Novotel

Novotel
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	1967
Founder	Paul Dubrule; Gérard Pélisson
Headquarters	Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Number of locations	559 (2021)
Area served	Worldwide
Parent	Accor
Website	accorhotels.com/Novotel

Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor.^[1] Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 countries (2021).^[2] Since 2010, Novotel also includes the apartment hotel brand Novotel Suites.^[2]

History

From Novotel to Accor

The first Novotel was launched in Lille, France, in 1967. It was inspired by American motels with comfortable rooms, a restaurant and parking. By 1970, seven Novotel hotels were in operation,^[3]^[4] and the group raised the funds to develop internationally.^[5]

By 1975, Novotel opened 60 hotels in France and 13 in Europe.^[5] Novotel bought Mercure in 1975, and Sofitel in 1980. In 1981, Novotel entered the Asian market with the opening of a hotel in Singapore.^[6]

Novotel reached the top 10 of hotel groups worldwide with 319 hotels.^[7] It turned into the Accor group in 1983, and was introduced to the Paris stock exchange index the same year. Novotel survived as Accor's strong midscale brand alongside Mercure.^[3] In 1984, Novotel bought the New York Times Square building,^[8] a city where the company already operated the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue.^[9]

In 1986, Novotel introduced full breakfast buffets.^[10] In 1995, Novotel launched an international competition to award the best chefs of its hotels,^[11] which became the Victoires internationales de la cuisine in 2001 and stretched its scope to ibis and Mercure chefs.^[12]

Since 2000s: Modernization

By the end of the 1990s, ibis hotels took the leadership on cities' peripheries, leading Novotel to redefine a strategy towards city centers,^[13] and to launch a global refurbishment program based on design and modularity, bringing Novotel closer to Accor's upscale brand Sofitel.^[10] In 2004, Novotel introduced more ergonomic and elegant rooms (Novation) rooms.^[14] In 2008, Novotel introduced new organic bath products branded "N".^[15]

In November 2011, Novotel and Microsoft prototyped a futuristic room showcased at the Paris Vaugirard location and dubbed "Room 3120".^[16] In 2013, the Xbox became available to customers,^[17] and successfully tested a virtual concierge (Monscierge) within its hotels.^[18] In 2014, Novotel introduced a multimedia table, PLAY, to provide digital guest services.^[19]

In 2012, Novotel sold its New York Times Square location in a €160m sale and management-back deal.^[8] In 2013, Novotel opened its 100th hotel in Asia Pacific.^[20] In 2016, Novotel opened its largest hotel worldwide, in Madrid,^[21] and a new flagship hotel in London's Canary Wharf the following year.^[22] In 2017, the "N" rooms were launched, another step towards design customization.^[23] In July 2018, Novotel opened in Seoul its 500th hotel worldwide.^[24] In May 2019, Accor opened the Novotel Miami Brickell, the brand's second hotel in the USA.^[25]

Description

Novotel caters to business and leisure travelers, with hotels located in the heart of major international cities, business districts and tourist destinations.^[26] Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 countries (2021).^[2]

Development

Development since 2011^[2]
Year	Hotels	Rooms
2021	559	108,272
2020	542	105,559
2019	536	104,835
2018	527	102,795
2017	492	98,903
2016	464	92,843
2015	448	89,219
2014	428	83,340
2013	414	79,220
2012	401	76,383
2011	395	74,502

References

^ "Accor's Focus on Design". Hospitalitynet.org. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Key indicators". Accor.com. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b Luciano Segreto; Carles Manera; Manfred Poh (1 April 2009). Europe at the Seaside: The Economic History of Mass Tourism in the Mediterranean. Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781845459116.
^ "Hotel chains". Cd-hotel.ch. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b Alain J.R. Fetis (1978). "El management en la hosteleria y la restauracion" (PDF). Tourspain.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Accor will manage Apollo Hotel Singapore; Will be re-branded Novotel Apollo Singapore". Hotel-online.com. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Le fast-food envahit le Vieux continent". Lhotellerie-restauration.fr (in French). 6 March 1997. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Accor announces Sale of the Novotel New York Times Square under a €160m Sale & Management-Back agreement". Hospitalitynet.org. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ Carter B. Horsley (18 October 1981). "Novotel plans Broadway hotel on offices". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Novotel prend la parole et hausse le ton". Tourmag.com (in French). 4 October 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Au fil de la semaine". Lhotellerie-restauration.fr (in French). 19 November 1997. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Accor met sa restauration au pas". Lhotellerie-restauration.fr (in French). 4 January 2001. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Un rythme d'ouvertures de 25000 à 30000 chambres par an". Lhotellerie-restauration.fr (in French). 6 June 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel hotels introduce "Novation" room concept". Hotelnewsresource.com. 15 June 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel : des produits d'accueil bio à 100%". Lhotellerie-restauration.fr (in French). 9 December 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel and Microsoft team up to launch the 'hotel room of the future'". Hospitalitynet.org. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Xbox 360 trial for Novotel". Traveldailymedia.com. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel and Monscierge Release Initial Results of New Virtual Concierge at HITEC 2013". Hospitalitynet.org. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel's Web 3.0 hotel experience now includes a new innovative offer: PLAY, the interactive table". Hospitalitynet.org. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel marks 100th Asia-Pacific property". Hospitality-on.com. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "World's largest Novotel to open in Madrid in 2016". Citymagazine.com. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Hotel Novotel London Canary Wharf". Hospitalitynet.org. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Le nouveau flagship de Novotel s'est posé à Orly". Deplacementspros.com (in French). 8 November 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel". Hospitalitynet.org. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel Miami Brickell hotel opens". Hotelnewsresource.com. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "Novotel by Accor". Hospitalitynet.org. Retrieved 23 October 2019.