JEDDAH, 4 May 2008 — Accor, a major global group in hotels, which operates properties in 100 countries, is investing $4 billion (SR15 billion)in the next three years in new properties worldwide.
“This is part of our ‘Vision 2020’ that will focus on opening new hotels and developing human capital,” Dr. Abderahman Belgat, director general, Accor Saudi Arabia and Sudan, and general manager of Saudi French Company for Hotel Management (SFCHM), told reporters yesterday. “We will be offering 200,000 rooms in 1,000 new properties in the next three years, which means we will be opening a new hotel almost every day,” he said.
Deals have been signed for new Mercure hotels across Saudi Arabia. This follows management contracts that SFCHM, a 100 percent ACCOR subsidiary, has signed for two new Mercure brand hotels in Riyadh and Khamis Mushayt. The signing ceremonies were held in Riyadh recently. This brings the total number of Mercure properties to six hotels with 1,395 rooms in Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah and Khamis Mushayt.
Mercure is one of the brands of Accor. The others include Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Suitehotel, Ibis, All Seasons, and Etap Hotel.
Mercure Khamis Mushayt is a five-star property with 161 rooms and suites, restaurants, meeting and banqueting, swimming pool, health club, etc. Mercure Value Riyadh has 117 rooms and suites. This four-star hotel is in the shape of a cruise ship located between the King Khaled International Airport and downtown.
Accor has seven other projects currently under construction. They include the Softel Al Khobar, the Novotel Al Anoud in Riyadh, the Novotel Mashaer in Makkah, the Novotel Dammam, the Novotel Jeddah, the Mercure Value in Riyadh and the Mercure Khamis Mushayt.
