SOFITEL, the luxury brand of French hotel group Accor, and a staple of French elegance in the luxury hospitality sector around the world, is further reinforcing its presence in the region through establishing a regional office dedicated to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) – an area which includes Indian Ocean with 2 current properties in Mauritius. The new regional office which opened on Jan. 1, 2013 is headed by Senior Vice President Sami Nasser, who will spearhead operations and oversee Sofitel's dynamic growth in the region. With a 25-year longstanding career working for parent company Accor, Nasser enjoys a wealth of experience in the hospitality arena, having held key Management positions for various brands within Accor. During his tenure with the Accor Group, Nasser operated in several geographical areas (France, Ivory Coast, Romania, Poland), which allowed him to showcase his leadership skills and proficiency in steering business growth through effective sales and partnership development initiatives. Nasser has played an instrumental role in implementing Sofitel's successful new luxury segment positioning in the MEA region. Currently overseeing a portfolio of over 28 properties, he has extensive regional market knowledge, and encourages Sofitel's expansion initiatives within MEA. “Establishing a regional office showcases Sofitel's commitment to further support its global strategy and upward development in the MEA region. Our vision is to increase brand value and pursue targeted development in keys cities and major tourist destinations ultimately attaining a total of 150 hotels by 2015 in the world,” Nasser said. “Sofitel luxury hotels have achieved a monumental switch to becoming a great luxury brand proposition over the past 6 years; I look forward to having the opportunity to build on the strong foundation of the chain's vision, driving the company's regional growth creating the finest international French luxury hotel brand,” he added. Symbol of French elegance in luxury hospitality around the world and possessing a strong French DNA, Sofitel and its ambassadors are linking the world to French elegance with a collection of addresses that offer their clients and partners a “tailor-made” service, combining savoir-faire, high hospitality standards and the very best of local culture. Since it's repositioning, Sofitel has become a key player in the luxury segment of the world's hotel arena and continues to strategically expand its reach with further properties becoming operational in the very near future. Sofitel has opened hotels in Bahrain, Cairo, Al-Khobar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the Mauritius in the last two years alone. Key upcoming hotel launches in the foreseeable future include two additional prestigious addresses in Dubai in 2013 – one in the Palm Jumeirah and the other one in downtown close to Burj Khalifa. Another strategic contract was signed early November 2012 for a new hotel in Riyadh, scheduled to be operational in 2015. — SG
