(23/06/2003) Accor, National Supplier To 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics

Paris, June 23rd, 2003._ Accor announced today the signing of a partnership agreement with the Organizing Committee of Paris 2003 Saint-Denis - 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, to be held at the Stade de France(R) from August 23 to 31. Under the terms of the agreement, Accor becomes a National Supplier to the event. 'Building on the experience acquired during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Accor is leveraging its extensive capabilities to serve a global competition that will bring together 2,000 athletes, 450,000 spectators, 20,000 accredited professionals and 3,600 volunteers', highlighted Jean-Marc Espalioux, Chairman of the Management Board. In all, - 135 hotels will be dedicated to accommodating officials, journalists and visitors. - 12,500 meals will be served by Lenôtre, caterer to the Stade de France(R). - 3,600 volunteers will benefit from Ticket Service vouchers provided by Accor Services. - The opening and closing ceremonies will be organized by Market Place, the Group's events management agency. The Accor network is already involved in promoting the Championships and enhancing the event's visibility to its customers. The hospitality of Europe's leading hotel operator To accommodate spectators and accredited officials and journalists, a broad array of hotels in the two to four-star categories (Suitehotel, Ibis, Libertel, Mercure, Novotel and Sofitel) have been selected in the Paris area near the Stade de France(R). As part of Accor's partnership with Orange for the deployment of WiFi hotspots in its hotels in France, networks will be installed in hotels reserved for journalists and officials. In this way, guests with WiFi-enabled laptops who purchase a prepaid Orange WiFi Access card at the hotel reception desk will enjoy secure, high-speed, wireless access to the Internet for surfing the Web or checking their email. Food services for sports lovers During the Championships, Lenôtre plans to serve some 12,500 meals to spectators in the VIP sections, panoramic seats, boxes, and East and West Tribunes, as well as to officials. For the occasion, the gourmet caterer has created an exclusive, multi-colored 'Bayadère' motif for buffet displays, tables and headwaiter uniforms that serves as a visual reminder of the Paris 2003 Saint-Denis logo. Buffet tables, featuring the names of the various athletic events, such as 'the throw,' 'the relay' and 'the race,' will offer small-portion hot dishes so that visitors can get something to eat in a hurry and spend more time watching the events. Facilitating life's essentials for organizers and volunteers Organizing Committee employees have been using Ticket Restaurant meal vouchers since February 2002. In addition, the 3,600 volunteers on duty throughout the Championships will benefit from practical, easy-to-use Ticket Service vouchers provided by Accor Services, enabling them to have their meals in affiliated Ticket Restaurant establishments. Making the Championships an event Market Place, Accor's events management agency, was selected to organize the opening and closing ceremonies of Paris 2003 Saint-Denis - 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics. These two marquee events have been designed to make the Championships into a festive occasion not only for spectators in the Stade de France(R) but also for some 4.5 billion television viewers around the world. A visible participation Accor has mobilized its network to support this global event by: - Displaying a 255-square-meter canvas with the Championships' official poster on the façade of the Sofitel Paris Porte de Sèvres. - Promoting individual ticket sales to its 200,000 Internet customers. - Devoting a large section of Accor Magazine to the event, with 300,000 copies of a double July/August issue to be distributed in 900 hotels in France. **** With 150,000 associates in 140 countries, Accor is the European leader and one of the world's largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services, with two major international activities: - hotels: 4,000 hotels (450,000 rooms) in 90 countries, casinos, travel agencies, and restaurants; - services to corporate clients and public institutions: each day, 13 million people in 32 countries use a broad range of services (food vouchers, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs, events) engineered and managed by Accor. Contacts Eliane Rouyer Tel. + 33 (0)1 45 38 86 26 Further information on Accor is available on Internet at accor.com (C) Companynews