Mercure Hotel Doha recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of AccorHotels under the theme #WelcomeHeroes, opening the doors to everyday heroes such as Civil Defence personnel, Ambulance Service staff, doctors, nurses, municipality staff, teachers and others who serve the community on a daily basis. The event was graced by French ambassador Eric Chevallier, who was welcomed by the general manager of the hotel, Sebastien Vincent. The GM recalled how two friends, Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pélisson, opened the first Novotel in 1967 and how the AccorHotels group has since grown to include more than 4,200 hotels worldwide across different brands and 95 countries. The AccorHotels team comprises more than 250,000 people and their mission is to “make every guest feel welcome”, it was observed. Pictured are ambassador Chevallier with Vincent and other dignitaries, and Civil Defence staff attending the event.