Accor to recruit 12,000 temporary...

The operator is working with the Qatari government to avoid an accommodation shortage

Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin has confirmed that the operator is recruiting 12,000 temporary employees to operate 65,000 empty rooms in Qatar as temporary fan housing for the FIFA World Cup.

Speaking to Reuters, Bazin said “65,000 rooms is like opening 600 hotels, so we committed to hire enough people to serve it. All that is going to be dismantled at the end of December.”

Bazin added that recruitment drives are underway in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and South America for roles including housekeepers, front-desk staff and logistics experts.

Qatar’s official World Cup accommodation website has received more than 25,000 bookings so far, and will offer more than 100,000 rooms.

Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy executive director of accommodation Omar Al Jaber added: “We will be under pressure until the first match has started. This is normal and we are ready.”

Qatar is also offering 4,000 rooms on two cruise ships moored at Doha Port and 1,000 Bedouin-style desert tents and rooms in prefabricated fan village cabins.

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Pre-booked accommodation is mandatory for ticketed World Cup fans who plan to stay overnight in Qatar. Without accommodation, most fans won’t be issued a mandatory fan ID, which doubles as a visa to Qatar.

Qatar hopes to attract 1.2 million visitors, nearly half of its population, during the 28-day tournament in November and December.

For more information, visit www.all.accor.com