Accor Opens Investigation After Short-Seller Report Alleges Human Trafficking

Key Points

• Short seller Grizzly Research accused Accor hotels of ignoring signs of child trafficking, particularly involving Ukrainian orphans transiting to adoption in Russia.
• Accor has denied the allegations, launched an internal and external investigation, and stated it will take appropriate action if any wrongdoing is found.
• The report also alleges links between Accor’s CEO and Jeffrey Epstein, though no direct evidence of their connection was found in official records.

Summary

Accor is under scrutiny after short seller Grizzly Research alleged the hotel group ignored signs of child trafficking, particularly involving Ukrainian orphans being adopted in Russia, and accused the company of facilitating suspicious bookings. Accor has denied involvement, initiated a comprehensive investigation, and emphasized its longstanding anti-trafficking efforts. The report also raised questions about CEO Sébastien Bazin’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but no direct evidence was found, and Accor maintains Bazin only met Epstein once in a professional setting over two decades ago.