AccorHotels is honoured as a ‘HeForShe’ Impact Champion by UN Women

SHANGHAI, China - AccorHotels announces that it has been selected by UN Women as one of the 10 champion corporations of the HeForShe - IMPACT 10x10x10 pilot initiative. Paul Richardson, COO of AccorHotels Greater China, accepted the award on behalf of AccorHotels from Ms Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General of UN and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, at the 2015 International Conference on Gender Equality and Corporate Social Responsibility. HeForShe Event took place in Hangzhou on 22nd October.

“I’m thrilled to receive this award, in recognition of AccorHotels’ substantial contribution to the HeforShe international solidarity movement,” said Paul Richardson, COO of AccorHotels Greater China, “AccorHotels has committed to changing mentalities in the hospitality industry by paying particular attention to female guests, and pledging gender parity in management and equal pay. As one of the HeForShe impact champions, we have an opportunity to drive the change within our organisation to inspire the world towards this uniting movement.”

35% women hotel managers by the end of 2017
As part of this initiative, AccorHotels has made the following pledges by the end of 2017:
1. Gender parity in management and equal pay:

- 35% women hotel managers
- Commitment to reduce the pay gap between men and women at the Paris head office and in three other countries

2. Sensitize and motivate male employees in favor of gender diversity, with:

- 35% male membership of internal network WAAG (Women At AccorHotels Generation)
- 50,000 male employees involved asHeForShe champions

Changing mentalities in the hotel sector
Though the share of women travelers staying at the hotels increased from 26% to 34% between 2000 and 2013, the hotel chain sector remains tailored by men for men. For this reason AccorHotels is currently conducting a survey in partnership with IPSOS that clearly demonstrates that women, regardless of their culture, have their own expectations in all hotel segments. 90% consider an offer specially designed for women as innovative. As early as 2013, upscale brand MGallery, had developed Inspired by Her, an offer specifically tailored for women.

In January 2015, the AccorHotels’ Women at Accor Generation initiative (WAAG) was chosen as part of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a women’s empowerment program upheld by UN Women and the UN Global Compact.

HeForShe is an international solidarity movement for gender equality initiated by UN Women. Its objective is to ensure that men also take a stand for gender equality. By creating IMPACT 10x10x10 in 2015, UN Women is expanding this solidarity movement and has identified 10 corporations, 10 universities and 10 governments to be its spokespersons. AccorHotels together with Barclays, Koc Holding, McKinsey & Company, PwC, Schneider Electric, Tupperware, Twitter, Unilever and Vodafone are part of the IMPACT 10x10x10 pilot program.

As part of the solidarity movement initiated by UN Woman, AccorHotels has pledged to:
- Achieve gender parity in management and equal pay
- Sensitize and motivate male employees in favor of gender diversity.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia