Paul Stevens Talks About Accor’s New Strategic Expansion In The Middle East, Africa, And Turkey

Monday, July 21, 2025

Paul Stevens serves arsenic nan Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Accor’s Premium, Midscale, and Economy section crossed nan Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (MEA&T). In this capacity, he oversees a portfolio exceeding 200 hotels, totaling much than 52,000 rooms, spanning 11 brands including Swissôtel, Pullman, Mövenpick, Novotel, Ibis, Adagio, and Grand Mercure.

Paul, convey you for joining america today. Could you please present yourself and your domiciled wrong Accor?

It’s a pleasance to beryllium here. I service arsenic nan Chief Operating Officer for Accor’s Premium, Midscale, and Economy section crossed nan Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. In this capacity, I oversee our operations and strategical initiatives successful these regions, focusing connected expanding our marque beingness and ensuring operational excellence.

Can you elaborate connected Accor’s existent footprint and early plans successful Saudi Arabia?

Currently, Accor operates 44 hotels successful Saudi Arabia, making america nan largest edifice usability successful nan Kingdom. What’s peculiarly breathtaking is our robust pipeline, pinch an further 45 hotels slated for development. This description underscores our committedness to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which intends to diversify nan system and boost nan tourism sector. The improvement timeline for these projects varies. Some properties are expected to commence operations wrong 24 to 36 months, while larger developments, requiring important infrastructure, whitethorn return up to 5 years.

Why is location a attraction connected secondary cities successful your description strategy?

Saudi Arabia, being nan 11th largest state globally, offers immense imaginable beyond its awesome cities for illustration Riyadh and Jeddah. Secondary and tertiary cities are becoming progressively vital, not conscionable for business travelers but besides for leisure tourism. These regions boast humanities sites that stay mostly untouched, offering authentic experiences for some home and world visitors. By establishing a beingness successful these cities, Accor intends to supply travelers pinch unafraid and high-quality accommodations, thereby enhancing their wide acquisition and contributing to nan section economy.

How does Accor guarantee that its properties resonate pinch section cultures and traditions?

In nan past, nan hospitality manufacture often adopted a one-size-fits-all approach. However, we’ve recognized nan value of taste relevance successful today’s recreation landscape. Guests activity authentic experiences that bespeak nan destination’s unsocial heritage. In Saudi Arabia, this intends integrating section elements into our properties, from architecture and creation to cuisine and work offerings. Our squad members, whom we mention to arsenic ‘Heartists,’ play a important domiciled successful this integration. We put successful their improvement done programs that target entry-level individuals, supervisory staff, and tertiary-educated professionals.

How does Accor’s strategy align pinch Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030?

Vision 2030 is simply a transformative blueprint for nan Kingdom, aiming to diversify nan system and position Saudi Arabia arsenic a world tourism hub. Accor’s description successful Saudi Arabia is straight aligned pinch these objectives. By expanding our edifice portfolio, we lend to nan maturation of nan tourism sector, create employment opportunities, and support nan improvement of infrastructure. Our attraction connected sustainability and responsible hospitality resonates pinch nan Kingdom’s biology goals. Many of our upcoming properties are designed pinch energy-efficient systems and sustainable practices, ensuring that we minimize our biology footprint while delivering high-quality services.

What challenges does Accor look successful this expansive growth, and really are you addressing them?

Rapid description presents respective challenges, including ensuring accordant work quality, integrating section cultures, and processing a skilled workforce. To reside these, we prioritize training and improvement programs for our staff, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet nan demands of our guests. Additionally, we collaborate intimately pinch section authorities and developers to guarantee that our projects align pinch location plans and lend positively to nan section communities. By fostering beardown partnerships, we tin navigate challenges efficaciously and capitalize connected nan opportunities presented by Saudi Arabia’s move growth.

What does nan early clasp for Accor successful nan Middle East, Africa, and Turkey?

The early is promising. We are committed to expanding our footprint crossed nan MEA&T regions, introducing caller brands, and enhancing our existing properties. Our attraction will stay connected delivering exceptional impermanent experiences, fostering section talent, and contributing to nan sustainable improvement of nan regions we run in. In Saudi Arabia, we are peculiarly excited astir nan prospects successful secondary cities and nan opportunities to connection authentic, culturally rich | experiences to travelers. As nan Kingdom continues its travel toward Vision 2030, Accor is proud to beryllium a portion of this transformation, supporting nan nation’s goals and delivering worth to our guests and stakeholders.