Accor Announces Winners Of 2025 Accor Design Awards At Maison & Objet Fair, Highlighting Novotel’s Sustainable Ocean-focused Innovation

Published on September 5, 2025

The Accor Design Awards 2025 person erstwhile again spotlighted nan early of sustainable hospitality by challenging young innovators to rethink edifice spaces pinch productivity and purpose. This year, nan attraction was connected Novotel, Accor’s founding brand, and its world business pinch WWF France to safeguard nan wellness of nan oceans. Students from astir nan world were invited to creation a sustainable guestroom conception that would actively trim nan carbon footprint, heighten nan wide guest experience, and beforehand nan wellbeing of nan oceans.

Among much than 1 100 submissions, nan winning project, Polé, Polé, stood retired for its equilibrium of taste authenticity and biology sensitivity. Created by students Coline Robilliart and Corentin Rolland from l’Ecole de creation Nantes Atlantique, nan creation utilized earthy materials, accepted craftsmanship, and innovative reuse of ocean waste to create a abstraction that was some functional and inspiring. The task demonstrated really hotels could service arsenic responsible actors, weaving ecological consciousness into mundane hospitality.

The awards not only celebrated productivity but besides emphasized nan urgent domiciled of sustainable design successful shaping nan early of tourism, highlighting really hospitality tin actively lend to protecting nan planet’s astir captious ecosystems.

The Evolution of nan Accor Design Awards

Since their inception successful 2016, nan Accor Design Awards person served arsenic a world shape for architectural and creation students to show their imagination of tomorrow’s hospitality. Each version is linked to a circumstantial Accor marque and theme, creating opportunities for young talent to attack real-world challenges pinch creativity, empathy, and innovation.

Over nan years, nan awards person explored divers themes, from redefining luxury pinch Sofitel to celebrating locality pinch Mercure, and moreover reinterpreting iconic journeys pinch Orient Express. For 2025, nan attraction shifted to Novotel, reflecting not only its world beingness but besides its pioneering committedness to water wellness done a three-year collaboration pinch WWF France.

The 2025 Challenge: Designing With Purpose

Students participating successful nan title were tasked pinch designing a sustainable chamber conception that integrated low-carbon solutions while promoting water preservation. The situation encouraged entries that were not only functional but besides meaningful, pinch a nonstop effect connected really hotels interact pinch nan earthy world.

More than 100 teams from 20 creation schools crossed eleven countries entered their proposals. These submissions highlighted divers approaches to sustainability, including inventive usage of invasive seaweed arsenic building material, integrating ocean plastic into furnishings and finishes, employing natural clay, and reusing textile waste. Some projects moreover introduced integer innovation, specified arsenic apps to show impermanent c footprints and reward eco-conscious behaviour.

The Jury: A Collective of Expertise

The information process was guided by an esteemed sheet of judges from nan fields of design, sustainability, and hospitality. The Head Judges, Isabel and Beatriz Blanco of Burondo, brought their expertise successful world architecture and design, while Damien Perrot, Global Chief Design, Technical Services & Innovation Officer for Accor’s Premium, Midscale & Economy Brands, and Jean-Yves Minet, Global Brand President of nan Midscale & Economy division, added marque and manufacture perspective.

To reenforce nan ocean-focused theme, Aurélie Pontal, Head of Partnerships astatine WWF France, contributed valuable biology insights. Key manufacture sponsors including Roca, Laufen, Flos, JVD, LedsC4, Ligne Roset, Covivio, M&O, and AFA besides enriched nan process pinch method expertise. Together, nan assemblage ensured that each introduction was assessed not only connected productivity but besides connected feasibility, impermanent comfort, and semipermanent biology impact.

The Winning Concept: Polé, Polé

The first prize went to Polé, Polé, a task inspired by Tanzania’s Morogoro region. The creation incorporated rammed earth, wengé and doussie woods, and traditional Tanzanian textiles, balancing authenticity pinch ecological sensitivity. Elevated connected alloy stilts, nan conception embraced earthy ventilation, reduced reliance connected energy-intensive systems, and introduced modular furnishings crafted from ocean waste.

The assemblage appreciated really nan task redefined nan narration betwixt hotels and their earthy surroundings. By transforming water discarded into high-quality creation elements, nan conception elevated sustainability from a functional necessity into an affectional impermanent experience. This thoughtful integration of ecological materials and community-inspired aesthetics embodied a holistic attack to hospitality, wherever biology attraction was interwoven pinch taste respect.

Beyond Aesthetics: Hospitality With Impact

What distinguished Polé, Polé was its expertise to harvester practicality pinch storytelling. Rather than relying heavy connected precocious technology, nan task favoured elemental yet effective techniques specified arsenic earthy airflow and water-saving systems. The creation showed that invention successful hospitality request not beryllium high-tech; instead, it tin beryllium rooted successful accepted wisdom, assets efficiency, and a heavy respect for ecosystems.

This equilibrium betwixt authenticity and sustainability resonated pinch nan jury, arsenic it demonstrated really hotels could service arsenic custodians of some taste practice and earthy resources. By turning pressing biology challenges into tangible impermanent experiences, Polé, Polé captured nan principle of responsible hospitality.

Recognition of Excellence: The Prize List

In summation to nan first prize, respective different projects were recognised for their unsocial contributions:

• Second Prize: Chowa by Nora Chaumont and Fanny Monteyne, l’Ecole de creation Nantes Atlantique
• Third Prize: Rosae by Erwan Loirat and Chloé Maudet, l’Ecole de creation Nantes Atlantique
• Head Judges’ Prize: Algae by Juan Bueno and Rosalía Ordóñez, IED Istituto Europeo di Design Madrid
• Public Choice Award: Whispers of nan Ocean by Camila Gonçalves and Andrea Felip, IED Istituto Europeo di Design Madrid

Each of these projects offered caller interpretations of nan challenge, underscoring nan expertise of creation students to power nan hospitality industry’s sustainable future.

Novotel and WWF France: A Partnership for Oceans

In 2024, Novotel entered a three-year world business pinch WWF France, dedicated to protecting and restoring marine ecosystems. Under this collaboration, WWF France provides technological expertise to thief Novotel’s 600+ hotels worldwide amended their biology footprint. As portion of nan agreement, Novotel supports 5 captious water conservation projects crossed different regions.

This inaugural not only aligns pinch nan brand’s sustainability strategy but besides strengthens its positioning arsenic a leader successful responsible hospitality. By embedding water preservation into its identity, Novotel demonstrates really a mainstream edifice marque tin champion world ecological issues while enriching impermanent experiences.

About Accor: Leading nan Way successful Responsible Hospitality

As 1 of nan world’s starring hospitality groups, Accor operates successful much than 110 countries pinch complete 5,600 hotels and resorts. Its divers portfolio spans 45 brands, ranging from luxury to economy, and includes Lifestyle properties done Ennismore. With a ngo to pioneer responsible hospitality, nan Group embraces sustainability, organization engagement, inclusivity, and taste relationship arsenic halfway values.

Accor’s loyalty program, ALL, extends nan brand’s committedness beyond nan edifice stay, offering members entree to unsocial experiences and fostering meaningful connections. Headquartered successful France and publically listed connected nan Euronext Paris Stock Exchange, Accor continues to innovate and accommodate successful consequence to evolving impermanent expectations and world challenges.

Redefining Hospitality Through Design

The Accor Design Awards 2025 underscored really young designers are redefining nan hospitality scenery done sustainability, creativity, and empathy. Projects specified arsenic Polé, Polé revealed that edifice spaces could beryllium much than places to stay—they could go platforms for biology stewardship and taste dialogue.

By weaving ecological work into design, nan awards highlighted a imagination of hospitality wherever memorable experiences and planetary wellness spell manus successful hand. As Accor and Novotel proceed their collaboration pinch WWF France, nan awards reaffirm nan belief that awesome creation has nan powerfulness not only to animate but besides to protect nan early of nan oceans and nan communities that dangle connected them.

[Accor Hotels, Source: HospitalityNet]