Former President Sarkozy now an AccorHotels strategist

Paris. A new era began for Europe's biggest hotel chain on Tuesday 12 July 2016: AccorHotels has evolved to become a global player that - like few others - now covers all segments from budget to luxury. At the general meeting in Paris, 98% of shareholders approved the merger with Fairmont Raffles International. "That is an important number!" CEO Sébastien Bazin said of the result. In the subsequent questions and answers rounds with investors, he went on to reveal a little more about AccorHotels' future course: The company intends to ally itself even closer to global power partners; it prefers to grow with the Chinese than without them, and its investment vehicle HotelInvent is now also to be opened up to external capital providers. AccorHotels definitely wants change.