Accor North America Celebrates Commitment to Sustainability on Earth Guest Day

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. April 21, 2010

April 20, 2010 - As the 40th anniversary of international Earth Day approaches, Accor North America, owner and operator of more than 1,000 upscale and economy hotels, celebrates its commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and community service with its annual Accor Earth Guest Day on April 22. Accor's properties in the U.S., Canada and Mexico - Sofitel, Novotel, Studio 6, Motel 6 and Ibis - are initiating efforts and events this week that encourage employee and community involvement and raise awareness of the actions all “Earth Guests” can take to serve the planet.

Earth Guest Day activities in North America include:

• Cleaning up of local parks an beaches (Sofitel, Novotel, Motel 6, Studio 6 and Ibis)
• Organic restaurant menu offerings for guests and team members (Sofitel New York, D.C., Chicago Water Tower, and Novotel New York)
• Collecting of items for recycling including batteries, textiles, compact fluorescent bulbs and plastic bags (Sofitel New York, Novotel New York Times Square)
• Planting of hundreds of trees at a local conservation area (Novotels in Toronto)
• Donation of clothes and toys to local orphanage (Ibis Chihuahua, Mexico)
• Collection of linens for donation to local charity (Novotel Santa Fe, Mexico City and all Novotels in Canada)

In order to support Accor's ongoing fight against child abuse and exploitation, Accor North America will also initiate their company-wide support of the Amber Alert program on Earth Guest Day. This program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Sofitel, Novotel, Motel 6 and Studio 6 will support the Amber Alert program by notifying management at U.S. and Canadian hotels of all alerts issued.

Additional Accor sustainability recognitions and initiatives include:

• Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Award 2009 - The award, according to Conde Nast Traveler, honors “the airlines, cruise lines, city hotels, resorts, hotel chains and tour operators that are dedicated to saving their communities and our world.”

• Top Ranking in Tomorrow's Value Rating - Two Tomorrows (North America) Inc, part of a London-based sustainability consultancy that researched and produced the rating, specifically acknowledged Accor for recognizing “key sustainability challenges facing the hotels sector” and designing “a comprehensive approach to managing them.” Accor North America is recognized as the leader in sustainable hospitality design, development and operation as it pursues solutions to sustainability challenges in the industry and pilots innovative technologies.

• U.S. Pilot of Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key) - Green Key is the first program of its kind to rank, certify and inspect hotels and resorts based on their commitment to sustainable “green” practices. The Accor North America pilot will involve 20 properties, including representatives from the Motel 6, Sofitel and Studio 6 brands.

• Support of OrganicNation.tv - Motel 6 will provide lodging for OrganicNation.tv as they travel the country, “telling the story of organic farmers, activists, food purveyors and eaters.”

About Accor North America
Headquartered in Dallas (Carrollton), Texas, Accor North America operates more than 1,000 upscale and economy properties including nationwide economy leaders Motel 6, Studio 6, Ibis, Sofitel Luxury Hotels and upscale Novotel locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit accor-na.com.

About Accor Worldwide Accor, a major global group and the European leader in hotels, as well as the global leader in services to corporate clients and public institutions, operates in nearly 100 countries with 150,000 employees. It offers to its clients over 40 years of expertise in two core businesses:

• Hotels, with the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, hotelF1, Studio 6 and Motel 6 brands, representing 4,100 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, Thalassa sea & spa, Lenotre, CWL.

• Services, with 33 million people in 40 countries benefiting from Accor Services products in employee and constituent benefits, rewards and incentives, and expense management.