Accor opens the Etap Birmingham Centre NEW HOTEL: First Etap Hotel in Birmingham

�If you want to book a hotel room just for the trouser press stay in a dry cleaners!�

November 2005 saw Accor hotels launch the new Etap Birmingham Centre. This new breed of hotel is positioned between a budget hotel and independent bed and breakfast. A 250 roomed, full service hotel appealing to today�s �SMART� traveller who would like a no frills, good service with rates at a competitive price. A practical location for both business and leisure travellers is also paramount with the Etap Birmingham Centre positioned only a short distance from Birmingham�s main train station �New Street� and within walking distance of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre. Business travellers are also conveniently nearby the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and International Conference Centre (ICC).

Although priced from just �39, the new Etap Birmingham Centre offers a reception which will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All 250 rooms are modern and comfortable and can accommodate up to three people for an extra �5 supplement per room per night, with a choice of smoking and non-smoking rooms available. All rooms have air cooling, televisions with radios, desk and chair and en suite showers as standard. A self service breakfast area is opened from 6.30am-10.00am offering tea, coffee or hot chocolate, pastries, butter, jam, cereals and selection of fruit juices.

�Fraiche Etap� a new approach to hotel catering, offers a choice of healthy sandwiches (from �1.35-�3.50), soup (from �3.75) salads (from �2.75), tasty cakes (from �1.90) and drinks. With the �Fraiche Etap� concept guests will have access to hot and cold food 24 hours a day.

On-site car parking is available for residents and the new Etap has a Discovery corner for tourism information and internet access.

Etap Birmingham Centre is designed to target a new market segment in the branded hotel sector. Already a high performing brand in France and Germany, Accor believe Etap hotels have the possibility of achieving the same level of success in the UK.

Jean-Jacques Dessors, Managing Director Etap, Ibis, Novotel, Mercure and Formule 1 UK & Ireland said �Etap Birmingham Centre is the first of many Etap hotels we plan to open across the UK. The hotel will offer clean and comfortable accommodation guaranteed by the Etap brand and is targeted at today�s �smart� travellers who are looking for no-frills accommodation with guaranteed standards of service and a simple food option at really affordable prices.�

Notes to Editors: With 168,000 employees 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 with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, Motel 6 and Red Roof Inns brands: over 4,000 hotels and 470,000 rooms in 92 countries, as well as other businesses (restaurants notably Len�tre, casinos and travel agencies) ; - Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 19 million people in 35 countries use a broad range of services (food vouchers, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs) engineered and managed by Accor Services.