The chairman of Accor's board of directors said that a member of Jin Jiang's board of directors would be complicated

PARIS – The CEO of Accor said the French hotel group would be complicated if the Chinese shareholder and his fellow hotel operator, Shanghai Jin Jiang Hotels, sought a seat on the board of directors.

Managing director Sebastien Bazin told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that the Chinese group had not asked for a seat at Accor, whose portfolio includes Raffles, Sofitel and Pullman hotels.

"If they did, it would bring a direct competitor in many countries and brands to the board – it sounds complicated," said Bazin.

The Chinese group is the largest shareholder of Accor with a participation of nearly 12% and voting rights of nearly 18%, according to a regulatory report filed last October.

Bazin said it was neither a dream nor a nightmare to have the largest shareholder, Jin Jiang, and that the two groups met every other day. three months.

(Report by Leigh Thomas, edited by Keith Weir)