Accor chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin used the company's annual general meeting on Tuesday to confirm what has long been speculated: This is his final term leading the Paris-based hospitality giant, and he expects to depart by May 2028. The board of directors is already at work on succession planning, and Bazin—never short on candor—acknowledged the search may conclude early if the right candidate emerges.
"I'll still be around tomorrow," Bazin told shareholders. "This means that, as we discuss succession planning, we should also continue to manage our day-to-day, execute our strategic road map. … The earth doesn't stop spinning. We will not stop making the right decisions, and we will keep putting our heads together and do it openly.”
Bazin, who has led Accor for 12 years and overseen its expansion from 13 to 48 brands, was characteristically disarming about his own limitations in making the case for fresh leadership. He said he hopes his successor will have a far stronger command of technology than he does—a candid admission as AI reshapes how hotels market to, attract and serve guests.
"I'm not capable of anticipating it," Bazin said of the technological landscape. "I hope that my successor will have a much better grasp of the world of technology."
The Board's nominations and compensation committee, chaired by Bruno Pavlovsky, is leading the search with support from external consultants. Isabelle Simon, the board's vice chairman, has been deeply involved in the process over the past six months, Bazin noted. The final decision rests entirely with the board—a point Bazin stressed more than once.
“These discussions are taking place at Board level—and only at Board level—with support from external consultants whenever necessary,” he said. “This is probably the biggest responsibility the Board could have, finding the next leader of the company.”
Finances and Friction
The succession news came against a backdrop of strong financial results but notable investor friction. More than a third of shareholders voted against Bazin's remuneration package, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with recent stock performance—even as the company delivered 2025 results it described as at or above the top end of its guidance range.
Earlier in the year, Bazin said he was “relieved” that the company had met its goals for 2025 in what he described as “a very stormy environment.” In the first quarter of 2026, Accor opened 48 hotels with more than 6,700 rooms, representing a net unit growth of 3.8 percent over the past twelve months. At the end of March, the Group had a hotel network of 879,676 rooms (5,815 hotels) and a pipeline of 260,000 rooms (1,545 hotels).
"Maybe we can leave it at that for the questions," Bazin concluded the meeting before joking: "It sounds a bit like a funeral. I'll be here until May 2028. If we find the right person beforehand, if the Board of Directors finds the right person beforehand, maybe we can conclude my term of office, but we have time."