Accor SA

Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company headquartered in Paris, founded in 1967 by Paul Dubrule and Gerard Pelisson with the opening of the first Novotel hotel near Lille, France. The company grew through decades of brand creation and acquisition into the largest hospitality company in Europe and the sixth largest worldwide, operating a broad portfolio of hotel brands spanning luxury to economy segments, including Sofitel, Raffles, Fairmont, Novotel, Mercure and the budget Ibis brand. Accor operates primarily through management and franchise agreements rather than owning most of its hotel properties directly, and it has expanded beyond hotels into private residence clubs, co-working spaces and hospitality technology ventures.