Accor has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Accor is the story of two friends, Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pélisson, who opened their first Novotel in 1967 at a time when no one in France yet believed in this new hotel business model. Through their creativity and boldness, they pushed the boundaries of what is possible ever further. Today their dream of hospitality has become Accor. Accor Group brings together over 5,300 addresses in 110 countries.
Sustainability at Accor
Building on a longstanding commitment to make the world more hospitable, Accor’s strategy is to infuse sustainability at the heart of its business model and the way it operates, with both People and Nature at the core. To achieve this, they strive to make a meaningful impact by shaping the future of hospitality with all of their stakeholders: Heartists®, owners, partners, guests and communities. Accor is driving change as one of only 7% of travel industry companies with a net-zero carbon strategy in place and through a series of ambitious commitments such as eliminating all guest-facing single-use plastics by the end of 2022. The Group’s 40+ global brands are at the forefront, embedding sustainability within the brands’ DNA and guest experience each in their own distinctive way.
“We are very excited and honored at Accor to join GSTC. As a hospitality group, we are responsible for transforming the way we operate hotels and set the highest standards in sustainable practices. This transformation is a journey that needs to involve all stakeholders. Our brands also have a role to play in inspiring and engaging our guests in this vision of exploring the world more consciously. We will move forward with our peers and constantly elevate our standards with collaboration in mind, which is the spirit GSTC has always infused in sustainable travel,” said Brune Poirson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Accor.
GSTC welcomes Accor
“Likewise, we at GSTC feel excited and honored to have Accor join us in our applying the GSTC Industry Criteria as a global standard to support their many global properties as they move to ever-more sustainable practices,” said Randy Durband, Chief Executive Officer at GSTC.
About Accor
Accor is a world leading hospitality group consisting of 5,300 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. The group has one of the industry’s most diverse and fully-integrated hospitality ecosystems encompassing more than 40 luxury, premium, midscale and economy hotel brands, entertainment and nightlife venues, restaurants and bars, branded private residences, shared accommodation properties, concierge services, co-working spaces and more. Accor’s unmatched position in lifestyle hospitality – one of the fastest growing categories in the industry – is led by Ennismore, a joint venture, which Accor holds a majority shareholding. Ennismore is a creative hospitality company with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Accor boasts an unrivalled portfolio of distinctive brands and more than 230,000 team members worldwide. Members benefit from the company’s comprehensive loyalty program – ALL – Accor Live Limitless – a daily lifestyle companion that provides access to a wide variety of rewards, services and experiences. Through its global sustainability commitments (such as achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2050, global elimination of single use plastics in its hotels’ guest experience, etc.), Accor Solidarity, RiiSE and ALL Heartist Fund initiatives, the Group is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity and inclusivity. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France and publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information visit group.accor.com, or follow Accor on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
