From 1964 to today...

1964 :

The very first Sofitel opens in Strasbourg, France.

1974 :

Sofitel's grand opening in the U.S.; in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1983 :

The Accor Group is born.

1995 :

Sofitel's network includes 100 hotels; 18,472 bedrooms; 12,500 employees; throughout 40 countries worldwide.

1997 :

Sofitel becomes part of Accor's multi-brand group.

2000 :

Two big strides for 2000... after 10 years with no new openings in the U.S., Sofitel cuts the ribbons in downtown Philadelphia and New York City’s Times Square.

2002 :

Major international expansion: Sofitel opens its doors in Europe (London, Marseille, Cologne); Africa (Marrakech); North America (Chicago, Washington, Montreal); South America (Quito); and Asia (Shanghai, Bangkok).

2004 :

Sofitel opened 31 hotels including 20 Dorint in Germany Germany, The Netherlands, Austria and Spain

2005 :

Sofitel continued its growth with such openings in Asia, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Fidji Islands, in Tunisia, in United Kingdom and in Spain.

2006 :

The company undertook extensive renovation work at several establishments, including In Los Angeles - the signature Sofitel hotel in the United States, and Polynesia - and continued expanding in Europe. Sofitel brand awareness are continually increasing: 10 of its hotels made the Gold List of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler magazine, and it was voted ""Best Hotel Chain in Europe"" by the readers of Business Traveler Magazine.

2007 :

Sofitel Luxury Hotels reinvents elegance "à la française" and reveals its strategy for taking the brand to the very top of the international luxury hotel market.

2008 :

Sofitel becomes an independent business unit within the Accor group and implement its new luxury strategy on its network. With a network comprised of 161 hotels in 2008, Sofitel has received no fewer than 23 awards since January. By the end of the year, nearly 70 properties will be brought in line with the brand’s new prestige image.

2009 :

The brand continues to upgrade its image with a rationalization of its network and at the same time major renovations in order to bring every remaining Sofitel establishment up to the same level of excellence (London, Paris, Munich, Marrakech, Marseille, Jinan etc.). This year saw also the arrival of beautiful projects like the first Sofitel Legend address at the Metropole in Hanoi (Vietnam) or the launch of the So SPA concept at the Sofitel London Saint James (United Kingdom) and the Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port (France). The brand received 90 awards worldwide, a testament to the hotel group’s continued growth and success.

2010 :

Sofitel continues to reinforce its new positioning with a rich program of topical events. The brand will launch the second “Sofitel Legend” address, open 10 hotels and continues its vast renovation projects to ensure the new 130-hotel network is coherent. Finally, several cultural and gastronomic events are planned to support and show off the brand throughout the year, with a constant determination to build a link between the cultures, hotels, countries and continents.