Europe And North Africa To Gain New Momentum As Accor Appoints Karelle Lamouche As CEO

Published on December 4, 2025

Accor has elevated Karelle Lamouche to the role of Chief Executive Officer for its Europe and North Africa cluster, thus in her new position she will manage the entire group’s range of premium, midscale and economy brands in a large and culturally diverse area.

The region under her new mandate encompasses over 3,000 hotels across more than 40 countries, representing approximately 40 per cent of Accor’s global network by room count.

A thirty-year journey inside Accor

Lamouche first joined Accor in 1998. Over nearly three decades she has ascended through roles that spanned in-hotel operations (including as General Manager), brand marketing, national and regional leadership, before moving to global and European-wide commercial responsibilities.

Between 2009 and the late 2010s she served in key positions in the UK and Northern Europe: marketing & distribution director, vice president of marketing and communication roles, then senior vice president overseeing both operations and commercial divisions for budget-segment hotels.

In January 2023 Lamouche joined the Executive Committee of Accor’s Premium, Midscale & Economy division as Chief Commercial Officer. In May 2025 she became Chief Operating Officer for Europe & North Africa, a testament to her deep familiarity with the region’s varied markets and hotel operations.

Her new appointment as CEO marks a natural next step.

What Frances, Italy, Morocco and beyond can expect strategic travel growth

Under Lamouche’s leadership, Accor’s well-known brands, including Pullman, Mövenpick, Swissôtel, Novotel, Mercure, Handwritten Collection, TRIBE, ibis and greet, will likely benefit from a renewed push on both expansion and guest-experience consistency across markets.

Lamouche has remarked that Europe and North Africa remain the world’s number-one travel destination, yet also a huge number of markets, languages and cultures. She indicated that Accor’s strength, its scale, its operational expertise, its distribution network and brand variety, positions it well to thrive across such diversity.

For travellers, that could translate into smoother experiences, stronger brand consistency even when moving between countries, and possibly increased attention to emerging destinations that are still under-the-radar.

At the same time, for hotel owners and investors, Lamouche’s depth of experience across operations, marketing, loyalty, distribution and commercial strategy suggests she is well placed to optimise returns and enhance occupancy, especially as tourism demand rebounds or grows in many European and North African markets.

A strategic boost for tourism recovery and expansion

As travel rebounds worldwide, Europe and North Africa are seeing renewed interest from leisure travellers, business travellers, and international visitors. Under new leadership, Accor seems intent on capturing this momentum, by growing footprint in emerging destinations and injecting fresh energy into existing hotels. Lamouche’s aim appears to be striking a balance between heritage markets (cities in Western Europe, major capitals) and growth-oriented, emerging locales across Southern Europe, North Africa, and beyond.

Given her comprehensive background, from grassroots hotel management to commercial strategy and distribution, Lamouche may emphasise agility, operational excellence and guest-centric offerings. That could mean renovations, re-branding, enhanced loyalty offerings, or tailored services to suit local demands, which in turn could make travel experiences more appealing and stay experiences richer for a diverse global audience.

A human on top of a global hospitality powerhouse

The appointment of Karelle Lamouche is more than a mere corporate reshuffling; it is a wise step taken by the Accor group. She has almost thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry, knowing it from every aspect, and is able to empathize with both the customers and the hotel management. Her vision is that of a new era where travel in Europe and North Africa will be characterized by Accor’s great global presence complemented by local customs and, therefore, offering quality stays that are reliable and consistent to holiday-makers as well as business travelers, all in a broad and beautiful region.

Image Credit: Accor Group