Accor North America Announces Key Promotions For 2011

Accor North America (ANA), one of the largest hotel chain owner and operators in North America, announces 10 employee promotions for 2011 as part of the company's ongoing effort to reward the contributions of team members and provide professional growth opportunities.

"We are very pleased to make these announcements in recognition of the exemplary work and dedication of our team members," said Olivier Poirot, CEO for Accor North America, Motel 6 and Studio 6. "In their new and expanded positions, these individuals will continue to collaborate toward the success and growth of Accor North America's brands � Motel 6, Studio 6, Novotel, Sofitel and Ibis." The key 2011 promotion announcements include: Sunny Bhanot � promoted to Senior Franchise Operations Director Bhanot joined Accor in 2004 and was an Area Manager for Motel 6 prior to joining Franchise Operations in 2007. Bhanot has proven his ability to execute and get results as his hotels and continues to meet and exceed the quality and financial goals set for the brand. In his new role, Bhanot will lead one of two divisions of Franchise Operations and will serve as a liaison to the subsidiary operations team, corporate departments, Franchise Development and the Franchise Advisory Council.

John Henrich � promoted to Senior Counsel Henrich joined the Accor legal team in April 2005. In over five years with the company, Henrich has successfully managed legal matters in a variety of disciplines including contracts, immigration, benefits and real estate. In 2010, Henrich partnered with numerous constituents, including the procurement department and operations to successfully conclude the negotiation of several strategic national contracts in record time. Most recently, with the growth of franchise development and operations, Henrich has expanded his scope of responsibilities to include franchise legal support.

Dorina Hertner � promoted to Senior Director of Risk Management Hertner joined the ANA Risk Management team in 2006. In 2007, she was instrumental in the integration of a new carrier for Accor's Worker's Compensation and General Liability programs. Hertner was then promoted to Director of Risk Management with responsibility for the management of all claims including the financial analysis and actuary studies that are intrinsic to the evaluation of claims management. In her new role, Hertner will assume responsibility for more cross functional projects and oversee the next stage of ANA's business continuity planning.

Mike Marquette � promoted to Senior Director of Income Tax Marquette joined the company in 1997 and has since assumed roles of increasing responsibility within the tax department. Over the past 18 months, Marquette has taken on additional responsibilities that greatly impact the company, including coordination of the North America annual transfer pricing studies, the coordination of IRS exams for the U.S. groups and the ANA payroll tax examination. Over his tenure, Marquette has proven himself to be an asset to both the department and the company, and this new role recognizes his efforts.

Gaetan Mony � promoted to Director of Franchise Development Support In six years with Accor, Mony has proven his ability to execute and get results within the franchise organization. Mony was instrumental in the improvement of the Franchise Approval Committee presentation, which resulted in 100% approval of all deals submitted in 2010. He was responsible for the enhancement of franchise reporting mechanisms and the creation of analytical tools that ensure higher quality projects. Mony assisted in the creation of the franchise development strategy, including market assessment, renovation plans and the supervision of Mexico projects. In his new role, Mony will be responsible for managing and coordinating support for the development and administration teams.

Dave Redmond � promoted to Director of Operations Support Redmond joined Accor in 1998 as Manager of the Reservation Center. In 2000 he became Director of Guest Relations. Redmond received Accor's Bernache of Honour award in 2006 for his contributions to the ANA Hurricane Task Force. He joined the franchise team in 2009 and was the Project Manager for the rollout of Accor's new property management system to 275 franchise locations. In his new role, Redmond will manage the Franchise Opening Team as well as training. He will also manage the administration of the Renovation Services program and facilitate quality initiatives for the franchise network.

Loic Samson � promoted to Director of Accor Business & Leisure IT Samson started his career in North America as a pastry chef at Sofitel Miami. He joined the IT Accor Business & Leisure team as IT support in 2002, and has since assumed roles of increasing responsibility. Samson has demonstrated his ability to successfully manage a department and provide Sofitel, Novotel and Ibis hotels with outstanding service, supporting more than 1,000 systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His support and expertise extends from Mexico to Canada and across the United States.

Rick Schaeffer � promoted to Senior Director of Franchise Development Schaeffer joined the Franchise Development team in 2005, taking over the challenging Northeast U.S. territory. In six years, Schaeffer led the development of more than 75 hotels in the formerly unsuccessful territory using a variety of techniques to attract new franchisees, including the development of downtown locations. Active in the Asian American Hotel Owner's Association (AAHOA) and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers (NABHOOD), Schaeffer built relationships within the Asian-American franchise community and educated hoteliers on the benefits of the Motel 6 Brand. In recognition of his accomplishments, Schaeffer was nominated for the Accor International Executive Leadership Program. In his expanded role, Schaeffer will spearhead a program to develop the Motel 6 brand in strategic markets such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Miami and San Francisco.

Diane Stafford � promoted to Senior Managing Counsel Stafford joined the Accor legal team in May 2007 as Senior Counsel, Contracts Management. Over the past three years, Stafford has demonstrated not only her technical expertise but her ability to lead and partner with her colleagues to successfully negotiate numerous strategic national contracts. Most recently, Stafford assumed responsibility for legal support to franchise development and operations. She partnered with franchise to develop clear brand standards that are fundamental to achieving product and partner excellence. In her new role, Stafford will add responsibility for a number of cross-functional projects.

Renee Swoger � promoted to Director of Energy & Environment Services In less than two years, Swoger made significant progress on Accor's energy and sustainability programs. She piloted the Green Key Certification program in 2010, which will expand to all corporate locations and franchises in 2011. Swoger led the company's first location-level energy incentive program, "Phoenix My Break Room," which resulted in $200,000 in energy savings and rebates. Swoger worked with the EPA to set goals for the recycling of mercury and alkaline batteries at the property level, and her leadership in Energy Exception Reporting enables timely detection and correction of utility leaks. In her expanded role, Swoger will take on new responsibilities for sustainable development programs.

About Accor North America Headquartered in Dallas (Carrollton), Texas, Accor North America operates more than 1,100 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.

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