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Accor Launches Sustainability Owners Advisory Board to Strengthen Owner Collaboration
Key insights and outcomes from the inaugural meeting.
July 24, 2026
Accor recently hosted its first Sustainability Owners Advisory Board, bringing together leading owners representing nearly 50% of the Group’s hotel network. Designed as a forum for practical collaboration, the Board aims to shape a shared roadmap and accelerate sustainability performance.
In June, Accor held the first Sustainability Owners Advisory Board in Paris, bringing together leading owners from across all geographies and both its Luxury & Lifestyle and Premium, Midscale & Economy divisions. Together, the owners represented nearly 50% of the Group’s hotels worldwide, spanning a wide range of ownership models, from family offices and private equity to real estate developers, asset managers, REITs and third-party partners.
Created as an innovative forum for collaboration, the Board brings together Accor teams with owners already driving change across the network to share practical experience, identify what delivers the strongest impact on assets and operations, and shape a shared roadmap to accelerate sustainability performance – turning sustainability into shared value for hotels, guests, talent and assets.
We designed this Board to connect sustainability with the realities of owners and operations. The goal is simple: align on what matters most, learn from what already works, and turn sustainability into value – for people, guests, and assets.
From Ambition to Action: Accor’s Support for Owners
For owners, sustainability is increasingly a value driver. ‘Hosting Change’, the Group’s sustainability roadmap for 2026–2030, co-built with regions, brands, owners and hotels, is designed to capture that value - helping hotels and owners implement sustainability seamlessly into asset strategy and operations.
Whether it is through attracting and retaining diverse talent, improving team engagement and performance while addressing turnover, or through technical guidance that reduces environmental impact and enhances building performance, sustainability is embedded across the asset lifecycle.
And the business case is clear: beyond compliance, sustainable renovation can increase an asset’s market value by 10% to 15%.
This ambition is also brought to life through the dedicated Owner Value Proposition, ‘Making a Positive Business Impact’, the owner-facing translation of ‘Hosting Change’, bringing together 20 owner-centric solutions that help embed sustainability into projects and operating models – supporting profitability and strengthening long-term asset value.
It's been reassuring to see we share many of the same concerns. What we need now is clearer guidance on what to do next – and the ability to bring more hotels along. Accor is already a leader on ESG; this Board can help accelerate the whole ecosystem.
Two Priorities to Accelerate Impact
The inaugural meeting also enabled participants to converge on two priority topics, where joint action can deliver measurable progress.
If we want to change things, we have to come together like this – have honest conversations, and build solutions that work for owners and for the brands.
From Energy Use to Energy Advantage
Energy is the network’s most powerful decarbonization lever – accounting for around 80% of the Group’s carbon footprint – and a key driver of both operating costs and long-term asset resilience. Owners were open about what makes progress harder to scale: very different levels of market maturity and in-house expertise, a need to separate promising technologies from solutions that consistently deliver on-site, and clearer ways of working between owners and Accor to move faster from decision to execution.
To convert ambition into action, the Board called for a more practical playbook: region-specific catalogs of proven solutions, clearer pathways to support investment (including incentives and financing options), and tools that help owners prioritize and sequence measures – backed by peer benchmarks and real-world feedback.
Building the Next Generation of Female Leaders
Accelerating gender diversity in hotel leadership emerged as another shared priority, as women remain underrepresented in General Manager roles across the network. Discussions focused on where the pipeline narrows: lower representation in key operational roles that often lead to GM positions, barriers that accumulate across career stages, and persistent biaises of what leadership “looks like.”
The priority directions identified focused on creating clearer and more inclusive pathways into leadership, and make progression and thrive over time, including strengthening outreach in hospitality schools, expanding internships and early-career opportunities, elevating role models and success stories, and reinforcing retention through development programs, bias-awareness initiatives and communities that support women throughout their careers. increasing access to development, mentoring and coaching opportunities, connecting them to supportive networks, elevating diverse role models and success stories, while addressing potential bias in talent and career decisions.
Towards Shared Value
The Sustainability Owners Advisory Board will convene twice a year, supported by working groups and interim touchpoints to advance priorities between in-person sessions.
This first meeting laid the foundation for a long-term collaboration: aligning owners and Accor around practical solutions that strengthen resilience, accelerate decarbonization, and create sustainable value for all.
Explore Further
SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY
Hosting Change
Discover Accor's sustainability roadmap for 2026–2030, co-built with regions, brands, owners and hotels.
Hotel Development
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