Novotel renews sponsorship of AFC Champions League

In 2009, Novotel is renewing its contract for another two years and extending the sponsorship to include 13 Middle Eastern countries participating in the competition.

Novotel and a genuine commitment to football Novotel has a solid portfolio of football sponsorships throughout the world – with 3 key major partnerships: Novotel became the major partner of Olympique Lyonnais in 2006, France's leading professional football club, which has been French Champion seven times running and participates in the European Champions League. Since 2001, Novotel has also partnered the Danone Nations Cup, which allows over 2.5 million children aged from 10 to 12 to participate in an international tournament in 40 countries and develop their passion for football. This year, in Brazil, Novotel became Official Partner of the National Beach Soccer Team. Ray Stone – Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing for Accor Asia Pacific says “Many of the 83 Novotel hotels and resorts within Asia Pacific, are located in cities that have representative teams in this exciting and essential club level competition. The sponsorship exposes the Novotel brand through the television and print broadcast and also serves to connect our hotels with their local clubs and communities. We are delighted to extend this valuable sponsorship for another 2 years and even happier that Novotel is sponsoring both the Asian and Middle East competitions.” An opportunity to raise international visibility to serve ongoing development of the Brand: This sponsorship contract, signed with AFC Champions League for a renewable period of two years, gives Novotel wide media exposure (advertising billboards in stadiums, TV, radio, posters, press and web advertising, etc.), guarantees new international public relations opportunities (tickets, VIP invitations, press conferences, etc.) and allows the Brand to develop its commercial relations with participating clubs, organisers, the media and other sponsor companies, as well as fans of the different clubs. This commitment will serve the ongoing development of the Brand, which already has 83 hotels in the Asia-Pacific region (with 22 more to open in the coming 2 years) and 5 hotels in the Middle East, where there are plans to open 3 more Novotels during 2009.

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Novotel operates nearly 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries in the hearts of major international cities, business districts and tourist destinations. Throughout the world, our staff upholds the brand's fundamental values of distinctly modern design, simplicity and efficiency, making today's travellers feel naturally at home. Offering comprehensive hotel services, Novotel ensures the well-being of business and leisure travelers alike. Guests will always find spacious rooms that easily adapt to both work and relaxation, a balanced choice of food and beverages available around the clock, and friendly, attentive staff, plus children's play areas, fitness centers and places to relax. Novotel has long strived to promote sustainable development through its active involvement in the Accor Group's Earth Guest program. Today we strengthen this commitment by pledging to achieve Green Globe environmental certification for our entire network by 2010.