Accor developed a new sustainability program partly in response to interest from corporate customers in green hotel practices.

The Planet 21 program features messaging to guests that instructs how they can make their stays more environmentally friendly and decrease water and power consumption. To participate, properties must comply with either an internal list of 65 sustainability checkpoints or achieve "an internationally recognized external certification," according to Accor. The Paris-based hotel company by 2015 aims to reduce water consumption by 15 percent and energy consumption by 10 percent at all owned and leased hotels, including the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Motel 6 brands. Accor executive vice president of sustainable development and academies Sophie Flak noted that 70 percent of Accor's major corporate accounts have criteria around sustainability in their supplier policies, and half of those use that data in choosing preferred hotels.