NOVOTEL ADVANCES SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD, EDUCATION, CONSERVATION, AND OPERATIONAL CHANGE ACROSS MORE THAN 600 HOTELS WORLDWIDE

Two years into its ocean commitment and international partnership with WWF France, Novotel is driving tangible progress across its global network of more than 600 hotels, advancing operational change, marine conservation, sustainable food practices, and ocean awareness around the world.

Ahead of World Ocean Day (8 June), Novotel has released its second Ocean Impact Report, transparently sharing the progress, challenges, and measurable impact achieved over the past year as the brand continues to advance long-term action for ocean preservation and support marine conservation projects around the world.

Launched in 2024, Novotel’s partnership with WWF France was created to support the longevity of the world’s oceans through meaningful action across the brand and beyond. Guided by the understanding that ocean health is deeply connected to human wellbeing, climate balance, and the future of travel, the partnership brings together operational change, more sustainable food practices, education, and marine conservation support.

The 2026 report also outlines progress across Novotel’s Positive Impact Plan, rooted in Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water, and structured around four key pillars: reducing operational impact on oceans, promoting more sustainable food choices, enhancing ocean awareness, and contributing to scientific knowledge and research.

“At Novotel, we believe hospitality should positively contribute to the wellbeing and longevity of both people and planet,” said Jean-Yves Minet, Global Brand President, Novotel. “Over the past year, we have continued turning ambition into action across our hotels, from reducing single-use plastics and advancing sustainable seafood practices to expanding training and supporting critical marine conservation projects with WWF. What matters is the collective impact of consistent action at global scale — where every operational improvement, trained team member, responsible menu choice, and conservation project helps protect the long-term health and longevity of our oceans. There is still much more to do, but this report demonstrates meaningful momentum and reinforces our long-term commitment to helping protect the oceans.”

A YEAR OF PROGRESS ACROSS THE NOVOTEL NETWORK

Since the launch of its Positive Impact Plan, Novotel has continued to strengthen implementation of its efforts:

1/ REDUCING IMPACT

Novotel continues to advance operational actions designed to help reduce environmental pressures connected to ocean health.

• 92% of Novotel hotels are now compliant with Accor’s single-use plastic policy
• 73% of the Novotel network is eco-certified by a third party
• Continued focus on reducing operational waste and encouraging more responsible resource use across hotels

2/ DELICIOUS, HEALTHIER & MORE SUSTAINABLE FOOD

Novotel continues to promote more delicious, balanced, and lower-impact dining choices across its hotels, while also helping advance more responsible seafood sourcing practices across the hospitality industry.

• 50% of Novotel hotels now offer menus with at least 25% vegetarian or plant-based dishes
• Novotel partnered with chef and digital creator Alfie Steiner to introduce a selection of flavour-driven plant-forward¹ dishes across participating hotels
• 41% of Novotel hotels have banned more than 350 vulnerable seafood species from menus in line with WWF Sustainable Seafood Principles
• More than 1,600 chefs and kitchen team members have completed WWF Sustainable Seafood Training as of mid-May 2026
• Seafood traceability initiatives continued across Asia, Europe, Brazil, and the Middle East in partnership with WWF, Seafood Task Force, and industry stakeholders.

In 2025, Novotel became the first hospitality brand to join the Seafood Task Force (STF), reinforcing its commitment to improving transparency and traceability across seafood supply chains. As part of this work, Novotel launched a regional initiative in Asia focused on farmed tuna and farmed shrimp sourcing across 50 hotels in Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Developed in partnership with the Seafood Task Force, the project is working to identify priority suppliers and strengthen alignment with STF recommendations through 2026.

In Europe, Novotel and WWF France also launched a two-year initiative to improve seafood traceability across fresh and frozen seafood suppliers serving the Europe region, while in Brazil, additional work has focused on improving traceability across farmed shrimp supply chains serving hotels in the state of São Paulo. 

3/ ENHANCING EDUCATION & OCEAN AWARENESS

Novotel continues to expand educational initiatives designed to help teams, guests, and families better understand the importance of ocean health.

• More than 3,200 Heartists (hotel team members) completed Ocean Awareness Training developed in partnership with AXA Climate
• Physical and digital family games developed with the support of WWF, including Guardians of the Mediterranean and Traps Ahead, continued rolling out globally
• World Ocean Month activations engaged teams, guests, and local communities globally
• Novotel participated in the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice in 2025, joining discussions around sustainable tourism, marine biodiversity, and sustainable seafood
• Through a new partnership with award-winning wildlife photographer and conservation biologist Kaushiik Subramaniam, Novotel is launching a “1% for the Ocean” initiative, combining Kaushiik’s powerful visual storytelling with Novotel’s global reach to raise awareness and inspire guests to take meaningful, everyday action for its preservation.
• This month, Novotel is launching an immersive virtual reality exhibition across 12 of its properties² worldwide, inviting guests to explore a curated collection of ocean photography by newly appointed Ocean Defender Kaushiik Subramaniam, in a powerful three-minute experience designed to raise awareness of ocean preservation.

“Inspiring awareness around ocean preservation is an important part of creating lasting change,” added Jean-Yves Minet. “Hotels have the ability to connect with millions of guests and families every year, and that creates a meaningful opportunity to help make ocean conservation more visible, accessible, and engaging.” 

4/ CONTRIBUTING TO RESEARCH & CONSERVATION

Through WWF France, Novotel continues to support a broad portfolio of marine conservation projects around the world. 

Protecting Posidonia Meadows

• 41 low-impact buoy conversions completed in 2025 across coastal cities in the French Mediterranean
• Additional expansion planned for 2026, including new international training and awareness campaigns targeting boat rental companies and boat owners 

Tackling Ghost Gear

• More than 1,094 hectares scanned in Calanques National Park
• 86 priority ghost nets identified and 14 removed from the sea
• Expansion into the Baltic Sea planned for 2026 in partnership with WWF Poland 

Supporting the Blue Panda

• Scientific missions conducted across the Mediterranean
• First electrocardiogram ever recorded from a whale in the Mediterranean Sea
• More than 250 participants engaged through events held during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice 

Protecting Sea Turtles in the Western Atlantic

• 14 youth ambassadors recruited and trained across French Guiana and Guyana to support marine turtle conservation advocacy
• Community engagement, citizen science, and regional advocacy initiatives expanded over the past year 

Blue Corridors for Turtles

• First Blue Corridors for Turtles report released during UNOC 2025
• More than 50 additional satellite tracking datasets contributed globally in 2025
• Partnership formalised with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species

Ludovic Frère Escoffier, Ocean Program Manager, WWF France, said: “Protecting the ocean requires long-term collaboration and collective action. Through its partnership with WWF France, Novotel continues to demonstrate how a global hospitality brand can help contribute to marine conservation not only through operational improvements, but also by supporting research, awareness, and community engagement initiatives that strengthen ocean resilience over time.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR NOVOTEL?

Looking ahead, Novotel will continue scaling implementation of its Positive Impact Plan across the network, and supporting the next phase of WWF conservation initiatives globally.

Future priorities include:

• Expanding seafood traceability initiatives
• Increasing participation in training programmes across hotel teams
• Continuing to embed plant-forward approaches across food and beverage offerings
• Supporting new conservation initiatives across key regions, including efforts in the Baltic Sea to remove ghost gear with WWF Poland, and in Australia to help protect whales through the mapping of “blue corridors” — migratory routes connecting critical feeding and breeding habitats — in partnership with WWF Australia
• Continuing guest engagement and education initiatives focused on ocean preservation

“The ocean is fundamental to the longevity of life on Earth,” added Jean-Yves Minet. “Protecting it is not only an environmental responsibility, but an investment in the long-term future of communities, travel, wellbeing, and the planet itself. Through this partnership, our ambition is to help contribute to a healthier and more resilient future for the world’s oceans, while continuing to build a more thoughtful and lasting relationship between hospitality and marine preservation.” 

For more information about Novotel’s sustainability initiatives, the brand’s partnership with WWF France, and to read the Novotel Ocean Impact Report in full, visit Novotel – Ocean

About Novotel

Novotel Hotels, Suites & Resorts offers high-quality hotels designed as catalysts for longer, fuller, happier lives, democratizing longevity for everyday travellers through sleep, food, movement, and connection. Novotel has universal appeal, delivering elevated experiences for all travellers, from business professionals to friends and families. Novotel established a partnership with WWF in 2024, to champion the protection and restoration of the world’s oceans, through science-based action and conservation projects. The brand’s wide array of hotels, suites and resorts offer a multitude of services, including spacious, modular rooms with natural and intuitive design; relaxed restaurants with nutritious choices; flexible workspaces; attentive and proactive staff; family zones for the youngest guests; multi-purpose lobbies; and accessible fitness centres. Novotel, which has over 600 locations in more than 60 countries is part of Accor, a world leading hospitality group counting over 5,700 properties throughout more than 110 countries, and a participating brand in ALL Accor, a booking platform and loyalty program providing access to a wide variety of rewards, services and experiences.

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