08/27/2024
150 Accor team members are ready to support the athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The Group also reaffirms its commitment to inclusion with a donation of 1,000 remote controls to blind and visually impaired athletes and visitors, and makes another step towards “Tourisme & Handicap” certification with 400+ Accor hotels committed to the initiative.
The 2024 Paris Olympics were a huge success enjoyed by athletes, spectators and travelers from all over the world. Our employees in the Villages worked exceptionally hard throughout the Games to ensure everyone had an unforgettable experience. Accor will once again be delighted to demonstrate, with the same dedication, its expertise and values of inclusion during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony: Accor’s vision of hospitality serving athletes
A groundbreaking event deserves a groundbreaking approach – 150 Accor employees, known as Heartists®, have volunteered to accompany the athletes during the Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony. The Heartists® will display their vision of hospitality by welcoming, supporting and serving the athletes and delegations before the Place de la Concorde parade on August 28. This will include welcoming and directing them as they arrive by coach, preparing and organizing the official flags for the various delegations, handing out moist towels and mist sprays, and giving athletes the chance to relax using massage tools and taking souvenir pictures, all the while using all of Accor’s skills and hospitality expertise to serve the more than 5,000 individuals taking part in the parade.
1,000 remote controls for blind and visually impaired athletes and visitors
Accor will distribute 600 standardized remote controls to athletes on their arrival at the Paris 2024 Athletes Village as well as an additional 400 within its hotels, thereby enabling visitors to move around independently. These remote controls activate all the tailored multisensory features (audible signage in selected Group hotels and the Paris 2024 Athletes Village, sound modules at traffic lights, etc.), thus enabling blind and visually impaired people to move around in complete safety.
Another step towards achieving “Tourisme & Handicap” certification: 400+ Accor hotels involved in the initiative
The French government’s “Tourisme & Handicap” certification recognizes businesses that are committed to a policy aimed at improving accessibility, thus promoting inclusive tourism. This initiative and the certification criteria ensure that Accor hotels address the specific needs of people, irrespective of their type of disability – whether auditory, cognitive, physical or visual. With more than 400 hotels involved in the initiative, Accor is pursuing its aim to make its hotels accessible to all.