French hospitality giant Accor on Thursday announced it had launched an investigation amid accusations of exploitation and child trafficking by U.S.-based short seller Grizzly Research.
"At this stage, and following the publication of this report, the Group is conducting a detailed internal investigation and has hired an external firm to verify the cited facts," the Accor statement read. "The conclusions of these verifications will be made public."
According to Reuters, Grizzly reported that it sent reservation requests "designed to raise human trafficking red flags" to nearly 250 Accor hotels, and about 40 complied. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report's allegations.
Accor in its Thursday statement said it has prioritized fighting against human trafficking and exploitation of children through employee training, "stringent policies and processes," as well as regular internal audits. The last internal audit was completed in 2025.