hotel in Tehran under the management of France’s Accor, with a five star Axis Prime set to open soon nearby, is an indication of how fast things could change. Not since the Islamic revolution has a western company managed a hotel in Iran... Still it is not clear how Accor — Europe’s largest hotel group by number of rooms — secured the contract given continued sanctions. While the sanctions do not directly target the tourism industry, they prohibit the transfer of money to or from Iran unless for basic commodities or medicine... Accor is now poised to benefit from the doors opening to one of the world’s biggest untapped tourist destinations, home to huge and historic attractions such as Persepolis and Isfahan. Rumours are rife that other French groups are negotiating with Iran about the construction and management of hotels. Bouygues, the French construction, media and telecoms conglomerate, declined to comment, as did the UAE-based Rotana hotel management group, understood to be planning hotels in Tehran and the holy city of Mashhad." (Financial Times, "Hotel groups eye Iran tourism potential as santions deal nears", 6/22/15) (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/79b18812-101b-11e5-ad5a-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F79b18812-101b-11e5-ad5a-00144feabdc0.html%3Fsiteedition%3Duk&siteedition=uk&_i_referer=#axzz3dnbrqftg)

"Accor opened an Ibis and a Novotel hotel in Tehran in 2015, becoming the first international hotel chain in the country since the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s. Now that the JCPOA has seemingly fallen apart, Accor declined to comment on whether its hotels would stay open despite Washington’s sanctions, or if its outlook on the country had changed." (CNBC, "Iran had big plans for its tourism industry, then the US reintroduced economic sanctions," 9/19/2018).  (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/19/iran-had-big-plans-for-its-tourism-industry-before-economic-sanctions.html)

“We soft opened the Ibis and Novotel hotels in January 2016, and we still have some work to be completed. Out of 500, we have about 300 rooms to be completed. We have also the spas for the ladies and one for the men. Yes, it is taking some time, but hopefully within the next few weeks it should be ready,” Landais told Hotelier Middle Eastexclusively.

Both the Accor hotels, Novotel Tehran Imam Khomeini and the Ibis Khomeini International are fully operational. (https://www.google.com/maps?q=Accor+iran&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS699US699&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDv9O5moPZAhWhmeAKHccqC1MQ_AUICygC)

AccorHotels Group as one of the most prestigious hotel groups, and 1st Hotel Operator across the world has entered into a memorandum of understanding with HEGTAinTehranHOMA Hotel. This memorandum of understanding signed after several rounds of talks, includes long-term cooperation to develop hotel, to renovate existing HOMA hotelsto the highest standards, to promote the newly rebranded HOMAhotels across the world as well as a special focus on training and humanresourcesdevelopment. (March 8, 2016) (http://en.hegta.ir/Memorandum-of-Understanding-between-HEGTA-and-ACCOR-Hotels-Group-is-signed_2188.html)

“Delays are never expected as such, but especially the spas required a lot of work, which we expected to be slightly delayed but not to this extent... We are about four weeks behind, but it’s not a big deal,” Landais added. (May 15, 2016) (http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/27055-accors-iran-hotels-picking-up-slowly-but-surely/)

“Foreign visitors to Iran are the most visible effect of President Hassan Rouhani’s drive to mend ties with the U.S. and Europe, an influx that one his deputies said generated as much as $5 billion for the sanctions-hit economy over the past year. For the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, international hotel chains are now plotting a return, while European airlines are adding or restoring links with Tehran…France’s Accor SA was aiming to build a hotel near Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, according to Rahmani-Movahed, though the Paris-based company said that was premature.” (Bloomberg, “Iran Hotels Fill Up as Rouhani’s Rapprochement Lifts Tourism,” 5/21/14) (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-20/iranian-hotels-fill-up-as-rapprochement-yields-tourism-dividend.html)

"UANI also called on the Novotel Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont hotel of the Accor Hotels Group and the Hotel Praia Ipanema to reverse their decision to host Iran's delegation [during this week's meeting of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] . . . Significantly, Accor North America operates more than 1,100 properties in the U.S. and Canada, including those of its brand chains Motel 6, Studio 6, Sofitel and Novotel. Accor has also received extensive lodging business from the U.S. government-in particular the U.S. Department of Defense." (UANI Press Release, "UANI Calls on Royal Tulip Hotel, Golden Tulip Hospitality, Accor Hotels to Reverse Decision to Host Iran's Ahmadinejad and Delegation this Week in Brazil," 6/19/12). (http://unitedagainstnucleariran.com/press-releases/uani-calls-royal-tulip-hotel-golden-tulip-hospitality-accor-hotels-reverse-decision-h)

"All economic activities related to... tourism will enjoy 100 percent tax holidays between five to 13 years depending on the region," deputy economy minister Mohammad Khazaei told hoteliers from 18 countries who had gathered in Tehran, many from Europe... "We are working actively on 10 to 15 projects in Iran," Christophe Landais, chief operating officer for France's Accor Hotels in Iran, told AFP... " (AFP, "Iran offers hotel tax breaks in bid to boost tourism," 10/3/2016). (https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/32785865/iran-offers-hotel-tax-breaks-in-bid-to-boost-tourism/#page1)

Tehran Novotel Hotel (an Iranian hotel) is "cooperating" with the French Accor hotels Group. (https://kenzfly.ir/en/hotel/tehran-novotel)