December 20, 2012 - The first Novotel 4-star hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, installed in a 15-storey glass building, boasts an extraordinary view of Vitosha Mountain and its green peak rising to over 2,000 meters. Located just 5 km from the airport to the east of the city in a bustling business district, the hotel, which opened on December 1st this year, has 178 spacious rooms designed by Atome Associés and featuring contemporary decoration and natural lighting. Each room also offers the latest in technology: free wireless broadband access, programmable air-conditioning and a flat-screen LCD television set with access to satellite channels, plus a mini bar.

Designed with business travelers in mind
The first floor of the Novotel Sofia is dedicated to the Meeting@Novotel offer, with modern, spacious meeting areas covering a total of 400 square meters. The six rooms set aside for events can cater for 280 people altogether - or 160 guests for a sit-down wedding, for instance. The facilities also include the new modular Eureka meeting room that can be fully personalized and is designed to facilitate team working and brainstorming sessions. With its National Palace of Culture, a major exhibition and events venue, Sofia is an ideal destination for convention tourism.

"The location of the new Novotel Sofia is a valuable advantage and the hotel will very quickly become the venue of choice for foreign business travelers," notes General Manager Vincent Dujardin. This customer category is the prime target of the Novotel Sofia, which also hopes to attract travelers drawn by the capital's charms.

Wellbeing at the Novotel Sofia
For visitors keen to take advantage of spa treatments, the Novotel Sofia has its own fitness space in the heart of the building, the In Balance center, where guests can unwind in the steam baths and relaxation room.

They can also enjoy the varied international cuisine served in the "Nouveau Sens" restaurant or relax over a drink and a snack in the "Le Samokov" bar.

An iconic tourist destination
The Bulgarian capital Sofia, with its 1.4 million inhabitants, is the European Union's 15th most populated city. Located in the heart of Europe at the crossroads between east and west, Sofia embodies the contemporary city of tomorrow cheek by jowl with the older part of the town and its rich heritage, including the famous Saint Sophia Basilica and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Growing numbers of foreign tourists are falling in love with its many-faceted charms. Culture, art and sport – Sofia has solid attractions to offer. At the National Fine Arts Gallery, visitors can admire the works of the great Bulgarian masters, while the Ivan Vazov National Theater and the National Opera house present world-class opera and ballet performances. At night, Sofia's different districts come alive to the sounds of piano bars, musical bars and nightclubs playing the tchalga, the latest Bulgarian pop music craze. Winter sports take pride of place in the colder months – the ski slopes are just 20 minutes from the city center and stay open until 10 pm.

Contributing to development in Eastern Europe
With the opening of the Novotel Sofia, Accor is pursuing its push into Eastern Europe. This first hotel responds to the growth of tourism in the city and its strong potential. As Sofia's motto "grows but does not age" so cleverly puts it, Novotel intends to grow and blossom in this beautiful city that definitely deserves to be better known.

About Accor
Accor, the world's leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is present in 90 countries with 4,400 hotels and more than 530,000 rooms. Accor's broad portfolio of hotel brands - Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all seasons/ibis styles, Etap Hotel/ibis budget, hotelF1 and Motel 6 - provide an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With 145,000 employees worldwide, the Group offers to its clients and partners nearly 45 years of know-how and expertise.