Resident Manager appointed by Ibis World Trade Centre Hotels, Dubai

Working under the direction of ACCOR General Manager Ignace Bauwens, Petra will be responsible for the day to day running of Dubai's first Business Economy Hotel, the Ibis, due to open on August 9th 2003.

Prior to joining the team, Petra worked on the opening of the Ibis Brussels Centre Gare du Midi. She has spent the last 10 years developing a career with ACCOR, starting as a receptionist in the Novotel Brugge Centrum, Belgium and working her way up, via studies at the ACCOR Academy, to become a Resident Manager specialising in Ibis openings.

"This is my first position outside of Europe and I'm quite excited at the challenge. Ibis is a unique brand that I think will work well here, offering quality at an extremely affordable rate. The Dubai hospitality industry is just crying out to be diversified and I'm proud to be part of a team doing just that." said Ms. De Meyere.

"Petra is more than capable of making a success story of the Ibis World Trade Centre, Dubai. She has proven track record and I have every
confidence that she will fulfil all our expectations." said Mr Bauwens.

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.