Novotel

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, and the group raised the funds to develop internationally.

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

Novotel reached the top 10 of hotel groups worldwide with 319 hotels. 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. In 1984, Novotel bought the New York Times Square building, a city where the company already operated the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Avenue.

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

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, and to launch a global refurbishment program based on design and modularity, bringing Novotel closer to Accor's upscale brand Sofitel. In 2004, Novotel introduced more ergonomic and elegant rooms (Novation) rooms. In 2008, Novotel introduced new organic bath products branded "N".

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

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

Description

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

Development

References

References

1. (7 June 2019). "Accor's Focus on Design".
2. "Key indicators".
3. (1 April 2009). "Europe at the Seaside: The Economic History of Mass Tourism in the Mediterranean". Berghahn Books.
4. "Hotel chains".
5. Alain J.R. Fetis. (1978). "El management en la hosteleria y la restauracion".
6. (1 October 1999). "Accor will manage Apollo Hotel Singapore; Will be re-branded Novotel Apollo Singapore".
7. (6 March 1997). "Le fast-food envahit le Vieux continent".
8. (10 February 2012). "Accor announces Sale of the Novotel New York Times Square under a €160m Sale & Management-Back agreement".
9. Carter B. Horsley. (18 October 1981). "Novotel plans Broadway hotel on offices".
10. (4 October 2006). "Novotel prend la parole et hausse le ton".
11. (19 November 1997). "Au fil de la semaine".
12. (4 January 2001). "Accor met sa restauration au pas".
13. (6 June 2002). "Un rythme d'ouvertures de 25000 à 30000 chambres par an".
14. (15 June 2004). "Novotel hotels introduce "Novation" room concept".
15. (9 December 2008). "Novotel : des produits d'accueil bio à 100%".
16. (22 November 2011). "Novotel and Microsoft team up to launch the 'hotel room of the future'".
17. (20 June 2013). "Xbox 360 trial for Novotel".
18. (26 June 2013). "Novotel and Monscierge Release Initial Results of New Virtual Concierge at HITEC 2013".
19. (24 June 2014). "Novotel's Web 3.0 hotel experience now includes a new innovative offer: PLAY, the interactive table".
20. (4 November 2013). "Novotel marks 100th Asia-Pacific property".
21. (28 July 2014). "World's largest Novotel to open in Madrid in 2016".
22. (21 April 2017). "Hotel Novotel London Canary Wharf".
23. (8 November 2017). "Le nouveau flagship de Novotel s'est posé à Orly".
24. (5 July 2018). "Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel".
25. (3 May 2019). "Novotel Miami Brickell hotel opens".
26. "Novotel by Accor".